Mark Nicholls is the Chief Executive Officer at Information Professionals Group. In this role, he specializes in crafting strategic plans for clients, showcasing his leadership and expertise in the field of strategic planning. Mark is also a Director and previous Deputy Chair of the Australian Information Industry Association, the peak industry body for the digital technology sector in Australia. His experience spans public, commercial & and not-for-profit sectors, and he passionately believes in the immense benefits digital technology brings to organizations, communities, and nations.

Mark joins us on the show to share some of the lessons learned during his 30-year experience[--eliminate in tech]. He discusses why modern organizations face, management, and governance challenges with their planning, data and information systems and how we can overcome them. Additionally, Mark also shares why he believes you can’t be a good business person without having a good sense of strategic planning.

‘Executives need to be learning continuously.”’ - Mark Nicholls

This week on Disarming Data:

• We discuss how strategy consultants work with various organizations, including government, utilities, and healthcare, to develop customized plans for achieving business outcomes through technology
• Why a future vision is important for strategy development, but must be practical and meaningful to be effective
• The importance of defining business outcomes to measure the success of a project or initiative
• Why it’s critical to focus on key metrics that drive success for an organization rather than measuring everything
• The challenge of managing multiple layers of technology in large organizations
• Mark shares his experience of working with Queensland House in 2020 on a system for tracking and managing communicable diseases, with a focus on privacy and security controls
• Mark acknowledges the importance of continuous learning for executives, particularly in a rapidly changing business environment
• Why technology and business are inseparable in today's world.
• Mark’s thoughts on the potential of AI to empower individuals and increase productivity despite implementation challenges.

Connect with Mark Nicholls:

• Mark Nichols on LinkedIn

Connect with Disarming Data:

• Paige Biderman on LinkedIn
• David Biderman on LinkedIn