CIO Leadership Live: New Zealand

Hosted by Foundry

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May 2025

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About the show

Host Cathy O’Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief APAC - CIO & CSO brands, sits down with IT leaders throughout New Zealand for in-depth interviews focused on leadership, innovation and business strategy.

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38 recent

May 14, 202530 min

Kari Jones, Executive Director Transformation & Operations, FMA

FMA’s Executive Director - Transformation & Operations Kari Jones on technology in the regulatory landscape, moving from a specialist data role to a broader leadership role, the lessons she’s learned from her international sporting career, and the honest feedback that changed her approach to leading teams. Key insights: Career Evolution: From computer science to technology consulting at PWC, leadership roles at Air New Zealand, NZ Post, and Woolworths before joining the FMALeadership Philosophy: The importance of collaboration over competition and serving the organisational strategyDigital Transformation: Making regulatory processes easier through data intelligence and digital enablementFinancial Regulation Approach: Acting as a "referee" focused on customer fairness and transparency while enabling innovationProfessional Growth: Learning from feedback and evolving leadership style from results-focused to people-focusedTechnology & Innovation: Balancing regulatory oversight with embracing emerging technologies like AI and cryptocurrencyRegulatory Sandbox: Testing innovative financial products with regulatory guidance in real-time

May 5, 202523 min

Jonathan Southee, Chief Information & Technology Officer, NZ Rugby

Jonathan Southee, Chief Information and Technology Officer at New Zealand Rugby, unpacks how his team is using technology to deliver world-class experiences for players and fans alike. From transforming the match day experience to scaling global e-commerce operations, Jono shares how NZR is evolving from a traditional sports organisation into a tech-enabled, fan-focused enterprise.

April 13, 202525 min

Alex Smart, Chief Technology Officer, Southern Cross Travel Insurance

Southern Cross Travel Insurance CTO Alex Smart on driving a complete transformation of SCTI's core insurance platform, how a great team culture and healthy conflict leads to success, and why diversity matters more than ever in technology.

April 8, 202524 min

Datacom CISO Collin Penman on AI-powered threats and cyber fatigue

Datacom CISO Collin Penman talks about the growing gap between leadership and employees when it comes to cybersecurity, how cyber fatigue is leaving businesses in Australia and New Zealand more exposed, and why AI-powered threats are now keeping security leaders up at night. Speaking to CIO's Cathy O'Sullivan, Penman dug into Datacom's State of Cybersecurity Index findings, and the reality is sobering. The data shows: AI-driven attacks now top the threat list for security leaders Security teams are burning out - 61% in NZ and 58% in Australia report cyber fatigue Leadership thinks staff are cyber-ready; most employees disagree 40% of employees use AI tools like ChatGPT, yet only 1 in 4 have read their company's AI policies Penman cut through the hype, emphasizing: Generic annual security training doesn't work - role-specific, short modules do AI governance is lagging behind adoption, creating real vulnerabilities Security teams are still fighting the "Department of No" perception The most telling point? The disconnect between what leadership believes about security readiness versus what's happening on the ground with employees.

October 22, 202427 min

Katie Macdiarmid, Chief Information Officer, NZME

New Zealand Media and Entertainment's new Chief Information Officer Katie Macdiarmid on the importance of personalisation in its digital products, how the organisation sees AI being used across the business, and paying attention to what emerging trends in end-user devices will mean for content consumption.

September 16, 202423 min

Manvi Madan, Data and Insights Manager, Ports of Auckland

Emerging ICT Leader of the Year at the 2024 NZ CIO Awards Manvi Madan on how curiosity took her into a data and AI career, the need for more conversations about responsible AI, why machine learning projects fail, and how mentors and role models can help attract and retain more women in IT.

September 2, 202422 min

Hamish Rumbold, NZ CIO of the Year 2024

NZ CIO of the Year Hamish Rumbold, former chief digital and technology officer at Kiwibank on rebuilding 50 per cent of the bank's tech stack, creating a culture of learning through ‘kohungas’ or learning nests, leading with ambition and compassion, and his next career goal to help NZ and Australian companies foster innovation.

July 23, 202441 min

Eion Hall, Chief Information Officer, University of Waikato

University of Waikato CIO Eion Hall on the ethical debate of security versus surveillance, how learning environments have changed, and the excitement building over the university’s plans to develop a new medical school.

July 11, 202431 min

Dhaya Sivakumar, Chief Information Officer, LIC

LIC Chief Information Officer Diva Sivakumar on how the organisation is helping change the future of farming through technology, why data plays such an important role in what they do, and creating a passion for tech in Māori and Pasifika kids through gamers' clubs.

June 26, 202441 min

Steve James, General Manager of Technology, Woolworths NZ

Woolworths NZ General Manager of Technology Steve James on using technology to keep teams safer in stores, his pride in keeping essential services operational during the pandemic and extreme weather events, and ways he is engaging with different communities to get more people into careers in tech.