SA gov CIO departs after seven years

The chief information officer for the South Australian government Dr Eva Balan-Vnuk has stepped down after almost seven years in the role.

Dr Eva Balan-Vnuk

Balan-Vnuk first joined the government from Microsoft in February 2018 and has overseen several technology transformation programs. 

These include the $120-million digital restart program which started in 2020; a transition strategy for the government's DXC mainframe environment and the overhaul of its enterprise resource planning (ERP) replacement.

The latter saw Oracle selected as the new ERP provider in February 2024, with the contract later revealed to be worth $68.7 million over three years.

Balan-Vnuk, who led SA’s technology function from both within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and more recently the Department of Treasury and Finance, was a winner at last year’s iTnews Benchmark Awards.

On LinkedIn, Balan-Vnuk wrote that she is “shortly [to] embark on a new adventure” that will allow her “to continue to support South Australians”.

Of her role as CIO, she wrote: “It has been an exciting period, as I've served under three governments, numerous chief executives, two agencies... through the black swan pandemic event, ever increasing cyber security threats and many other challenges.

"It's been a privilege to help establish some foundational work in the area of artificial intelligence, connectivity across the state, and governance of our domain.”

A spokesperson for the SA Department of Treasury and Finance confirmed Balan-Vnuk's departure, adding that her role will be filled by SA government CISO Will Luker in an acting capacity.

“A recruitment process will run at a later date,” the spokesperson added.