Retail giant The Warehouse has lured IS manager Neville Brown away from the ASB Bank to become its new general manager of information technology.
Warehouse managing director Stephen Tindall says Brown was headhunted to fill the newly created role of IT manager. Brown, who starts on October 21, beat strong international competition to land the job.
“It’s a new position,” says Tindall. “The financial director, myself and a bunch of MIS people have done the job up until now. We’ve need a general manager of IT to head the operation properly.
“The ASB Bank has built its whole computer advantage on information systems and the use of technology. Neville has been at the forefront of this approach and is an acknowledged leader in this field both within New Zealand and on the world stage.”
Last year The Warehouse blamed poor financial results on its new distribution system, supplied by Cardinal Networks. Tindall says this “certainly contributed” to the search for an IT general manager. At the same time, the company has created the role of general manager of logistics.
Brown has been at the ASB for five years during which major achievements include co-ordinating decentralisation of back-office functions from the branch network, overseeing the resurrection of 100%-owned subsidiary TelePacific Networks to profitability, formation of the electronic banking department, development of the bank’s data warehouse initiative, development of home shopping and home banking pilots and direction of the bank’s business process re-engineering efforts.
Industry word is that it would’ve taken an extremely attractive remuneration package to tempt Brown, with the figure of more than $225,000 plus a substantial share package being mentioned. Brown would not comment.