2026 nominee - Champion of Veteran Employment
Marc Bryant has spent more than a decade championing employment for veterans. Having experienced transition, one of his proudest achievements is supporting the veteran community and paying forward the support that helped him build a life beyond service. Throughout this, Marc has challenged the narrative that veterans are broken by service, instead demonstrating the value their skills and experience bring to business.
For Marc, this begins with the individual. He regularly gives his time to meet veterans for coffee, review CVs, provide honest career advice and open his networks. He listens, helps people recognise the value of their military experience and connects them with opportunities that are right for them. Much of this happens quietly, without recognition, and continues long after the first conversation.
Marc enjoyed a 22-year career in the British and Australian Armies. Much of his military career was spent as an Air Defence artillery officer, but he also served for several years as a British Army Commando and flew helicopters with the Army Air Corps. Highlights of his military career include operational deployments to Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. Since leaving the Australian Army in 2014, Marc has spent 11 years with Saab Australia, based in Adelaide. He has progressed from Project Manager to General Manager and is now responsible for the growth, diversification and delivery of projects in support of Defence.
Marc has been actively engaged in supporting veterans and ADF partners to gain employment and realise their full potential. With Saab Australia’s support, Marc established its veteran employment advocate role, raising awareness across the company and providing advice and support to individuals and organisations.
Marc translated this commitment into sustained organisational impact. In 2016, he developed the idea for Saab Australia’s veteran program, with his proposal accepted in 2017. He helped build this into today’s formal Veteran and ADF Partner Program with its own employee-led Veteran Advisory Committee, an active calendar of events and representation across Australia. His leadership has helped the program become an authentic, industry-leading initiative, with veterans and ADF partners now representing 14% of Saab’s workforce.
Importantly, Marc has never viewed success as simply recruiting veterans into Saab. His approach is veteran-first: helping them find employment wherever the right opportunity exists. He was instrumental in establishing the South Australian Veteran Employer Network and has helped organisations including ASC and Raytheon Australia strengthen their veteran programs.
Marc has also supported veteran initiatives and mentoring across South Australia’s universities, advised Australian Catholic University on its maturity model development, and through his contributions to MESHA and the Federal Veteran Employment Advisory Committee, continues to advocate for veterans. Marc has also volunteered with the Hutt Street Centre, supporting people affected by homelessness, and served as an ambassador for Soldier On.
Marc is a truly deserving nominee because his impact is grounded in genuine care, practical action and an authentic belief in the potential of veterans.