Mr Michael Drake was appointed as the inaugural Director-General of the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Regulator in November 2025. He is responsible for the regulation of naval nuclear propulsion activities associated with Australia’s fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.
Prior to his appointment, Mr Drake has had an extensive career in maritime safety and regulation, including as the National Operations Manager Regions and then the Executive Director Operations in the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), in which he was responsible for the effective delivery and implementation of AMSA’s national ship and vessel programs.
Mr Drake spent 15 years in the Royal Australian Navy where he served in a variety of roles at sea, primarily in submarines, and shore-based roles both within Australia and overseas.
On leaving the Navy, Mr Drake retrained as a lawyer and practised at a commercial law firm before taking up roles in the NSW Public Service.
Mr Drake held senior leadership positions within NSW Government agencies, Roads and Maritime Services and Transport for New South Wales prior to joining the AMSA in 2018.
Mr Drake holds a Master of Public Policy, a Bachelor of Law (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts.
