ACS appoints new chief executive

THE Australian Computer Society has appointed West Australian technology professional Kim Denham as its new national chief executive, replacing the long-serving chief Dennis Furini.

Ms Denham has more than 20 years experience in the ICT industry in roles across both government and the private sector.

ACS national president Kumar Parakala said Ms Denham had been “an outstanding ICT ambassador,” particularly for women in the ICT sector.

“She has a passion for the industry, and her insight into the pressing issues affecting ICT such as careers, globalisation and professionalism is impressive,” Mr Parakala said.

“Kim is an energetic and talented ICT professional with experience working within a broad range of industry and stakeholder groups,” he said.

Ms Denham, who is the first female CEO of the society, said her focus would be on the growth of both the ACS and the broader technology industry.

“We can be extremely competitive on the world’s stage, but greater recognition and collaboration from the business community and the Government is what’s required to allow our sector to flourish,” she said.

Ms Denham has more than 20 years experience in ICT, including management roles with Ericsson Australia, West Australian Newspapers, Tourism Western Australia and CSBP Limited. She was a finalist in the 2006 Telstra Business Women’s Awards in WA and has worked on various boards, panels and steering committees, including the ACS WA Branch.

Ms Denham takes over from acting-CEO Sam Burrell, who stepped up from the role of general manager when Mr Furini left the organisation after eight years at the helm in the middle of last year. Mr Burrell remains in the role of general manager.

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ACS backs teacher education program

THE NSW branch of the Australian Computer Society has opened up meetings, and special interest events to secondary ICT teachers and careers advisers to give them more exposure to IT professionals and IT issues.

All events would be made free for ICT teachers and careers advisers to help them stay to abreast industry trends. The announcement was part of the Industry Day for IT Teachers.

The ACS conducts a range of targeted forums for ICT professionals each month that are free to ACS members, but normally, attract a fee for non-members. As part of a one-year pilot in New South Wales, these forums will now be free for any ICT teacher or career advisor who pre-registers by calling the NSW branch office.

ACS NSW instigated the move to respond to the current ICT skills shortage by encouraging more young people to consider a career in ICT.

“One of the challenges facing our school system is the lack of opportunity for ICT teachers to engage in professional development activities that keep them up-to-date with the latest developments in technology,” said ACS NSW branch chairman Anthony Wong.

“By offering free access to all ICT teachers or career advisors wanting to attend any of our many, regular forums, we will provide greater opportunity to enhance their knowledge and enable them to promote ICT as an exciting and dynamic career opportunity to their students,” Mr Wong said.

In the next month, ICT teachers and career advisors will have access to a wide range of ACS events covering topics such as Project Management, Business Architecture and Design, developments in RFID technology, 21st Century Accounting, Podcasting, Knowledge Management and more.

“We want ICT teachers to tell us about their challenges and how we can help make information technology and computing more relevant and exciting for school students, with the ultimate aim of attracting more young people into this dynamic and rewarding profession,” he said.

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