Fujitsu appoints Kathy Cakarnis as Vice President, Customer Industry Engagement and Nicole Forrester as Head of Office of Purpose for Australia and New Zealand

Sydney, April 27, 2021 - Fujitsu today announced that it has appointed Katherine (Kathy) Cakarnis to the role of Vice President, Customer Industry Engagement, Australia and New Zealand and Nicole Forrester to the newly created role of Head of Office of Purpose, Australia and New Zealand. Kathy is responsible for sales and customer service management and will also lead the consulting and alliances teams. Nicole is responsible for driving transformative change across sustainability, diversity, and inclusion as well as Fujitsu’s corporate social responsibility programs.

Prior to joining Fujitsu, Kathy spent more than 20 years working in sales, delivery, management, and executive positions with large, outsourced clients for IBM Australia and New Zealand. As an experienced leader, Kathy is passionate about being an agent for change and is an active ambassador for women in technology, providing mentorship to graduates and young technology professionals.

Nicole has more than 15 years of diverse leadership experience across the Asia-Pacific region. As director of intergovernmental and philanthropic partnerships at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Nicole served as its inaugural representative in Washington D.C. She has held various diplomatic and government roles in Australia, and was an associate lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology's Oodgeroo Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies centre.

Graeme Beardsell, Chief Executive Officer, Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand, said, “These strategic appointments demonstrate Fujitsu’s commitment to our customers in Australia and New Zealand, and to being a leader in driving positive transformative change in key areas of corporate social responsibility.

“Kathy’s extensive experience in leading transformation for customers across Australia and New Zealand will provide new insights and benefits for Fujitsu’s customers in this region. Her ability to lead and mentor teams will also be beneficial to growing the skills of Fujitsu’s employees.

“Nicole brings proven leadership in delivering inclusive cultural change through impact driven strategy. Fujitsu’s purpose is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. Both globally and in Australia and New Zealand, Fujitsu has set specific and challenging targets to become a truly sustainable, diverse, and inclusive company. The work conducted by Nicole and her team will be pivotal in our ability to fulfil these ambitions.”

Kathy Cakarnis, Vice President, Customer Industry Engagement, Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand, said, “I look forward to working with Fujitsu’s customers and supporting their transformation initiatives to deliver business benefits for customers across many industries in this region.”

Nicole Forrester, Head of Office of Purpose, Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand, said, “The newly created office of purpose role is visionary and demonstrates Fujitsu’s leadership in the direction that companies must take to address long-term challenges in the new global business environment. I look forward to helping Fujitsu continue to lead this approach to conducting business with a purpose that focuses on sustainability, diversity, inclusion and corporate social responsibility for the benefit of all.”

Both Kathy and Nicole will report to Graeme Beardsell as part of the Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand executive leadership team.

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