Southern Cross Travel Insurance CTO Alex Smart on driving a complete transformation of SCTI's core insurance platform, how a great team culture and healthy conflict leads to success, and why diversity matters more than ever in technology. 

Datacom CISO Collin Penman talks about the growing gap between leadership and employees when it comes to cybersecurity, how cyber fatigue is leaving businesses in Australia and New Zealand more exposed, and why AI-powered threats are now keeping security leaders up at night.

Speaking to CIO's Cathy O'Sullivan, Penman dug into Datacom's State of Cybersecurity Index findings, and the reality is sobering. The data shows:

• AI-driven attacks now top the threat list for security leaders

• Security teams are burning out - 61% in NZ and 58% in Australia report cyber fatigue

• Leadership thinks staff are cyber-ready; most employees disagree

• 40% of employees use AI tools like ChatGPT, yet only 1 in 4 have read their company's AI policies

Penman cut through the hype, emphasizing:

• Generic annual security training doesn't work - role-specific, short modules do

• AI governance is lagging behind adoption, creating real vulnerabilities

• Security teams are still fighting the "Department of No" perception

The most telling point? The disconnect between what leadership believes about security readiness versus what's happening on the ground with employees.

New Zealand Media and Entertainment's new Chief Information Officer Katie Macdiarmid on the importance of personalisation in its digital products, how the organisation sees AI being used across the business, and paying attention to what emerging trends in end-user devices will mean for content consumption.

Emerging ICT Leader of the Year at the 2024 NZ CIO Awards Manvi Madan on how curiosity took her into a data and AI career, the need for more conversations about responsible AI, why machine learning projects fail, and how mentors and role models can help attract and retain more women in IT.

NZ CIO of the Year Hamish Rumbold, former chief digital and technology officer at Kiwibank on rebuilding 50 per cent of the bank's tech stack, creating a culture of learning through ‘kohungas’ or learning nests,  leading with ambition and compassion, and his next career goal to help NZ and Australian companies foster innovation.

University of Waikato CIO Eion Hall on the ethical debate of security versus surveillance, how learning environments have changed, and the excitement building over the university’s plans to develop a new medical school.

LIC Chief Information Officer Diva Sivakumar on how the organisation is helping change the future of farming through technology, why data plays such an important role in what they do, and creating a passion for tech in Māori and Pasifika kids through gamers' clubs.

Woolworths NZ General Manager of Technology Steve James on using technology to keep teams safer in stores, his pride in keeping essential services operational during the pandemic and extreme weather events, and ways he is engaging with different communities to get more people into careers in tech.