Leading Change: Top50 CIO

Melanie Evans, Group Executive for Ventia’s Digital Services, has been named as a Top50 CIO at the Australian Chief Information Officer Awards – an impressive feat to be named alongside Australia’s brightest in the technology space.

Mel leads a team of more than 100 people across the areas of data and AI, technology, security, strategy, digital and data business development and development of digital solutions.

But her influence spreads further that the team she leads. She is on the executive team, reporting directly to the CEO and is the executive sponsor and champion for Ventia’s LGBTTQIA+ community. She also chairs the Australia and NZ LGBTTQIA+ working group.

Mel has been recognised for her commitment to wellbeing and her work leading “Franky”, a digital initiative that sought to address burnout. “Franky” is a digital wellbeing coach which aims to uplift engagement, retention and overall wellbeing.

She was also celebrated as a champion of diversity in all its forms. In her first year in her role, she increased the number of women in her IT team by 89%. To drive this increase, she modernised recruitment practices by using particular wording in advertising and interviewed using a diverse panel rather than one individual. This attracted a more diverse selection of candidates to the roles. 

A winning team

In addition to the accolades of a CIO50 individual, her team was also named winner of the Team of the Year - Talent award.

Led by her personal belief that “People are at the heart of our success” and that by investing in people, business outcomes will naturally follow, she focuses on fostering a culture of collaboration, inclusivity, and integrity.

Melanie says, “By combining collaboration, communication, inclusivity and delivering on promises with a focus on well-being – I aim to deliver value across Ventia's diverse sectors alongside my high-performing digital team”

Congratulations to Melanie and her team!