Macquarie University appoints CIDO

Macquarie University has appointed a new chief information and digital officer (CIDO) with acting CIO Jonathan Covell officially taking over the position.

The Sydney-based university has been on the hunt for a replacement for Tim Hume, who vacated the CIDO role earlier this year.  

Deputy chief information officer Jonathan Covell took over Hume's CIO duties while a permanent replacement was found.

Writing on LinkedIn, Covell said he is “very excited and honoured to commence as CIDO”.

In a statement from the university, Covell added that “having been both a student and staff member” at Macquarie University meant he knows “our organisation is unique in its appetite for trying new things”.

“It is an ethos that I have come to embrace and, as CIDO, I am keen to empower the IT team to explore new processes and technologies to better suit the needs of our stakeholders," he said.

“We will be leveraging the IT team’s strong foundations, processes and strategic vision to help Macquarie University stay agile in our rapidly changing sector and build a strong service delivery culture so we’re partnering to deliver fit-for-purpose solutions.”

Macquarie University vice president for people and services Nicole Gower said Covell’s experience in both health and higher education, and track record of “delivering positive outcomes in complex technology settings” made him “ideally placed to lead the university group in our next phase of IT strategy and digital transformation.”

“It is pleasing that having searched far and wide for our next CIDO, the successful candidate comes from within our own community," she said.

"This is testament to the calibre of our people and the exceptional work in IT over the past five years.”

Covell first joined the university back in 2013 as a legal researcher before taking on roles across the healthcare industry including at NSW Health, the Australian Digital Health Agency and Telstra Health.

He re-joined the university via the Macquarie University Hospital back in 2019 before taking over the portfolio director role for health and finance at the university.