Enabling unstoppable Australian businesses through practical AI

Interactive, a leading Australian IT service provider, has today announced appointment updates to accelerate its artificial intelligence strategy. These changes strengthen Interactive’s ability to embed AI across its own operations while also expanding how it supports customers through a maturing data and AI practice focused on translating internal AI adoption into scalable, repeatable customer outcomes.

Lizzy Jones, Head of Data and AI, has been appointed to lead the next phase of Interactive’s Data & AI practice, reflecting the organisation’s shift from building internal capability to scaling its impact through customer adoption. 

Having played a central role in developing Interactive’s Data & AI capability through its Customer Zero approach, Jones has helped prove value internally, mature the organisation’s delivery model, and build confidence in how AI can be deployed responsibly in real-world environments. 

In her new role, Jones will lead the continued evolution of the practice – taking these proven capabilities to market, scaling their impact, and supporting customers to realise the same value demonstrated within Interactive’s own operations. 

Rowan Hoy, Principal AI Architect, will play a key role in building the technical foundations of Interactive’s AI capability. He will be responsible for shaping the architecture, platforms and systems required to deploy AI securely and at scale. Rowan will also work with customers to help accelerate advanced AI use cases. 

Interactive is strengthening its data and AI capability by focusing on the foundations that make AI adoption unstoppable – strong data, sound architecture and clear governance. Rather than chasing hype, Interactive is embedding AI across its own operations as Customer Zero, building momentum through real‑world use and continuous learning. This approach allows the business to build capability from the ground up and understand what it takes to deploy AI responsibly, repeatedly and at scale – ensuring its AI capability is structured, scalable and aligned to customer demand. 

Fred Thiele, Chief Information Security Officer at Interactive says “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”. 

Jones stated, “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.” 

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,” Hoy added. “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.” 

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.” 

The organisation’s approach to AI has been deliberately intentional from the outset. Customers benefit from experience gained through real implementation, not theory, at a time when enterprise AI is still maturing and long‑term deployment experience is continuing to take shape across industries. 

Thiele concluded “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.” 

Together, Jones and Hoy will lead the next phase of Interactive’s AI journey, building internal capability while supporting customers as they navigate AI adoption with confidence.