CIO50 2023 #2 Angela Nash, New Zealand Rugby

Name: Angela Nash
Title: Chief Information & Technology Officer
Company: NZ Rugby & NZ Rugby Commercial
Tenure of role: 2019 to August 2023
Reporting line: CEO
Member of the executive team: Yes
Technology function: 13 staff and five direct reports

Coming in at the number two spot in this year’s CIO50 New Zealand list is Angela Nash, Chief Information and Technology Officer at New Zealand Rugby. Nash has featured numerous times in the CIO50 list and finished up her role at NZ Rugby in August to join AA Insurance.

During her four-year tenure at NZ Rugby, Nash set a goal for her team to be “leaders in utilising technology inside rugby in previously not-seen-before ways and creating back-end systems that deliver world-class capability to our commercial and rugby teams both on and off the field.”

As a business NZ Rugby also has strategic focus on customer enablement, data monetisation and more modern digital products, all of which are underpinned by technology.

In response to a changing landscape, Nash led NZR’s shift from a rugby-centric planning approach to a customer-led fan strategy. The focus on technology stacks supporting revenue models has resulted in a more extensive and engaged fan base. Nash’s strategic alignment of technology with business goals has propelled NZR to engage with its 960 million global fans, creating new digital assets and revenue streams.

During the past two years, the NZR technology team has delivered or commenced phases of strategically important initiatives including the launch of the organisation’s data centre of excellence, a new fan engagement system, and a new OTT/streaming platform called NZR+.

Underpinning all this was the re-architecting and rebuilding of the data warehouse and Single Sign-On (SSO) solution, known as Project Colossus. This initiative, a culmination of three years of hard work, has positioned NZR at the forefront of technology, ensuring scalability and rapid growth while facilitating fan engagement and monetisation.

Strategic importance of data

In her quest to elevate NZR as a leader in utilising technology, Nash identified the critical need for strong data foundations early in her tenure. While recognising data as a key asset for success, there was the challenge of a lack of ownership, strategy, and dedicated resources. To address this, she embarked on a comprehensive approach, articulating the problem to all levels within the organisation.

Starting with the board and executives, Nash worked on improving internal data literacy, commissioning a data audit aligned with the newly refreshed data policy and the Privacy Act 2020. This effort culminated in the establishment of the data centre of excellence (DCoE), emphasising that data management was not solely a technological challenge but required input and buy-in from all teams.

Nash’s strategic vision resulted in the creation of the data governance committee, demonstrating a commitment to data governance across business units. The initiative not only tackled technology challenges but also involved engagement with Provincial Unions, showcasing Nash’s ability to influence beyond her direct control.

The impact of this focus on data is evident in NZR’s acknowledgment of data as a core pillar, prominently featured in strategic plans. The addition of three new roles within the team, strategic planning, dedicated funding, and a clear roadmap for the next 1-3 years underscore the success of Nash’s initiatives.

Influencing the organisation

Beyond data, Nash ensured a broader focus on maximising technology investments within financial constraints. Striking a balance between business needs, player requirements, and fan expectations, she strategically invested in technology to optimise returns and align with NZR’s overarching strategic goals.

All Blacks manager Darren Shand says Nash is widely respected within the organisation for her approach.

“Angela is a talented executive leader who by the power of her superb human qualities creates success in the technology sector. With Ange, you get a great team environment where people feel valued and given a chance to shine. This is coupled with a very healthy dose of realism and common sense that allows her to make the often complicated seem relatively sensible. Ange leans in as a leader and has great capacity to challenge the status quo in a very respectful and skilful manner. Wish we could have her on our team.”

Nash’s focus on team engagement over the past 12 months –  in particular process improvements –  resulted in a staff engagement score increase of 16 points from 58 to 74, the highest in the business.

Eric Esnouf, IT operations manager at NZR, said her approach allowed the team to feel empowered.  “Ange encourages people to be their authentic selves at work and express things how they are comfortable. [She] operates a high-trust model and allows for autonomy and freedom of thoughts and ideas, which creates an environment where ideas are able to be proposed openly, generating diverse options for solutions which is truly important in the environment in which we operate.”