How Downer’s CIO Aligns Technology With Strategy

Downer Group CIO and #2 in the CIO50 2024, Nicola Dorling, explores how CIOs can drive business-led digital transformation, simplify complexity, and align technology with strategic goals.

With a career spanning finance, consulting, and large-scale technology transformation, Nicola Dorling, Group CIO at Downer, brings a unique perspective to the evolving role of CIOs.

Having started as an ASX-listed CFO before transitioning into IT leadership, she understands how business priorities shape technology decisions and how digital transformation must align with financial and operational goals.

At CIO Edge, Nicola joins 180 CIOs and IT leaders responsible for delivering on the technology strategy for one-quarter of Australia’s GDP to discuss the challenges of simplification and enabling business-led change.

Simplification: more than just technology rationalisation

Simplification is often cited as a priority, yet many organisations struggle to execute it effectively.

Nicola said that while reducing the number of systems is…