Paul Joseph (RSM) and Rebecca Thomas (PwC) among top CIOs

13 December 2022 Consultancy.com.au

Credited with leading a national digital transformation agenda, RSM Australia’s Paul Joseph has made the 2022 CIO50 list. He joins PwC New Zealand CIO Rebecca Thomas in the honours.  

RSM’s Paul Joseph has been named among the country’s top fifty most innovative CIOs by IT industry publication CIO Australia.

As the only inclusion from a national consulting and accounting network, Joseph emulates PwC New Zealand CIO Rebecca Thomas, who earlier landed in the top five of the New Zealand edition.

Paul Joseph (RSM) and Rebecca Thompson (PwC) named top CIO

Now into its seventh year, the CIO50 awards celebrate the achievements of senior technology and digital executives in various jurisdictions around the world who “are driving innovations, building good cultures, and influencing leadership teams across their organisations.” This year’s judging panel focused on both innovation and influence, with Bupa Health Services interim managing director Sami Yalavac named the overall winner.

Joseph meanwhile, who has been in the CIO role since 2016 and also serves as director of operations, claimed a spot on the list after delivering a wide-ranging digital transformation program at RSM over the past eighteen months. Dubbed ‘RSM One Way’, its chief focus has been on streamlining internal processes across all offices and staff in Australia, with the network’s entire practice having been migrated to the cloud.

Joseph stated that the honour was a fitting recognition of the work led by RSM’s IT & corporate services teams. “Thank you for all your amazing work, both this year and over the past few years as we’ve transitioned to RSM One Way. You have all done such a wonderful job and overcome some significant challenges to implement a digital transformation that has enhanced the RSM experience for both staff and clients.”

Across the Tasman, PwC New Zealand CIO and corporate sustainability lead Rebecca Thomas has been named at number five on the country’s equivalent list, which was topped overall by Rekha Kharbanda, executive digital leader at local engineering and environmental consultancy Tonkin + Taylor.

Thomas has been with PwC since 2017 after having herself joined from Tonkin + Taylor, while earlier in her career she spent two and a half years at Accenture.

“Over the past two years, Rebecca and her team have led a number of initiatives in technology enablement at PwC, including hardware and cyber security upgrades, implementing SaaS programmes, and developing workshops to give our people and clients a taste of VR and the metaverse,” the firm stated on LinkedIn. “She is also passionate about utilising technology and data analytics to track the firm’s progress towards our net zero goals.” 

One of those to wish Thomas congratulations was PwC Australia colleague Timothy Y Larcos, its former Chief Technology Officer who currently serves start-ups and scale-ups as CTO of the firm’s Business Align and Connect division – and who has also previously featured on the CIO50 list. Another multiple entry is former PwC CIO Hilda Clune, who as technology and transformation leader is presently a member of PwC’s Global Change Leadership Team.