About Neil Thelander

Neil Thelander has forty-six years’ experience helping organisations exploit information technology for business benefit: in the public sector, in health at federal and state level, and in higher education. Neil has also had three substantial periods in the private sector: with Oracle managing professional services to Asia/Pacific regional level, as an independent project remediation consultant, and currently, as management consultant.

In the federal government for thirteen years, Neil was one of the youngest senior executives appointed, and worked for several departments including Tax, Customs, Community Services, Health, and Prime Minister and Cabinet. When Neil left Canberra, he was acting First Assistant Secretary, responsible for over five hundred IT and information management staff in Health.

After two years helping Oracle grow in Australia and the region, Neil worked as senior project consultant in the Queensland hospital system. Neil led successful implementation of numerous IT systems and was ultimately appointed by Queensland Health as overall Director of Information Management. Neil reported to the Director General and his two deputies on admin and clinical use of IT. Neil led a rapid expansion of the Queensland Health network, expanding communication and telehealth services to over 400 health facilities across the state.

For eleven years from early 1999 until March 2010, Neil directed Information Technology Services at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), based in Brisbane, Australia. Neil led a department of one hundred and fifty staff with annual budget $20-30m and turned what was a disenfranchised IT group into one highly regarded, inside and outside QUT. Neil helped lead QUT through the development of advanced IT governance, which was recognised as best practice internationally.

Neil served four years as elected member of the Board of Directors of the Australian Academic Research Network (AARNet). Neil served pro bono on the Queensland board of the National Heart Foundation, where he established their national IT advisory committee.

For five years Neil served in the teaching faculty for the Council of Australian University Directors of Information Technology (CAUDIT) Leadership Institute. Neil was subsequently elected chair of CAUDIT. Neil was also instrumental in the establishment of the Australian Access Federation (AAF). Neil maintains certified professional grade member of the Australian Computer Society (CMACS), specialising in project management.

Since April 2010 Neil has consulted through Cloud Juice IT Consulting. He has provided management consultant services in digital strategy and leadership support for its execution to over 30 Australian organisations in the higher education, research, and health sectors. He consults at executive level to help ensure benefits from digital investment, and engages with boards and councils, enabling their ideation and facilitating reinvention. Neil brings agile strategic process expertise that helps organisations develop and execute their strategy and is currently exploring the potential of AI in strategic planning.

Neil’s current activities focus on family, fitness, cloud services research and consultancy. Neil and his wife Vivian have three children Andrew, James and Katherine and he dotes on his two grand-daughters Charlotte and Penelope.