Hatherleigh resident and retired army officer David Smith has been appointed as chief executive officer of Disaster Relief Australia.


Mr Smith has previously been an unpaid board member of the not-for-profit organisation.


Much of the work is expected to be done from his home office at Hatherleigh.


Founded in 2016, DRA unites the skills and experience of military veterans and motivated civilians to deploy disaster relief teams across Australia and overseas.


Mr Smith served for over 34 years in the Australian Army, eventually reaching the rank of Brigadier.


During his service he commanded at every level from platoon to brigade and saw operational service in East Timor, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan.


He also held a number of key staff appointments focusing on strategic planning, strategy implementation and strategic risk management, seeing him make a noteworthy contribution to Australian Defence Force modernisation.