Professional Summary
Most executives are either operations people or technology people. I'm both. And when it's broken, I'm who they send. The renewal at risk. The integration that's stuck. The platform that doesn't exist. CTO for Defence, CBA, Woolworths. Built Telstra's automation practice from scratch. Unified 11 acquired companies at Orro. Now building an AI company.
Experience
Click "View AI Context" on any role for the full story behind the bullet points
Principal Consultant / Founder
Make.
- •Lead Consultant for Visy's $1B Yatala Recycling project, developing an AI-powered Contract Variation Tool processing $70M in variations annually.
- •Engaged by Blueseas Wholesalers to architect a voice-driven AI bot for ERP integration, enabling 24/7 ordering and reducing order latency by 15 minutes per transaction.
- •Providing interim executive leadership and high-impact AI consultancy to operationalise AI safely, ensuring systems are governed by design and aligned with measurable business outcomes.
- •Founded to support organisations in adopting responsible, secure, and simple AI workflows, bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and practical operational reality.
Group Executive - Operations
Orro Group
- •Unified 11 acquired companies into one operating model. 2% EBITDA improvement.
- •Renewed QANTAS, Jetstar, Flight Centre, Australia Post. Relationships I was brought in to save.
- •Built AI solutions for contract analysis, billing integrity, renewal forecasting. In production, not pilots.
- •$200M P&L across Network, Cloud, Cyber, and Collaboration services
Senior Leadership Roles
Telstra / Telstra Purple
- •Built 'Rapid' automation platform from scratch. $12M value in year one. Delivered into all Big 4 banks.
- •Won and delivered Australia's first Arista SDN ($27M). Full lifecycle from bid to transition.
- •Renewed at-risk contracts: CBA, Westpac, Defence
- •CTO for Defence and CBA. Trusted with the most complex accounts.
- •Created wireless practice generating $3.6M pipeline in first year
- •106% billable utilisation, 38 LEAN initiatives, transformed national delivery model
Woolworths Chief Architect / Security Practice Manager
NTT (Dimension Data)
- •Progressed to Chief Architect for Australia's largest retailer, owning architecture strategy, PCI compliance, and technology roadmap.
- •Delivered Australia's first Cisco ACI deployment ($1M CAPEX) achieving 25% OPEX reduction. Managed migration to multiple new data centres.
- •Grew account revenue 35% while maintaining margin. Chaired Architecture Review Board implementing TOGAF-based governance framework.
Earlier Career
Optus & Cisco
- •Systems Engineer at Optus. Billable deployment across enterprise clients
- •TAC Engineer at Cisco. Escalation support, deep technical foundations
- •Where I learned the craft before leading teams
Skills & Capabilities
An honest assessment — including the gaps
Strong
- P&L Management
- Crisis & Turnaround Leadership
- AI Strategy & Execution
- M&A Integration
- Digital Transformation
- Enterprise Stakeholder Management
Moderate
- Enterprise Architecture
- Cloud Platforms (AWS, Azure)
- Cybersecurity & Incident Response
- Product Management
- Vendor & Partner Management
- Governance & Compliance
Gaps (Honest Assessment)
- Consumer Products (B2C)
- Software Engineering
- Venture Capital Fundraising
- Deep Technical R&D
- Digital Marketing
- Public Market Experience
Transparency builds trust. These are areas where I'd lean on team expertise.
Am I Right for Your Role?
Paste a job description and get an honest fit assessment. My time is valuable — and so is yours.
Fit Assessment Tool
Paste a job description and get an honest assessment of whether Aaron is a good fit. No sugar-coating — if it's not a match, we'll tell you.
Education & Certifications
Master of Business Administration
University of New South Wales
2014
Graduate Diploma in Management
University of New South Wales
2013
Diploma in Network Engineering
Lidcombe TAFE
2002
Certificate IV in Web Site Management
Lidcombe TAFE
2001
Let's Connect
Interested in discussing how I can contribute to your organisation?