Published on the 19/04/2016 | Written by Newsdesk
The technology specialist and ex-Air NZ CIO will bring “huge benefit” to Jade…
Julia Raue has added another top directorship to her portfolio, joining the board of Jade Software as an independent director. Raue, who stepped down from her long-held role as CIO of Air New Zealand last October, is clearly in high demand. On the board of TVNZ for the past two years, her resignation from her main day job (she wanted to “take her career to the next level”) saw her quickly snapped up as an independent director for Z Energy and Southern Cross Health Society.
“Julia has an impressive track record in leading strategic change and driving innovation in large New Zealand organisations.”
The Hon Ruth Richardson, Jade’s Chairman, said in a statement that the appointment of Raue is a “coup” for the company.
“Julia has an impressive track record in leading strategic change and driving innovation in large New Zealand organisations. Her insight, experience, and capability as a leader is undisputed and will be of huge benefit to Jade,” she said, adding that she was “excited” to welcome Raue to the board, as is Jade’s MD David Lindsay.
Raue is probably one of the best-known names in the industry and her track record is indeed impressive. It’s hard to imagine that she very nearly became a hairdresser. Instead of dye-jobs and blow-waves (although we are hard pressed to imagine she would not have become owner of Rowdy Looks franchise!) she has led a number of significant business units within large and complex organisations for some of New Zealand’s leading companies. She was a 2015 finalist in the Global Talent Unleashed Most Disruptive CIO/CTO Award, a two-time finalist in the Westpac Women of Influence Awards, and is a former CIO NZ New Zealand CIO of the Year.
As technology has grown in importance, Raue has helped Air New Zealand to keep ahead of the curve. She steadily grew her team to include in-house development and align technology with the business strategies. From the launch of Grabaseat, to automatic check-in stations, the Air New Zealand mobile app and e-passport implementations, she has seen it all.
Raue, said of the appointment: “I have been impressed with Jade’s continuous innovation across many global markets. I look forward to working with the Directors and management team to help accelerate innovation and achieve the company’s growth ambitions.”
Retiring from the Jade board is Paddy Boyle, who is currently chairman of TCS (NZ) Limited, chairman of Electronic Navigation Limited and a member of Fonterra’s Milk Price Panel.
