Ava Risk Group Appoints Bryant Henson to Accelerate US-Led Global Growth

Leadership Shift Targets US Market Growth

Ava Risk Group (ASX:AVA) is doubling down on its ambition to scale globally by appointing Bryant Henson as its new CEO and Executive Director, effective 24 August 2026. The move signals a strategic pivot towards commercial acceleration, particularly in the United States, which the Board now views as the company’s largest growth opportunity.

Henson’s credentials read like a who’s who of global defence and technology firms. His recent role as Executive Vice President and Global Head of Strategy at Otis Worldwide (NYSE: OTIS) had him steering growth initiatives across more than 200 countries. Before that, he held senior leadership at L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), where he amassed two decades of experience managing complex international businesses serving defence, aerospace, and critical infrastructure sectors.

Commercial Execution and Market Expansion Front and Centre

After years of investing heavily in technology platforms and product development, Ava Risk Group is now shifting gears towards execution and market penetration. The company has steadily expanded its US presence, securing projects across airports, defence, energy infrastructure, and national security environments during FY2026.

Chairman David Cronin emphasised that Henson is not just a custodian but a growth catalyst. “Bryant is joining to accelerate growth,” Cronin said, highlighting the CEO’s track record in building high-performing commercial organisations. The appointment dovetails with Ava’s recent efforts to strengthen its foothold in the US federal ecosystem and broaden its global reach across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

Incentives Aligned With Long-Term Shareholder Value

Henson’s remuneration package includes a US$350,000 base salary, a short-term incentive (STI) targeting up to 65% of salary linked primarily to EBITDA and revenue growth, and an outperformance incentive that can add up to 30% more for exceeding targets. The STI design incorporates a guaranteed component for FY2027 to support his transition.

The long-term incentive (LTI) is structured around a grant of over 14.5 million options vesting equally over four years. Vesting depends on continued employment, achievement of annual EPS hurdles, and a market performance condition requiring the company’s daily volume-weighted average price (VWAP) to meet specified targets over 60 consecutive trading days. This design aims to balance operational performance with sustained shareholder value creation.

US Base Reflects Market Priorities

Henson will be based in Florida, underscoring the United States’ strategic importance to Ava’s growth plans. His appointment follows a period of solid US market expansion, despite some revenue setbacks in FY2026 linked to delayed orders in other regions. The company’s recent capital raises and project wins have laid a foundation for this next phase of growth focused on commercial execution.

Henson expressed enthusiasm about leveraging Ava’s technology portfolio to meet the rising global demand for critical infrastructure protection. “Governments and commercial organisations are increasing investment in protecting borders, energy infrastructure, communications networks, transport assets and data centres,” he said, positioning Ava as well placed to address these challenges.