Australian organisations are getting their strategies in line with the AI era’s demands.

Insights from the latest ADAPT surveys are shining a light on critical focus areas, painting a detailed picture of how businesses are tackling both challenges and opportunities in the tech world.

Australian CIOs are prioritising cyber security, the drive towards modernisation, and the push for data-driven initiatives.

 

Cyber security at the forefront

185 Australian organisations are putting their weight behind strengthening their digital defences against cyber threats, marking cyber security as a top-tier priority.

172 tech leaders are leaning into automation, and machine learning, and giving their infrastructure a modern makeover to bump up operational efficiency.

The most recent ADAPT’s #CIOEdge delved deeper into these challenges, with Australian leaders sharing their strategies and lessons learned.

Lesson 1: ADAPT’s Head of Analytics advises aligning IT initiatives with business objectives to drive operational efficiency

Gabby Fredkin, Head of Analytics and Insights at ADAPT, talks about the need to streamline processes and leverage technology to boost operational efficiency and ensure organisational safety.

He encourages leaders to make sure IT initiatives and business goals are moving together, showcasing the real-world benefits of tech and pushing businesses towards success.

When it comes to the data prioritisation challenges brought on by advancing AI technologies, Gabby points out the need for robust data management, compliance, and security strategies.

He advocates for adaptive leadership and a proactive stance to capitalise on innovation and growth opportunities.

Key Takeaways:

  • Implement a strategic framework that aligns IT initiatives with business goals, ensuring technology investments directly contribute to operational efficiency, cost optimisation, and measurable business success.
  • Prioritise robust data management, compliance, and security practices to safeguard the organisation and leverage technological advancements.
  • Foster adaptive leadership and a culture of continuous improvement to navigate change and drive organisational agility and innovation.

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Lesson 2: How Estia Health, Accenture, and PEXA tech leaders are mastering prioritisation

Fiona Caldwell, CIO at Estia Health, Angela Coble OAM, Managing Director, Client Group Technology Officer at Accenture Australia and Eglantine Etiemble, CTO at PEXA, share their insights on driving change and innovation within their respective organisations.

Fiona emphasises the need for a dynamic prioritisation matrix that evolves with the business and engages stakeholders effectively.

Angela highlights the importance of making people uncomfortable to drive digital transformation and innovation, while also challenging the organisation’s risk appetite.

Eglantine advocates for setting ambitious goals, or “moonshots”, to inspire creativity and drive progress.

Technology leaders need to be proactive, visionary, and socially responsible in driving meaningful change and innovation.

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Lesson 3: Dr Peter Weill promotes catering to different customer domains to drive business value

Understanding and meeting diverse customer needs are crucial for any business focused on long-term growth.

Dr. Peter Weill, Chairman and Senior Research Scientist at MIT CISR (MIT Center for Information Systems Research) zeroes in on the importance of tailoring technology initiatives to these varied needs to ramp up engagement and drive success.

Tailoring technology and business strategies to customer needs boosts value, engagement, and growth.

Key Takeaway:

Align technology initiatives with the needs of diverse customer domains to drive business value and foster sustainable growth.

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Lesson 4: Evolved.AI’s CEO recommends proactive AI leadership for competitive advantage

In his keynote presentation at the recent ADAPT’s CIO Edge, Dr. Michael G. Kollo, CEO at Evolved.AI, discusses how to strategically navigate AI initiatives within organisations.

Drawing from real-world examples and hypothetical scenarios, Dr Kollo outlines the journey of a fictional CIO grappling with the challenges and opportunities inherent in AI adoption.

He stresses the importance of strategic oversight and proactive engagement across all organisational levels, from initial discovery phases to defining concrete applications.

Highlighting AI’s game-changing potential, Dr Kollo references the swift evolution of models like GPT-4 and Midjourney, noting their rapid impact.

Key Takeaways:

  • Dive into AI experimentation
  • Align efforts with broader business goals
  • Cultivate an innovation-rich culture to leverage AI’s transformative power and maintain a competitive edge

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Lesson 5: Bain’s Head of Tech discusses maximising IT spend through AI integration and agile methodologies

Pascal Gautheron, Head of Bain & Company Inc. ‘s Enterprise Technology Practice in Asia Pacific, shares insights into the future of enterprise technology.

He lays out six trends he sees shaping the impact of tech on businesses in the decade ahead:

  1. Interaction Explosion: Beyond mobile, embrace diverse customer and supply chain interactions.
  2. Connected Intelligence: Embed AI throughout the enterprise, not just in specialised teams.
  3. Decentralised Data Usage: Shift from centralised data storage to decentralised, fabric-based approaches.
  4. Open Source and Modularity: Leverage open-source code and modular architecture for flexibility and choice.
  5. Cyber Resilience: Constant investment in cyber security, focusing on resilience and recovery.
  6. Agility and Speed: Accelerate change with agile methods, low-code platforms, and AI integration.

Key Takeaways:

  • Adopt a comprehensive approach to technology utilisation
  • Prioritise cultural evolution, capability development, and strategic alignment with business goals to unlock the full potential of technological investments

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Lesson 6: Microsoft Australia’s CTO advocates embracing disruption and cultural transformation for perpetual innovation

During her keynote presentation at the recent ADAPT’s CIO Edge event, Sarah Carney showcases Microsoft‘s innovation ethos, centring on the concept of continuous innovation, building technical agility, and undergoing a cultural metamorphosis within the organisation.

Balancing innovation

Adopting what’s termed a “full spectrum innovation” approach, Microsoft now balances immediate, practical innovations with bold, long-term visions.

They’ve broadened the definition of innovation to encompass all aspects of the business, fostering a culture where experimenting and collaborating are the norms.

Teams and collaboration are crucial

Microsoft prioritises teamwork, diversity, and inclusivity, fuelling innovation through collaboration with internal and external partners.

It empowers employees with resources like hackathons and the Power Platform to drive innovation democratisation.

Key Takeaways:

  • Emulate Microsoft’s approach by focusing on cultural transformation, balanced innovation, collaboration, and agility to drive continuous innovation both inside and outside your organisation.
  • Implement these principles to maintain leadership in the technology industry and foster a culture of innovation and growth.

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Lesson 7: James Cook Uni’s CDO promotes technical agility for transformative change

Geoff Purcell, Chief Digital Officer at James Cook University, advocates for transformative change by strategically aligning people, processes, and technology, focusing on building technical agility.

Kicking off a transformation agenda, Geoff spearheaded efforts to restructure the organisation and championed self-management and self-organisation among teams to foster agility.

Geoff also shares how he’s worked to get executive buy-in, encourage teamwork, and roll out frameworks like the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) to spark cultural change and promote agility across the university.

His insights highlight the crucial role of aligning people, processes, and technology in cultivating technical agility and driving meaningful organisational change.

Key Takeaways:

  • Coordinate personnel, refine procedures, and leverage technology to boost technical agility and drive impactful organisational changes
  • Aim for seamless integration of these elements to fast-track innovation, streamline operations, and secure strategic transformations

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Lesson 8: Bendigo and Adelaide Bank consolidates, digitises, and partners for personalised experiences

Ryan Brosnahan, Chief Transformation Officer at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, shares the bank’s transformation journey, offering key insights into staying competitive in a changing world.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s journey serves as a powerful case study, showcasing the importance of flexibility, innovation, and collaboration in driving sustainable growth and maintaining a competitive advantage in dynamic markets.

Central to their success is a strategic focus on adaptability and innovation, demonstrated through three main actions.

Key Takeaway:

Prioritise adaptability, foster innovation, and champion collaboration and strategic partnerships to ensure enduring competitiveness in today’s dynamic markets.

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Conclusion

ADAPT’s CIO surveys reveal key organisational focuses: enhancing cyber security, modernising infrastructure, and forging strategic partnerships for resilience in the evolving tech landscape.

To combat challenges in AI readiness and resource allocation, tech leaders must:

  1. Audit and streamline your tech stack to remove barriers to security and efficiency
  2. Prioritise cost optimisation and tech empowerment in your strategic planning
  3. Strengthen your data governance to better prepare for AI challenges and opportunities
  4. Cultivate a data-literate culture to overcome technical and funding challenges

Case studies like Microsoft and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank illustrate that success hinges on adaptability, innovation, and collaboration.

Insights from 150 Australian CIOs at #CIOEdge give us practical actions tech leaders can take today to win resources for modernisation.

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Contributors
Gabby Fredkin Head of Analytics & Insights at ADAPT
Gabby’s primary role is managing analysis to produce ADAPT’s actionable insights. He has extensive experience in using data to identify technology trends... More

Gabby’s primary role is managing analysis to produce ADAPT’s actionable insights. He has extensive experience in using data to identify technology trends to support Australian organisations.

Using modern data science techniques, he provides ADAPT and its customers with confidence in the accuracy and validity of the information used for ADAPT’s research, advisory and events.

With a passion for creating stories with data, Gabby is consistently rated as one of the top speakers at ADAPT’s events. In roundtable discussions, he specialises in using statistics to initiate thought-provoking discussions. 

Gabby is effective in translating information into insights, enabling ADAPT’s customers to become more data-driven.

Gabby’s primary areas of expertise are:

  • Advanced AI and ML practices, including AI ethics.
  • Building models to benchmark and predict IT performance.
  • End-user behaviour and human-centred design.
  • Cross-functional team design and value, such as DevSecOps.
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Fiona Caldwell CIO at Estia Health
MBA educated senior IT manager with exceptional track record in leading and managing small and large teams in complex IT environments. Possesses... More

MBA educated senior IT manager with exceptional track record in leading and managing small and large teams in complex IT environments. Possesses 25 years in IT with 15 years in strategic, project and operational leadership capacity. Fosters a culture of teamwork, innovation and continuous improvement to drive reductions in costs, improve IT service levels and deliver new business services. Excels in ensuring organizations have the right data, business processes and systems to run efficiently.

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Angela Coble Managing Director and Client Group Technology Officer at Accenture Australia
A contagious optimist, energiser and entrepreneur, welcomed into the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2023 for service to business, Angela thrive’s helping... More

A contagious optimist, energiser and entrepreneur, welcomed into the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2023 for service to business, Angela thrive’s helping others as a co-founder and executive director, author, holder of registered IP and copyright, and partnering with exceptional leaders as a Managing Director within Accenture. Enabling people and business to grow and succeed is her legacy.

As a co-founder of Leadonera Pty Ltd and the registered IP of Leadonera®, Angela created new concepts, frameworks and identified unique career pathways that combine to accelerate our next generation of leaders whilst remaining focused on her gender diversity purpose to advance and retain more women in leadership.

As a former MNC Executive CIO & Executive Director Business Transformation, Angela has deep commercial experience in Strategy, Governance, Organisational Design and Risk coupled with the pace of being a Technology Executive balancing the P&L with growth, innovation and experimentation.

As a Managing Director with Accenture, leverages her vast experience in technology, leadership and diversity to partner with c-Suite and Board’s to support organisations to accelerate their digital ambition and reimagine their business models for sustainable growth. Supporting not-for-profits, public and listed companies (ASX100), Angela navigate’s the balance of short-term requirements and long-term goals to accelerate the digital journey to unlock value, deliver improved employee and customer experiences and reimagine organisations for better outcomes.

A lifelong learner, in 2023 submitted her thesis for the award of Doctorate by Research (UniSQ) for an industry-first empirical study to examine the Technology Leadership Context in Australia with findings applied to improving gender diversity in executive teams. Angela’s research answers the matter of competency and capability complement and the model of the future technology leader, discovering a new pathway for the Australian Technology Executive. Leaning into academia, Angela expanded her intellectual curiosity in Leadership & Digital Transformation, studying at international faculties with MIT and Oxford.

Fulfilling her passion for Women in Leadership, Angela support events, charities, and programs to continue to advance the next generation of leaders. An advocate for advancing leaders, mentoring, coaching talent, and delivering inclusive programs, Angela volunteers her time aligned to purpose as a speaker, regularly contribute to publications, and enjoy’s audiobooks and walking for wellbeing.

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Eglantine Etiemble CTO at PEXA & 3rd place in CIO.50 '24
Global executive. Eglantine is a versatile global executive. She has delivered complex projects and led teams in 20 different countries in Europe,... More

Global executive. Eglantine is a versatile global executive. She has delivered complex projects and led teams in 20 different countries in Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific in consulting and manufacturing.

In-house transformer. Eglantine is a catalyst for innovation and business transformation, She has a demonstrable track record in projects as diverse as a new operating model with supporting ERP systems implementation, transformation through technology, mergers and acquisitions and introduction of new ways of working (introduction of Agile, flexible working arrangements).

Strategist. Eglantine has expertise in co-designing business strategy with executive peers, transforming business objectives and challenges into an IT strategy through leadership, collaboration and influence, and enabling executive peers to leverage IT effectively.

Inspiring leader. Eglantine takes leadership seriously. She is able to articulate a clear vision, and her strategic clarity and understanding of human nature equip her to lead and mobilise even teams struggling with change. She is strongly committed to inclusion and has built teams that balance gender, age and background diversity.

Coach and mentor. Eglantine provides informal coaching to her peers on how technology contributes to business transformation, cultural change or operational efficiency through curated articles, conferences, organised sessions with thought leaders and individual conversations.

Startup founder. In her spare time, Eglantine is building Boomerang Factory, a startup that helps employees develop new skills and competencies through designed experiential learning happening via internships in other organisations.

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Peter Weill Senior Advisor at ADAPT
Peter Weill’s work centers on the role, value, and governance of digitisation in enterprises and their ecosystems. His research focuses on digital... More

Peter Weill’s work centers on the role, value, and governance of digitisation in enterprises and their ecosystems. His research focuses on digital business models and transformation, digital savvy and partnering, replatforming, and modern business.

Based in Australia, Peter consults ADAPT and attendees of EDGE events on how to be future ready in the digital age.

Peter has written award-winning books, articles, and case studies published by Harvard Business School Press, Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal and more. 

In 2008, Ziff Davis ranked Peter as #24 in its list of the Top 100 Most Influential People in IT, the highest-ranked academic. 

Peter has worked on digitisation issues with executive committees and boards at more than 50 companies globally.

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Dr. Michael G. Kollo CEO at Evolved.AI
I am the CEO of Evolved Reasoning, a Generative AI – based company that provides education materials for conferences, workshops and presentations... More

I am the CEO of Evolved Reasoning, a Generative AI – based company that provides education materials for conferences, workshops and presentations for executive business leaders looking to understand, trust and deploy artificial intelligence solutions, especially Generative AI models like ChatGPT in their businesses.

With offer a pragmatic business lens on what is otherwise a deep experience set in the algorithmic component and capabilities of complex AI systems. My co-founder and I are both experienced technical business leaders, and we love working with organisations at all levels of competence. In fact, we really enjoy bringing high performing executive teams on the AI journey from a business strategy perspective.

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Pascal Gautheron Head of Enterprise Technology Practice in Asia-Pacific at Bain & Company
Pascal Gautheron leads Bain’s Enterprise Technology practice in Asia-Pacific. He is also a member of our Financial Services practices. He has 20... More

Pascal Gautheron leads Bain’s Enterprise Technology practice in Asia-Pacific. He is also a member of our Financial Services practices. He has 20 years of experience shaping the largest technology-enabled banking transformations across Asia Pacific.

In his role at Bain, Pascal supports large organizations in designing and delivering results from technology-centric business transformations. His areas of focus include digital and core systems transformations, next generation technology architectures, agile at scale and IT strategy.

Prior to Bain, Pascal was a managing director within a global consulting and systems integration firm for nearly 20 years, most recently as the Banking Industry Lead for Australia. During this time, he supported the design, establishment and review of Australia’s big four banks’ core, digital or technology transformations and some of Asia Pacific’s largest banking transformations.

Before this, he held a number of positions in the firm’s digital venture, strategy consulting and industry consulting practices, where he supported the firm’s investments in new digital ventures, managed relationships with the firm’s largest clients and led the development of emerging technology-based offerings. Pascal presented on banking and technology across a number of professional forums in China, Japan, Singapore and Australia.

Pascal began his career as an engineer in Stuttgart, Paris and Sydney working in the automotive industry with Mercedes Benz and in the defense industry with Thales.

Pascal holds an MBA from the Groupe HEC in France and a Bachelors of Operation Management and Engineering Physics from Miami University in USA.

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Sarah Carney National CTO at Microsoft
With over 20 years of work experience across three continents and a multitude of industries, I am currently the Chief Technology Officer... More

With over 20 years of work experience across three continents and a multitude of industries, I am currently the Chief Technology Officer for Enterprise Commercial at Microsoft, where I lead the technical strategy, vision, and execution for our largest and most strategic customers. I have a strong background in business strategy, analysis and development and I am also a certified Prosci change practitioner.

I currently serve as the co-chair of the Military Employee Resource Group Board at Microsoft, where I support the recruitment, retention, and development of veterans and their allies. I am passionate about delivering innovative and impactful solutions that enable digital transformation, empower customers, and drive business growth. I am always looking for new opportunities to learn, collaborate, and contribute to the technology community and beyond.

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Geoff Purcell Chief Digital Officer at James Cook University
I am a business-driven Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Digital Officer, with global and CEO start-up experience. My passion is... More

I am a business-driven Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Digital Officer, with global and CEO start-up experience. My passion is business, technology and digital transformation that drives business value. As a technologist, I believe the leader of Technology in a business, must truly understand the business and its full potential, in order to truly add value to that business.

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Ryan Brosnahan Chief Transformation Officer at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank
At Bendigo and Adelaide Bank I’m responsible for driving the Group’s digital transformation program, a key enabler of the bank’s strategy. I’m... More

At Bendigo and Adelaide Bank I’m responsible for driving the Group’s digital transformation program, a key enabler of the bank’s strategy. I’m privileged to lead a talented team across our digital, data, payments, and technology functions.

With more than 20 years’ international experience in the financial services industry in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, I’ve led complex growth and transformation change initiatives across multiple functions and businesses in financial services.

I’m passionate about harnessing the power of technology to improve the way we live and work, driving improvements in customer experience, business operations and performance.

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