Intel's Cronin takes AIIA chair

Telstra joins board.

Intel Australia managing director Philip Cronin has been elected chair of the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), replacing Data#3 chief executive John Grant who stepped aside after three years of service.

The AIIA is a lobby group funded by IT vendors with substantial presence in Australia.

Cronin has led Intel Australia since January 2004 and has also worked in channel sales and ISP/telco networking roles for the chip giant. He was elected onto the AIIA board in 2008.

John Grant will continue to serve as a board member.

Kee Wong, principal of e-Centric innovations was elected deputy chair, whilst members also elected new board members were Tracey Fellows, managing director at Microsoft Australia, David Webster, president and CEO of EMC Australia, New Zealand and now South-East Asia, and Jackie Korhonen, CEO and managing director of Infosys Australia and New Zealand.

Telstra's Nerida Caesar

The association pointed out that "representation of women on the AIIA board has doubled [from two] to four."

The long list of members remaining on the board included Gartner's Warren Anderson, IBM MD Glen Boreham, HP MD Paul Brandling, Data#3's John Grant, CSC CTO Bob Hayward, Google engineering director Alan Noble, SMS Management CEO Tom Stianos, Brookstone Technologies director John Stockbridge (reelected as treasurer) and Fujitsu CEO Rod Vawdrey.

Cronin was chuffed with his new appointment, and pointed to a few of the challenges ahead for the AIIA.

"With the current national focus on the future success of the NBN and related applications, I believe that the AIIA has the credentials and charter to represent its members' needs and reinforce its position as the voice of the digital economy," he said in a statement.