Spark appoints Oracle veteran Heather Graham as CEO of its cloud business

Spark has today announced the appointment of Heather Graham as the new CEO of CCL, the company's cloud and IT managed services business.

Graham will begin her role at the end of March, after a stint in managed isolation following a relocation from Austin, Texas, where she currently works at Oracle.

During a career spanning 23 years at the company, Graham led two start-up initiatives within Oracle, acting as the equivalent of CEO for these businesses and driving 'huge turnaround' for the company.

Most recently, Heather created Oracle's Cloud Global Business Unit from scratch and led the development of the business' growth in cloud.

An Australian with deep family roots already in New Zealand, Graham is well known for delivering transformational and complex programs and focusing on customer outcomes.

Spark customer director Grant McBeath says that he is thrilled to be welcoming Heather to the team. "Heather is a true global talent when it comes to cloud, and we couldn't be more excited to see how she can take CCL, the leading cloud-managed service business in New Zealand, from strength to strength.

"She brings an impressive pedigree as Oracle's Thought Leader on Cloud and will undoubtedly help unlock the value and potential of CCL's offering for New Zealand business.

McBeath says after a thorough search to find a CEO for the CCL business, it soon became apparent that Graham was the right person.

"We conducted a global search as the role demands a high calibre of leadership, Cloud knowledge and expertise in services and networks. Plus, we wanted to find someone aligned to our values and with a track record of delivery.

"When we met Heather, it was clear she is the perfect fit for the role.

Her husband, Chris and the family dog, Java will also move with her to New Zealand.

The news comes only a month after Spark announced its two latest additions to its 5G rollout — New Plymouth and Te Awamutu.

Spark Technology lead Renee Mateparae said last year that the company had now switched on 5G in five locations across New Zealand throughout 2020 (Auckland, Dunedin, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, and Te Awamutu). This rollout has been made even more challenging by the pandemic.

"Despite this, we are on track with our build program and excited to switch on 5G in Te Awamutu and New Plymouth today. As we deploy 5G to new locations it is great to see real-life examples of people and businesses benefiting from the faster speeds and low latency that 5G provides.