Peter James

Peter James served as founding Chairman of DroneShield (ASX: DRO) from the company's early days until his departure on 8 April 2026. He departed simultaneously with founding CEO Oleg Vornik — a joint exit that was unusual for a listed company and that the market read as a signal of internal disruption, sending the stock down 20%. No public explanation was provided for the timing.

As Chairman, James oversaw DroneShield's growth from a start-up into one of Australia's most prominent listed defence technology companies, guiding governance through multiple capital raises, an EU manufacturing expansion, and the Emergence of DroneShield as a credible NATO-aligned Counter-UAS supplier. His successor, Hamish McLennan, is subject to shareholder confirmation at the 29 May 2026 AGM.

In May 2026, ASIC opened a formal investigation that includes scrutiny of James's November 2025 share sales. Alongside CEO Vornik, James is estimated to have participated in share sales totalling approximately A$67-70 million between 6-12 November 2025, a period overlapping with a corrected US government contract announcement that the company filed and retracted on the same day for double-counting revenue. James is retiring from the board at the 29 May AGM; the ASIC investigation means he leaves under regulatory scrutiny rather than the orderly succession narrative the company had suggested at the time of his departure announcement.