Leanne Ward

Partners for the Future – “Creating the future with You.”                                                                                                                                                                                               

Dr. Leanne Ward is a CX0-level technology and transformation executive with experience leading large ICT portfolios and digital change programs in Australian Government and commercial sectors. She has led large-scale transformations of existing digital systems and data, secure cloud adoption, digital workforce enablement and most recently the adoption of Artificial Intelligence technologies with a strong focus on ethical technology use and workforce capability uplift.

• Technology and Leadership Expertise: She has deep expertise in ICT strategy, enterprise architecture, cyber-resilience, data governance, and managing large-scale ERP transformations exceeding $2 billion.
• Government and Commercial Experience: Her experience spans Defence, Intelligence, Health and Aged Care, Finance, and State Government, including negotiating major ICT contracts valued between $100 million and $1 billion, and leading P&L responsibilities up to US $450 million annually.
• Professional Roles and Achievements: She has held senior advisory and executive roles in organizations such as the Department of Health, Kearney, IBM Australia, Leidos, Broadspectrum, and Unisys, leading strategic sourcing, digital transformation, and commercial negotiations.
• Memberships and Associations: She is a GAICD, a member of the Ethics Centre and a member of the Lowy Institute in Sydney. She has held the Chair of the Unisys Superannuation Board for 5 years, commencing two months before the GFC and seeing this role through until the economy and the Fund fully recovered. She held the ice Chair position for Integricare, a NFP supporting families. She has been a member of Menttium for over 10 years and volunteers to coach executive women in Asia Pacific. She actively continues to coach people both in small and large business.
• Educational Background: She holds a Doctorate in Business Leadership from the Australian Graduate School of Leadership, Torrens University. Her research focused on responsible and ethical use of AI in enterprises that choose to do so (2021). She completed an MBA majoring in Human Resources, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematical Computing. She is a Graduate of the Directors program at the Australian Institute of Company Directors.