University of New England finds permanent CIDO

The University of New England has appointed William Confalonieri as its chief information and digital officer, starting from early November.

William Confalonieri (Image credit: UNE)

In a LinkedIn post on its official account, the university lauded Confalonieri’s “deep expertise in AI-enabled innovation and student-centred service design”.

Confalonieri said he would bring his “experience in the university sector to help UNE embed its own AI strategy in 2026 and deliver inclusive, student-centred experiences that connect local identity with global opportunity."

While a consultant for the past four years, Confalonieri is best known for the near-decade he spent at Deakin University, initially as its CIO and then later as its chief information and digital officer.

On his own LinkedIn page, Confalonieri noted that the new role commences on November 3.

This aligns with a previous blog post by UNE that named Tim Hume as interim chief information and digital officer “until the end of November, while the recruitment process for the permanent CIDO position is completed.”

Hume assumed the caretaker role in July; he had previously been an IT executive at Macquarie University and at the former NSW Department of Family and Community Services.

UNE’s blog post said that prior to Hume's interim appointment, Tim Mannes had been acting CIO for a year; he resumed his previous role at the university when Hume arrived.