Meet the judges: Tristan Sternson, CEO of ARQ and Global Co-Lead at NCS Next

Australian tech industry pioneer, serial entrepreneur and growth expert Tristan Sternson has a massively successful, decades-long career in IT behind him, likely because he’s kept his eye steadily on the future.

This year, his first as a judge for The CEO Magazine’s Executive of the Year awards, Sternson will be looking for exactly that future-facing perspective, among other things.

"I’ll be looking for how other leaders are nurturing and focusing on their people to achieve goals and build long-term business performance," he says. "Good, sustainable businesses are consistent."

At the 2022 Executive of the Year Awards, Sternson was named Runner-Up in the highly coveted CEO of the Year – A$100m+ category.

"There was a fantastic mix of executives in the room, across a broad range of industries," he reflects. "I’m keen to continue my involvement with such an amazing caliber of executives."

"I’m keen to continue my involvement with such an amazing caliber of executives."

Sternson – who is Global Co-Lead of Singtel’s global digital, data and cloud services consultancy NCS NEXT, as well as the CEO of ARQ, one of Australia’s leading providers of digital and tech services – says he’s "always been passionate about technology and the intersection of tech with business and change management".

After being appointed CEO of ARQ in 2019, Sternson spent the next two-and-a-half years committed to transforming the business, taking it from a company underperforming with only marginal profits to one with 150 percent year-on-year revenue growth.

This about-face eventually attracted the attention of Singtel NCS, which acquired the business for A$290 million in April 2022. His current client base spans government and enterprise organizations, including more than half of Australia’s top 20 ASX-listed companies.

"My role now is to drive innovation into our global business and our customers through technology advances to ensure our businesses have a long-term vision that maintains their performance," he says. "This isn’t just keeping up with the rapid advances in industry and technology, but also providing solid leadership and encouraging creative thinking and problem solving.

"The world of technology advances very quickly, so our global team needs to help our customers navigate the technology of the future today, while making the right decision to support them over time."

Photo by Jessica Hromas