Craig Gibbons commenced his career in the Australian Defence Force as an Army helicopter pilot. From there he has taken jobs as diverse as aerospace project management and systems engineering, and major roles in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics. This diversity has given him a wide range of skills that come into play in his present role as CIO of document services company Fuji Xerox Australia.
Working with the IT team, Gibbons’ role as CIO covers all operational aspects, specifically the voice, data, computers and networks that are essential for all the company’s capital city offices, regional centres and warehouses throughout the country.
Gibbons is adamant that all information technology transformation plans should include initiatives that will empower business users to define their own technology experience and change the IT model from one of least-cost utility computing to that of a value-based business enabler. This will result in innovative services and products that are best for the customers and, at the same time, maximise the company’s return on investment in IT.
“IT is not just a utility. It must be constantly changing and adapting to the needs of business and customers. There are always new things in IT to be evaluated but the first imperative is to maintain high reliability and availability of systems,” Gibbons said.
“Innovation is a huge part of Fuji Xerox Australia’s culture. Users are encouraged to think freely [about] how IT can be used, with the proviso that it is balanced with risk management. Anyone in the company can come to me with a great idea, as long as they have experimented with it, developed and played with it, before presenting it to me,” he said.
Last year, Gibbons held a series of leadership programs for the user community within the company, to change what they thought about IT.
“It was opening the kimono to have a peek at IT. I do not want IT to limit the ability for the company to go forward. IT is not an anchor and it is not the gatekeeper. On saying that, business outcomes rule.
“I am always looking for something better. I have had tremendous input from users and get a lot of feedback. It’s almost borderline in having the capacity to harness all the smartness of their ideas,” said Gibbons.
Not having an in-depth IT background has not been a hindrance to Gibbons’ career.
“Basically you have a toolset of assets, and you have to develop the necessary outcome using those assets, whether it is an army helicopter or overseeing an aerospace management project. Needs have to be met, so you blend all those things to get a result that delivers on the agreed strategy.
“I have a good understanding of the power of IT and what it can contribute to a business. I am not an engineer, software developer or an infrastructure person, but it doesn’t stop me being the best that I can be. If I do my role well it helps the team do their best work to meet the objectives.
“Commoditisation of technology has evolved in Australia, where users of IT have a computer in their pocket and multiple computers in their life, with great bandwidth in their homes in metropolitan areas. Users have a lot of power and choice, but they don’t necessarily have that when they come to work. The challenge is to support users’ access to information our company needs them to see, on the technology they want to use, without overburdening the IT budget. One method of achieving this is to support BYO technology,” said Gibbons.
Gibbons still has a helicopter licence. He is an avid sailor, having competed in many races including the World Etchell Championships in Perth. With two young children to consider, he and his wife have taken up cycling with new club Sydney Uni Velo as it doesn’t take as much time out of family life.