DEFENCE FAMILY BUSINESS AWARD FINALIST
In less than two years Tiffany Sharp has gone from being a clinical nutritionist to being a pioneer in the Australian space industry, and she credits the skills and resilience she has gained from being a defence spouse for helping her succeed.
Tiffany is the co-founder of Cambrian Executive, a defence and space consultancy, development, and research business, and a finalist in the Defence Family Business category of The King’s Trust Beyond Service Awards.
Meet Tiffany
For most of her life, Tiffany Sharp had no desire to join the space industry.
She was busy studying, working as a clinical nutritionist, raising two children and juggling the demands of being the spouse of a naval officer turned defence consultant.
The last thing she expected was to be part of a team launching medical research into space on a rocket in the Arctic circle.
Tiffany is the Co-founder and Director of Space at Cambrian Executive.
The Adelaide-based company started predominantly offering business development and consulting within the defence industry, but expanded to space research and development after Tiffany got a scholarship to the International Space University Program in 2023.
Here, she found herself alongside about 40 other participants from 15 different countries, learning from astronauts and engineers from NASA, Blue Origin and Axiom. During the programme Tiffany worked with other participants to produce two white papers.
As the Director of Space at Cambrian Executive, Tiffany focuses on getting medical research into space to use microgravity for experiments; an environment that can't be readily, safely and economically replicated on Earth, and could be used for research and creating new materials.
Cambrian Executive also work with industry experts focused on the use of satellites for national security, fisheries, the monitoring of flood, fire, famine and disease, and aiding the agriculture industry with climate adaptation. They employ veterans within the defence and space industry to assist with contract requirements and Tiffany is a co-author of many studies highlighting the wellbeing of defence force personal and their families.
“It’s difficult getting the medical community, agriculture sector and other cross industries to understand the opportunities that space presents,” Tiffany said.
“They don’t realise that it's the new industrial revolution where you can get faster breakthroughs done in the medical community than you do here on Earth.”
Tiffany said running Cambrian Executive also comes with challenges, as it isn’t typical nine-to-five role and she’s jointly responsible for everything from business development through to PR. But those struggles have been balanced by success.
Winning contracts and tenders for clients is always a highlight, and so too was being pioneers in the Australian space industry.
“We are placing ourselves (within the space industry) so that we're in business development to help with medical breakthroughs or new materials in defence and agriculture and natural disaster mitigation as well,” she said.
“We're doing our own research to help with those breakthroughs, but we're also looking behind us and ensuring that we can show other people this is how you do it.”
This month Tiffany is taking time out of her busy schedule to attend The King’s Trust Australia Beyond Service Awards as a finalist in the Defence Family Business category.
She said she was humbled to be chosen and to be attending the awards ceremony.
“I’m very honoured,” she said.
