Property developer Stockland has appointed former Fairfax Media CIO Robyn Elliott to the newly created position of chief technology and innovation officer (CTIO).
In February, Fairfax announced that Rainer Rhedey had been appointed general manager of technology, replacing the CIO role at the media company.
Elliott held the CIO role at Fairfax for almost three years after joining the company in early 2015. Prior to that she was IT chief at pay TV provider Foxtel.
In her new role, Elliott will report directly to Stockland’s CEO, Mark Steinert.
“The creation of this executive level position, the opportunity to capitalise on the synergies between innovation and technology, and the experience Robyn brings will further enhance our ability to progress commercial outcomes from innovation projects,” the CEO said in a statement.
“It will also position us to use technology to further improve the mobility and flexibility of our workforce, enhancing customer service and the competitive advantage of our business.”
“Innovation and technology are key focus areas at Stockland, and over the past two years we’ve significantly increased our investment in digitising our business and driving innovation projects and initiatives to help improve customer experience and grow our business,” Steinert said.
Stockland’s FY17 annual review revealed that employee satisfaction with its work processes and systems declined compared to the previous year. However the review added: “Improving systems and technology is an organisational priority area, and so it is encouraging to note that employee perceptions of the efforts to enhance systems and technology improved (by four points to 79 per cent).”
The company in FY17 reported “significant progress” on improving key IT capabilities through Stockland’s Core Systems Program, which included implementing Salesforce and SAP SuccessFactors modules.
“The Program represents the largest investment in our systems in Stockland’s history and supports our business strategy by delivering business tools that empower employees to work more efficiently,” the company said.
“This involves reducing the number of legacy systems we use around our business to simplify and streamline our activities, reduce costs, and take advantage of rapid developments in technology to improve customer outcomes.”