ASC Shipbuilding CEO Mark Lemarre has stepped down as CEO of the company effective from December 15, and has been replaced in an acting capacity by General Manager Shipbuilding Jim Cuthill.

ASC Chairman Bruce Carter said Mr Lamarre will return to the United States for family reasons, and that he had successfully led the company to high performance through the AWD program and had secured OPV work.

“Under Mark’s leadership, ASC Shipbuilding has become a cohesive and successful team of shipbuilders, producing great results on the Air Warfare Destroyer program with our Alliance partners and successfully winning future shipbuilding work,” Mr Carter said in a statement. “Mark leaves his role with the best wishes of the Board, executive management and the entire workforce of more than 1,000 at ASC Shipbuilding.”

The Defence Teaming Centre CEO Margot Forster praised Mr Lamarre’s three year tenure as CEO, and welcomed Mr Cuthill’s appointment.

“The productivity reforms that Mr Lammare has made during his time at ASC are quite remarkable. He has successfully led the company to a point where it is now on target to meet the international shipyard efficiency benchmark,” Ms Forster said.

“The ASC is a national asset and as a result of Mr Lammare’s reforms, it is now being recognised as such, securing future work on the Offshore Patrol Vessel Program. Mr Cuthill brings with him a wealth of shipbuilding experience having worked in industry for 22 years in both naval and commercial shipbuilding. He has been a part of the ASC Shipbuilding team since 2009 and has worked alongside Mr Lammare as part of the Shipbuilding leadership team for some time.”