ENSURING SYSTEM STABILITY and convenience contributes to enhanced customer experience, says Aaron Toatelegese, head of technology, as he explains the key focus of his team at Bank of New Zealand.Toatelegese says he and his 281-strong team will be working on innovative technologies that are focused on ensuring BNZ is “positioned to deliver an improved customer experience”.“This will be underpinned by a new technology architecture and highly resilient set of platforms that is making banking easier and better for our customers,” he says.Outside of continued system stability, he says the biggest improvements delivered by ICT have been automation for things like credit decision engines and improved mobility platforms for staff. “It’s anything we can do to ensure people can spend more time with customers,” he states. This year, the team’s major programmes of work are around information and analytics, information security, APIs, automation of processes and platform resilience.He says the team is expected to grow, together with project numbers (up by over 20 per cent from 2015) and up to 20 per cent rise in budgets. Top ICT investments will include big data and analytics, application modernisation, customer experience technologies, information security, risk management and digital tools.He says some of the challenges he will have in upcoming months are meeting the changing needs of the business, managing complexity and moving to digital platforms or two-speed IT. Related content feature 4 remedies to avoid cloud app migration headaches The compelling benefits of using proprietary cloud-native services come at a price: vendor lock-in. Here are ways CIOs can effectively plan without getting stuck. By Robert Mitchell Nov 29, 2023 9 mins CIO CIO CIO case study Steps Gerresheimer takes to transform its IT CIO Zafer Nalbant explains what the medical packaging manufacturer does to modernize its IT through AI, automation, and hybrid cloud. By Jens Dose Nov 29, 2023 6 mins CIO SAP ServiceNow feature Per Scholas redefines IT hiring by diversifying the IT talent pipeline What started as a technology reclamation nonprofit has since transformed into a robust, tuition-free training program that seeks to redefine how companies fill tech skills gaps with rising talent. By Sarah K. White Nov 29, 2023 11 mins Diversity and Inclusion Hiring news Saudi Arabia will host the World Expo 2030 in Riyadh By Andrea Benito Nov 28, 2023 4 mins Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe