Recruitment consultancy Hudson has created a new internal chief information officer role as it recognises the growing importance of technology within its operations.
Although there have been CIO roles in the company's US and European offices, the position will be a new one for its Australian division and was created to forge a competitive advantage for the company. The job was advertised today, with Hudson describing it as being "transformational" in nature.
"We believe technology can play a key role in driving our business forward. The role will be responsible for providing a better experience for our clients, candidates and contractors through the user of better technology," Mark Leigh CFO Hudson Australia and New Zealand told ZDNet.com.au, although he would not outline any projects the successful applicant will be tackling.
The new CIO, based in Sydney, will be responsible for 40 IT employees across Australia and New Zealand. In total, Hudson's Australian operations employ 1,250 people in the region. Hudson did not specify projected remuneration for the role.
The news comes as a number of other chief information officers have either recently left their roles or come into new ones. Westpac Banking Corporation this morning announced that former Commonwealth Bank CIO Bob McKinnon had joined the group, replacing its top two technology executives Diane Sias and Simon McNamara.
Mary McKinnon is currently acting as CIO at Victoria's Department of Human Services, after incumbent Andrew Howard was seconded to lead the National E-Health Transition Authority.
Across the channel, Tasmania's Department of Health and Human Services has been unable to confirm whether it has a new CIO, after Gary Hulme left the department this year for a federal role. And Queensland has not started looking yet for a new state CIO due to the government's plans to change the position to boost its powers.
