Hi, my name is Thomas, and I am currently the Head of Information Technology at Royal Far West.
What does your role involve?
Ensuring all IT systems run reliably, provide a great user experience and continue to improve and innovate.
How long have you been with Royal Far West?
I have been with the organisation for 5 years.
What led you to work at Royal Far West?
Coming from a rural area in Germany, the opportunity to make a difference for country children through a not-for-profit organisation is extremely fulfilling.
Can you describe your typical day?
I’m up early and cycle 25km or more as part of my Ride for Country Kids training. After a shower and breakfast, I commute to work on my other bicycle. I start the day with a focus period, followed by the IT team standup to check progress and align priorities. The rest of the day is a mix of internal and external meetings, IT cost analysis and negotiating new contracts. When I can, I make time for learning, drawing on the wide range of IT topics relevant to not-for-profit organisations.
What do you love about working with families from rural and remote Australia?
While I don’t work directly with clients, I love enabling our clinicians to support families with the best possible technology setup.
What do you think makes RFW unique?
Royal Far West has a direct impact across large areas of need.
Where’s your country? – Where do you feel most connected to?
Good question. I love being around the Northern Beaches and out West, especially in country NSW. I also feel deeply connected to the Eifel region in Germany where I grew up.
Can you share some career highlights from your time at RFW?
Building a great team: I’m proud of the IT team I’ve established. Without them, Royal Far West wouldn’t have stable, high-performing systems or the ongoing improvements we now have.
Better systems: When I started, everyone was frustrated with the Electronic Medical Record system (EMR) — it was slow and clunky. I discovered it hadn’t been upgraded in more than seven years. Now, continuous improvement, including regular EMR upgrades, is part of our normal cadence.
Every dollar saved goes to clients: I’ve successfully renegotiated our IT contracts, either saving money or ensuring we get the right services we need.