Dr. Cathy Moloney is a Vice President at The Asia Group (TAG). Based in Canberra, Cathy draws on her extensive experience working across strategic, political, and defense and national security policies to help clients identify and leverage opportunities while mitigating risks within Australia and through the Indo-Pacific. She is on the Executive Committee of Women in Nuclear (WiN) Australia, and a member of the Asia Pacific Leadership Network for Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (APLN).
Prior to joining TAG, Cathy had an extensive career spanning government, academia, and industry. She has held positions in the Australian Department of Defence as Director of the Centre for Defence Research. Cathy previously worked for the Australian Department of Defence as Director and Senior Advisor at the Centre for Defence Research, Australian Defence College, and SME to the Australian Defence Force’s Joint Warfare Development Branch. Cathy was the Editor of the Australian Journal of Defence and Strategic Studies, the flagship academic journal of the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force. She was responsible for managing the synthesising and presentation of complex material into tailored communications for senior government leadership, and providing advice to tiger teams, working groups and senior advisory workshops tasked with developing Integrated Concepts for the Australian Defence Force on behalf of the Chief of Defence. During her time at Defence, she established and led a talented multidisciplinary teams, positioning them to deliver expert strategic policy advice, targeted whole-of-government professional education and high-level reports and publications.
Most recently, Cathy was Deputy Director of the Defence Strategy & National Security Program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) leading a highly skilled team of researchers and analysts at the forefront of Australian defence and strategic analysis. Cathy is an accomplished leader, researcher, and advisor with specialist expertise in Australian foreign policy, defence and national security, including nuclear and strategic policy, and has forged a highly successful career spanning industry, government, and academia. She possesses an innate ability to find the best route forward in ambiguous situations, enjoys drawing connections between seemingly disparate phenomena, communicates with impact and confidence, and is open to new challenges in complex areas.
Cathy holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Nuclear Policy and International Relations from Griffith University, a Master of International Politics (1st Class) from the University of Melbourne, and a Bachelor of International Relations from Griffith University. She loves her dog, Tayto the Wheaten Terrier!