Super Retail Group to undergo CIO switch

Super Retail Group is set for new technology leadership with Mandy Ross to take up the role of chief information and digital officer (CIDO) from October.

Ross, who is currently the chief digital officer of Griffith University, will replace Super Retail Group's current CIO Paul Hayes, who is retiring and returning to England at the end of August.

Hayes spent almost six years at Super Retail Group. He previously led IT delivery at UK department store operator John Lewis.

Super Retail Group's general manager for omni retail Brian Townshend has stepped into an acting CIO role in the interim.

A Super Retail Group spokesperson told iTnews that Ross “has traversed traditional organisations that need to accelerate their digital maturity as well as high-growth digital-native companies."

“Her expertise in technology delivery, digital, transformation and IT operating models will be an enormous asset to Super Retail Group and the execution of our plans," the spokesperson said.

Ross announced her impending departure from Griffith University on LinkedIn and said that applications were open for her CDO role.

“I can highly recommend this chief digital officer position...because it's my current role!" she wrote.

"I will be super sad to leave my team and colleagues at Griffith University in October.

"However, am excited about my next chapter with Super Retail Group as chief information and digital officer.”

Ross said the university's digital solutions team, which she characterised as "the digital and IT delivery partner for the university" - had "built great momentum and [was] doing some excellent work to modernise technologies and ways of working,​ transition to a new contemporary IT operating model, embrace continuous improvement,​ and level up on business partnering."

She also said a new "digital masterplan" is currently under development at the university, "presenting a fantastic opportunity for the new CDO to hit the ground running."

The university has begun searching for a replacement with Griffith University chief operating officer Peter Bryant telling iTnews Ross has been “instrumental” over the past 18 months.

“Mandy did a tremendous job supporting the university as it shifted to online learning in response to Covid-19,” Bryant said.

“In a very short time, she has been instrumental in the development and embedding of the new Griffith digital solutions operating model, organisational structure, and senior team."

The university is looking for someone to take over the creation and execution of its IT and digital plan, “a key enabler of Griffith's overarching strategy”.

Ross was with the university for just over a year and oversaw its information, technology and digital strategies across six campuses plus Griffith’s digital campus.

Prior to this Ross, worked as at Tatts Group for four years before stepping into the CIO role at Tabcorp following its 2017 merger with Tatts Group.

Ross has held numerous CIO positions throughout her career including with online booking platform Wotif for over five years.