Austal has appointed the chief operating officer of its Asian operations, Greg Jason, as its new chief financial officer.

Mr Jason replaces interim chief financial officer Michael Atkinson.

Austal said the pair would work closely together during a six-month handover period.

Austal chief executive Andrew Bellamy said Mr Jason had made significant contributions to the business in increasingly senior roles, initially in helping to shape long term strategies and most recently in the acquisition and activation of the company's Philippines shipyard.

Mr Jason joined Austal as Executive Manager - Business Development in 2007.

Before joining Austal, Mr Jason held finance and commercial positions with Iluka Resources, Western Mining Corporation and Ford Australia.