Interactive is moving to turn its own artificial intelligence rollout into a broader customer offering, appointing senior leaders to accelerate its data and AI strategy as businesses look for more practical ways to move from experiments to real deployment.
The Australian IT services provider has announced updates across its AI leadership team, with Lizzy Jones appointed to lead the next phase of its Data & AI practice and Rowan Hoy taking on a key technical role as Principal AI Architect.
The appointments come as organisations face growing pressure to adopt AI without losing control of data, security, cost and governance.
While many businesses are still testing tools and isolated use cases, Interactive is positioning its own internal AI adoption as a live model for customers trying to make the technology work in real enterprise environments.
Jones, Head of Data and AI, will lead the next stage of Interactive’s Data & AI practice as the company shifts from building internal capability to scaling AI adoption for customers.
She has played a central role in developing Interactive’s Customer Zero approach, where the company uses its own operations to test, prove and refine AI capability before taking those lessons to market.
That internal experience has helped Interactive build confidence in how AI can be deployed responsibly, repeatedly and at scale, rather than treated as a one-off technology project.
Rowan Hoy, Principal AI Architect, will focus on the architecture, platforms and systems needed to deploy AI securely across enterprise environments. He will also work with customers on more advanced AI use cases as the technology moves beyond early-stage experimentation.
Interactive say its AI strategy is built around the foundations that determine whether adoption succeeds: strong data, sound architecture, clear governance, security and cost control.
Rather than chasing hype, the company said it has been embedding AI across its own operations first, using real implementation and continuous learning to shape how it supports customers.
Fred Thiele, Chief Information Security Officer at Interactive said, “This lived experience is shaping how Interactive supports customers,”
“It helps organisations move beyond experimentation and invest in AI where it delivers genuine productivity gains, operational improvement and long-term value.” said Thiele
Jones says there is a lot of noise around AI right now.
“Our focus is on cutting through that and framing AI as something people can be part of, not something to be afraid of.”
“When AI is implemented thoughtfully, it’s a technology that should help people do their jobs better – unlocking new ways of working.” said Jones.
Hoy agreed, noting that strong technical foundations for AI are critical for organisations as they move from AI experimentation to real deployment.
“AI only delivers value when it’s built on the right architecture and platforms. Developing the core capabilities that allow AI to scale responsibly is essential,”
“That includes putting the right guardrails in place around security, cost and reliability.” said Hoy.
Dan Cox, Managing Director, Cloud at Interactive, said the evolution of the Data & AI capability reflects a broader shift in how organisations need to think about technology as an integrated system.
“AI doesn’t exist in isolation,” Cox said.
“Its effectiveness depends on the strength of the environments it runs in, the quality and governance of the data behind it, and the security and resilience that underpin it,”
“What we are building at Interactive brings these elements together – so customers can adopt AI with confidence, knowing it is supported by the right foundations and designed to work in real enterprise conditions.” he said.
According to Interactive its approach has been deliberate from the outset, with customers benefiting from lessons gained through implementation rather than theory.
That distinction is becoming more important as enterprise AI matures. For many organisations, the challenge is no longer whether AI can produce a result, but whether it can be deployed safely, consistently and economically across real business operations.
“AI isn’t something you can just roll out and expect results,” Thiele said
“AI adoption must be intentional. The organisation must be brought on the AI journey as the technology fundamentally changes ways of working.”
“Beyond the people change, if you don’t understand your data, your architecture or your cost and risk exposure, AI quickly becomes unmanageable,”
“We’ve focused on building those foundations first and learning through real implementation, not theory. That’s the difference between talking about AI and actually making it work – and that experience is what our customers value.” said Thiele
Together, Jones and Hoy will lead Interactive’s next phase of AI development, building internal capability while helping customers adopt the technology with stronger governance, clearer architecture and more confidence in real-world deployment.
