Cochlear on the hunt for CIO

Hearing restoration technology giant Cochlear is searching for a new chief information officer after John Sutherland quietly stepped down from the role last month.

John Sutherland

A Cochlear spokesman today confirmed Sutherland left the company late last month after six years. An acting CIO has been appointed while the company looks for a replacement.

“We are in the process of reviewing candidates for [the CIO] role,” the spokesman said.

Sutherland left Cochlear to take up an equivalent role at global hospital group Ramsay Health Care, following the departure of the company's former CIO Mick Campbell in August. 

At Ramsay Sutherland will lead IT for 212 private hospitals and 50,000 staff.

Sutherland’s time at Cochlear saw him manage several major projects including the introduction of a unified communications platform for its new $130 million global headquarters and the upgrade of its ERP system.

He also oversaw the company’s transition of its fixed line and mobile services to Macquarie Telecom.

Sutherland is a long time Oracle specialist, having worked in the field for Vodafone, Optus, Boral, British Airways, Coles Myer, and the State Library of NSW. 

He describes himself as a “reluctant leader” on his personal Management Innovation Exchange webpage.

“I'd say my approach has been one of servant leadership. I do strive to maintain a balance in all things, which can lead me to be a bit of a worrier at times," he wrote.

"Communicating the value of IT to an organisation effectively is one of the great challenges for which I'm a keen disciple."

Ramsay Health Care has been contacted for comment.