About Me
I build AI products and the teams behind them. I've been doing it for 15 years across financial services, not-for-profit, and medical technology. Most of that time has been spent figuring out why AI projects fail inside large organisations, and what you can do about it.
Right now I'm VP AI & Data at Cochlear, a global medical device company whose products are used by over 700,000 people worldwide. Before that I built and scaled a 1,000-person technology organisation at Westpac, one of Australia's Big Four banks.
Along the way, I've developed frameworks and methodologies for diagnosing strategy execution failures, classifying data products, and balancing defensive governance with offensive value creation. These aren't academic models — they're codified patterns from operational experience.
I write about AI strategy, innovation, and the gap between what's hyped and what's real. I also publish a weekly AI newsletter called Maligned.
Current
VP AI & Data, Cochlear
Running AI strategy and innovation at Cochlear, an ASX-listed global medical technology company. I own the AI roadmap, lead production ML systems, and build the teams and culture needed to make AI work at scale in a regulated, high-stakes environment. The problems here are hard and the impact is real.
The Path
The first job that really changed how I think was at The Smith Family, one of Australia's biggest children's charities. I built the first analytics and innovation team there from scratch. We used AI and data to improve outcomes for disadvantaged kids, on a budget that would make most enterprise data teams cry. That's where I learned you don't need a Fortune 500 budget to do good tech work. You need focus.
Westpac was the opposite. One of Australia's Big Four banks, and I took a team from 20 people to over 1,000. Five years of hiring, restructuring, political infighting, and figuring out how to move fast inside an organisation that was built to move slowly. I made plenty of mistakes along the way. But by the end I understood something about how large organisations actually change, not just how consultants say they should.
Now I'm at Cochlear, building the AI practice from the ground up. Cochlear makes hearing implants used by more than 700,000 people around the world. The work is regulated, clinical, and high-consequence. It's also the most technically interesting and personally rewarding work I've done.
I write about all of this in my weekly newsletter Maligned, and I speak at events when I have something worth saying.
What I Focus On
AI Strategy & Execution
Turning AI ambitions into production systems. Roadmaps, use case prioritisation, build-vs-buy decisions, and getting models past the demo stage into real business impact.
Innovation at Scale
Building innovation culture inside large organisations. Running experiments, killing bad ideas early, and connecting R&D to revenue. Innovation without execution is just a TED talk.
Scaling Teams & Orgs
I've built organisations from single digits to 1,000+ people three times now. Hiring, structure, culture, and avoiding the traps that sink most fast-growing teams.
AI Governance & Risk
Building governance that enables speed, not just compliance. Risk frameworks, responsible AI, and policies that people actually follow instead of work around.
How I Think
Ship, then iterate
I'd rather get something into production in six weeks than spend six months building the perfect system. You learn more from users than from architecture diagrams.
Strategy is execution
A strategy that doesn't survive contact with reality isn't a strategy. I care about what actually gets built, not what looks good on a slide.
Cut through the noise
AI is full of hype. Most projects fail. Most transformations stall. I write and talk about why, and what you can do differently. No hand-waving, no silver bullets.
Want to work together?
I'm available for speaking, workshops, and advisory work.