CIO50 Australia 2024: Melanie Evans, Ventia

Name: Melanie Evans
Title:  Group Executive Digital Services (CIO)
Company: Ventia
Commenced role:  June 2023
Reporting line: Chief Executive Officer
Member of the executive team: Yes
Technology Function: 100 staff, 6 direct reports
 
Melanie Evans determined very early in her career that she would lead her teams in line with her values of courage and kindness.
 
Since taking on her role in June 2023, Evans has provided digital leadership across a large indirect team of people in 400 projects in Australia and New Zealand across the areas of data and AI, technology, security, strategy, digital business development and digital solutions.
 
She sits on the executive team, reporting directly to the CEO and her position affords her visibility and the opportunity to effect significant change. She leverages that by leaning into the issues that matter most to her, committing time and energy to supporting and showcasing these issues.
 
Evans has a deep understanding of business and IT, and she knows that the two are inextricably linked, and that a successful organisation must have a strategy aligned to both. She develops deep relationships at all levels across the business, with IT Partners and clients to learn, provide insights and shape her strategy.
 
The right attitude
 
She has always fought for what she believes in and invested in people, leading to naturally positive business outcomes
 
This attitude was crucial after her appointment as CIO at Ventia in June 2023, when the company faced a significant challenge – a cyber-incident during an executive leadership meeting in another state.
 
Evans immediately flew to the North Sydney office, to address a boardroom of 50 technical experts and stated, “You don’t really know me, but you do need to trust me.”
 
Staying true to her values of courage and kindness, she spoke from the heart to motivate the team working around the clock to solve the crisis. She focused on the broader business outcomes, rather than the immediate technical details – leaving that to the experts in the room.
 
“This approach ensured a successful resolution with our clients and people through effective communication from the start,” she says. “Following the incident, we delivered a digital literacy program to over 15,000 employees to uplift cyber education.”
 
With a business focus lens, she has created a technology and data-driven culture that positions Ventia as a leader in the industry.
 
By focusing on modernising technology capabilities, and committing to diversity and inclusion, she feels she can achieve business success, create a more equitable and inclusive future for all, and cultivate a workplace that embraces digital as a career.
 
Evans’ vision guides Venetia’s efforts to maintain their competitive edge and drive sustained growth and innovation in the years to come.
 
Her relationships with stakeholders are built on trust, respect, and collaboration. She is a trusted advisor to stakeholders, and she is always looking for ways to help them achieve their goals through digital and data.
 
Investment in the right expertise
 
This attitude also extends to her team. When Evans first began her role, a company-wide survey offered a valuable opportunity to assess the overall wellbeing of her team, which was notably low at that time.
 
She set out to develop a culture and a solution that would support and improve wellbeing levels in her team, as she recognised that people learn through various mechanisms and battle prioritisation. 
 
Firstly, Evans appointed a digital wellbeing and innovation leader to improve employee health, engagement and retention. 
 
“I created this role because as much as I’m a technology leader, I realised that technology is only successful when you think about people and the processes that support it,” she says. [While] this program is digitally enabled, it also considers the social context that contributes to wellbeing. It’s very sophisticated”.
 
They designed a program around a framework of ‘fittest team, smartest team, energised leadership and inclusion inspires innovation’. 
 
“The program included a personalised well-being curricula and leadership coaching workshops,” says Evans. “The key focus was getting people to recognise the strengths of themselves and their colleagues.”
 
According to Evans, these workshops were contagious and other business areas in Ventia asked the wellbeing leader to run workshops for their teams.
 
Part of co-creating a solution with her team was asking them ‘how we would win well’, says Evans.
 
“The team developed their own team values and behaviours and volunteers helped embed the values and behaviours at every opportunity such as team events.”
 
Focus on wellbeing

Evans introduced an artificial intelligence wellbeing coach called “Franky”. This was implemented via Microsoft Teams to keep it within a familiar app they’re already using daily. 
 
“Franky was pilot tested with 100 Digital Services users with the intent to roll out more broadly as part of Ventia’s mental health initiatives,” she says.
 
As the executive sponsor for Ventia’s mental health initiatives, Evans recognized that a solution from her team could benefit over 15,000 other Ventia employees.
 
“Franky is a completely digital solution that begins by asking 17 scientifically validated questions and then designs a customised curriculum that’s fit for that individual,” she says.
 
“Every person will answer the questions differently and therefore the curriculum that results, which is endorsed by the University of Sydney School of Psychology, is one of 5 million different possible combinations. This makes the curriculum extremely personalised.”