REA Group appoints a new CTO

REA Group will have a new chief technology officer from October as a replacement for Chris Venter, whom it was revealed had a “severe accident” mid last year.

Image credit: REA Group

The digital advertising company said that senior vice president and chief digital officer of Auto Trader in Canada, Steve Maidment, has been appointed to the CTO role.

At REA, he will assume oversight of “the platforms which underpin REA’s products, services and operations,” the company said in a statement.

Venter - who joined REA in June 2021 from ANZx - “had to take medical leave from his role after a severe accident”, REA said.

Craig Templeton has been acting in the CTO role since, but will return to his previous role of CISO and general manager of technology and data platforms once Maidment starts.

REA Group chief Owen Wilson thanked Venter for his time at the company and said he “will be missed by all of us”.

“It has been an extremely difficult time for Chris and his family, and our thoughts and best wishes remain with him during his recovery,” Wilson said.

“I would also like to thank Craig Templeton for  stepping into the role for the past 10 months. 

“Our tech community consistently delivered on our technology strategy under both Chris and Craig’s leadership and I’m grateful for their efforts.” 

Maidment said he wanted to “make [his] own mark” on REA once he begins later this year.

Prior to being with Auto Trader, Maidment held roles with the likes of Australia Post, Phoenix Digital and Telstra.