Rebecca Campbell-Burns takes over from Stephen Mabbs as Escient CEO
Rebecca Campbell-Burns has taken over as CEO of digital and business advisory Escient from Stephen Mabbs, who co-founded the firm in 2016 and will now transition to the role of Chair.
Currently managing director of Escient’s ‘southern region’, Campbell-Burns joined the firm from Qlik in Melbourne shortly after its founding, having previously spent close to two decades at ASG acquisition SMS Management & Technology.
Meanwhile, Brisbane-based ‘northern region’ leader Stephen Kovacs steps into a newly-created consulting managing director role, having likewise spent two decades at SMS along with brief stints at NRI and NTT’s Oakton before joining Escient in 2019.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with Bec since the beginning,” Mabbs stated. “She established the Melbourne office in January 2017 and has grown it to be our largest. She is a visionary who looks to the future while practical and focused on today, is humble and approachable, values-based, and respected by our team and clients alike. She will be a great CEO.”
Mabbs, who established SMS acquisition Permian in 1994 before spending almost a decade in senior leadership roles at SMS ahead of his latest venture, will now shift into the chair role at Escient, replacing one-time SMS CEO and former Empired (now Capgemini) chairman Tom Stianos, who continues on as a non-executive director.
“It has been an incredible journey, and I am deeply grateful to have worked alongside so many talented, driven, and committed people who have shaped Escient into what it is today,” Mabbs said of his nine years as CEO. “I look forward to the next stage of our evolution, and I’m very excited for the opportunity to continue working with and supporting Bec in our new roles.”
Rebecca Campbell-Burns
A psychology and MBA graduate of Monash, Campbell-Burns spent eighteen months prior to joining Escient as a Victorian public sector account director at Qlik, before which she led accounts in the state for SMS’s government, education & health business. In addition, she is the former Victorian chair of peak digital body AIIA (the Australian Information Industry Association).
In her new role as CEO, Campbell-Burns will bring broad experience across a range of advisory disciplines, including strategic planning, business case development, project and program delivery, data and analytics, performance management, business process improvement, change management, and communications, along with earlier experience in financial controls.
Stephen Kovacs
Kovacs joined SMS in 1997 after an earlier career in senior infotech roles with Queensland Health, ultimately serving as Queensland regional director prior to the firm’s sale to ASG (which is now fully integrated into its parent NRI). Kovacs briefly led the locally merged team, before another short stint at NTT Data as Oakland Consulting’s executive general manager for Queensland.
During his time at SMS, Kovacs also served as national industry director for the firm’s mining, infrastructure & resources practice, and as a principal consultant delivering technology projects for clients in other sectors such as financial services, utilities, local government and healthcare. In his new role at Escient, he will focus on people-development and strengthening client impact.
Escient
B-Corp certified since the beginning of last year, Escient was originally established in Adelaide before spreading to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Today, the firm has in excess of 150 consultants providing a range of business and technology services to clients in the health, government, not-for-profit, financial services, education, and utilities sectors among others.
Shortly after its founding, Escient was named in third spot on LinkedIn’s 2018 Top Startups list of Australia’s most attractive employers, while also appearing on CRN’s annual Fast50 list the following year. The consultancy hasn’t let up since, most recently featuring in sixth place for management consultancies on Prosple’s latest list of the country’s top graduate employers.
