Source Technology names Nette as Director of Innovation

Source Technology has appointed Andrew Nette as Director of Innovation, adding a former customer to its leadership team in Melbourne.

Nette joins the IT services provider after nearly a decade in enterprise platform engineering, including more than nine years at Australia Post, where he led public cloud operations at scale. He will oversee completion of the company's platform transformation program and lead work on AI readiness, data resilience, data classification, data governance and sovereign cloud infrastructure.

The appointment comes as Australian organisations face growing pressure to manage the compliance, governance and infrastructure demands tied to AI adoption. Source Technology is targeting mid-market customers that face regulatory obligations similar to those of larger enterprises, but often have smaller technology teams and tighter budgets.

Chief Executive Officer David Duncan said the hire supports the company's expansion into areas including AI, data governance and sovereign cloud services.

"We are delighted to welcome Andrew as our Director of Innovation," Duncan said. "His leadership, vision and deep platform expertise will play a pivotal role in accelerating our next phase of growth and innovation. We look forward to his continued contribution across the broader Source Technology team as we strengthen our position as a trusted leader in data resilience, sovereign cloud and secure digital infrastructure solutions."

Nette was previously a Source Technology customer, giving him direct experience of its services and commercial arrangements before joining the business. Director of Sales and Marketing Gavin Hoffmann said that perspective was a factor in the appointment.

Hoffmann described Nette's client-side experience as one of his main strengths.

"Andrew sat on the other side of the table for most of his career. He knows how our contracts work, he's used our services, and he's given us some of our most useful feedback over the years - firm but fair. I regularly ask him, 'If you were still a customer, what would you think of this?' and he can answer that very easily. That customer lens will help us identify gaps, add more value and make sure we're solving the right problems," Hoffmann said.

AI focus

For managed service providers, the rise of AI has created new questions around data handling, regulatory exposure and operational risk. Many companies are trying to work out how to use AI tools while keeping control of sensitive information and meeting internal and external compliance requirements.

Nette will help shape Source Technology's response, with an emphasis on the underlying controls around security, backup and resilience. That work is expected to sit alongside broader efforts to extend services into security, AI, risk and compliance.

He linked the opportunity to the need for stronger operational foundations as AI tools spread across organisations.

"Source Technology has always been incredibly customer-focused, doing the jobs that are critically important but often difficult to get right," Nette said. "The opportunity now is to extend that up the stack - into security, AI, risk and compliance. The foundations haven't changed - security, backup and resilience are non-negotiable. But the pace at which AI can exploit vulnerabilities makes getting those foundations right a matter of priority."

Market pressure

Source Technology operates in a market where demand for cloud management and cyber resilience services remains tied to a broader shift in how businesses store, protect and process data. At the same time, sovereignty questions have become more prominent as customers in regulated sectors pay closer attention to where data sits and how it is governed.

That is particularly relevant for mid-sized organisations, which often face the same scrutiny as larger peers without the same in-house engineering depth. Providers that can combine cloud operations, backup, disaster recovery and governance advice are seeking to position themselves as partners for those customers.

Nette's background in large-scale cloud operations at Australia Post gives Source Technology an executive with direct experience running complex environments rather than advising on them from the outside. His move also reflects a wider trend in the sector, with service providers recruiting leaders with hands-on customer experience as buyers demand more practical guidance on risk, resilience and AI adoption.

He will lead the company's AI-readiness and data resilience strategy, with a focus on data classification, data governance and sovereign cloud infrastructure.