ASX CIO to head NSW govt's data analytics board

The chief information officer of the Australian stock exchange will chair a gathering of Australian technology gurus as the head of the advisory board for the NSW government's Data Analytics Centre.

Tim Thurman

Tim Thurman, who has served as the ASX's CIO for the past four years, will lead a board of nine members that includes the likes of Stone and Chalk CEO Alex Scandurra, Westpac innovation chief Ian Hill, NSW chief scientist Mary O'Kane, and former NICTA CEO Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte.

Also on the board are Google A/NZ geospatial boss Paul Cousins, UNSW head of business analytics and data governance Kate Carruthers, Fishburners general manager Murray Hurps, NSW customer service commissioner Michael Pratt, and UTS president Attila Brungs.

Thurman and co join Dr Ian Opperman, DAC CEO, at the helm of the new agency. Opperman has been handed the top job on a permanent basis after acting in the role since November 2015.

NSW innovation minister Victor Dominello today said the advisory board would provide "strategic advice and support" to the DAC.

“The board will advise government on priorities and the key partnerships across industry, government and research sectors that should be forged to ensure outcomes are delivered,” Dominello said in a statement. 

“I am delighted to confirm Tim Thurman as chair of the board. Tim’s experience and expertise at the ASX, where he is overseeing the implementation of a $50 million digital strategy, will assist the government with the digitising of service delivery and implementation of whole-of-government innovation priorities.”

The DAC, a dedicated office for the state's data analytics activities, was born last August.

The office is intended to act as a central data broker across the government, among other things operating a single register of all the state's data sets and co-ordinating data sharing across government.

Its first initiatives have involved using student data to better align vocational education courses to the needs of recruiting businesses, as well as the impending introduction of legislation that would force service station operators to disclose their price data in real time.