Adrian Di Marco
Adrian Di Marco | |
---|---|
![]() Adrian Di Marco – Executive chairman TechnologyOne | |
Nationality | Australian |
Occupation | Executive chairman of TechnologyOne |
Years active | 1987–present |
Known for | Founder of TechnologyOne |
Adrian Di Marco (born 1958) is an Australian entrepreneur and businessman. He is the founder and Executive Chairman of TechnologyOne, Australia's largest enterprise software company.[1][2][3]
Early life and career
Di Marco was born in Brisbane in 1958, the child of Italian immigrants.[4] He attended St James College in Brisbane.[5]
He became interested in IT after helping his brother, who was studying engineering at university, to program one of the first digital computers. After high school, Di Marco completed a science degree at the University of Queensland,[6] majoring in computer science.[4] Early in his career, he worked at Arthur Andersen (now Accenture).[4]
TechnologyOne CEO
Di Marco founded TechnologyOne from inside a demountable office in the car park at JL Mactaggart Industries' hide processing plant in Hemmant, Brisbane, in 1987.[7][8][9] The company initially received with a small amount of capital[10] from JL Mactaggart Industries.[11]
The company began providing financial software,[12] building its products around relational databases.[13] It has since developed enterprise resource planning software[14] for sectors including local government, universities,[4][15] and hospitals.[16]
In 1998, when Oracle launched a competitor product and revoked TechnologyOne’s licenses, Di Marco made the company’s products database independent, building its own sales, marketing, and implementation divisions.[17][10][18] In December 1999, Di Marco led the company into its listing on the ASX making it one of the most successful floats of the DotCom era.[19] In 2001, he was appointed chairman of TechnologyOne.[20]
Di Marco was member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and was Deputy Chair of the Australian Information Industry Association from 2002 to 2004.[21] He was the Director of the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation Board from 2004 to 2012.[22]
In 2004 Di Marco won the Pearcey Award for innovative and pioneering achievement and contribution to research and development in IT.[23] He was awarded Fellow of the Australian Computer Society in 2010.[24] When he stepped down as CEO in May 2017, Di Marco was one of the longest-serving chief executives of an ASX-listed company.[25][26]
As CEO, Di Marco established the philanthropic TechnologyOne Foundation,[27] which has made donations to Opportunity International Australia,[28] the School of St Jude in Tanzania, The Fred Hollows Foundation, and others.[29] He also advocated against a business model run by professional managers, which caused the company difficulties in the early 2000s.[5][25] He has argued that a focus on corporate governance weakens companies and that subject matter experts are more important to have on a board than independent directors.[25][30]
Post-CEO
In May 2017, Di Marco stepped down as CEO from the company but remained its Executive Chairman and Chief Innovation Officer.[31][17][32] As of 2019, Di Marco’s 8.6 per cent stake in the company was worth more than $240m, and with his other investments in property, his net worth is reportedly more than $300m.[33][34]
In 2017, Di Marco invested in accounting software start-up Practice Ignition.[31] In 2018, Di Marco made a $3.2 million investment in sports tech firm Fusion Sport.[35] In 2019, Di Marco made a $500,000 investment with Snackwise.[36]
Di Marco is a founding member of Software Queensland, a group promoting the Queensland software industry.[37][38] In February 2022, he announced he would be stepping down as TechnologyOne's executive chairman after 35 years with the company,[39] with his resignation effective on 30 June.[40]
References
- ^ "R&D tax credits are 'wasted': TechnologyOne founder". BRW. 5 October 2015. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ Swan, Georgina (29 April 2010). "Aussie entrepreneur: Adrian Di Marco". Computerworld. p. 153. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ Pennington, Sylvia (25 August 1998). "The world according to Adrian Di Marco". The Australian. p. 56.
- ^ a b c d Durie, John (9 August 2019). "Perseverance the key to success". The Australian. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ a b Kitney, Damon (27 April 2019). "Learning the 'Fosbury flop' taught boss to aim higher". The Australian. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ Chanthadavong, Aimee (29 March 2015). "The dos and don'ts: Adrian Di Marco's lessons to success". ZDNet. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Philipson, Graeme (6 July 1998). "A true local success story". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 2.
- ^ Passmore, Daryl (22 July 2007). "Adrian Di Marco". The Sunday Mail. pp. T15.
- ^ "TechnologyOne CEO Adrian Di Marco prepares to pass the baton". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ a b Chanthadavong, Aimee (30 March 2015). "The dos and don'ts: Adrian Di Marco's lessons to success". ZDNet.
- ^ Adhikari, Supratim (22 May 2012). "TechnologyOne's winning formula". The Australian.
- ^ Bryant, Gale (20 July 1998). "'Technological cringe' leaves industry at a loss, says IT boss". Australian Financial Review.
- ^ Swan, David (25 November 2014). "TechnologyOne posts record profit". The Australian.
- ^ Barbaschow, Asha (18 November 2019). "TechnologyOne profit steady at AU$58.5m as SaaS customers reach 435". ZDNet. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ Adhikari, Supratim (21 May 2019). "TechnologyOne half-year profit setting a good pace, says CEO Ed Chung". The Australian. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Foreshew, Jennifer (21 July 2015). "TechnologyOne braces for new competition". The Australian. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ a b Redrup, Yolanda (28 March 2017). "TechnologyOne CEO Adrian Di Marco steps down after 30 years". Australian Financial Review.
- ^ Connors, Emma (10 November 2006). "Reboot". Australian Financial Review.
- ^ Whyte, Jemima (2 March 2016). "Why Technology One's Adrian Di Marco will not list on the ASX again?". Australian Financial Review.
- ^ "Brisbane-based software development firm Technology One has appointed its founder and chief executive Adrian Di Marco to the additional role of chairman". The Courier-Mail. 8 January 2001. p. 14.
- ^ "About us". aicd.companydirectors.com.au.
- ^ The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation. "The Royal Children's Hospital Foundation Annual Report 2012" (PDF). Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ Pearcey Awards 2004
- ^ ACS Fellows 2009-2010
- ^ a b c Redrup, Yolanda (28 March 2017). "TechnologyOne CEO Adrian Di Marco steps down after 30 years". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ Adhikari, Supratim (18 October 2016). "TechOne clears the cloud with message of simplicity". The Australian. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ Dinham, Peter (9 January 2018). "TechnologyOne Foundation sets ambitious goal for 2018". iTWire. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ Dinham, Peter (5 September 2018). "TechnologyOne partners with Opportunity International to help children out of poverty". iTWire. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Moore, Ben (22 October 2019). "TechnologyOne donates $620K, delivering on Pledge 1%". IT Brief Australia. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Kitney, Damon (15 December 2019). "Tech boards must find right 'risk and creativity' balance". The Australian.
- ^ a b Redrup, Yolanda (29 May 2017). "Accounting software start-up Practice Ignition raises $5m from Right Click and Microequities". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ McLean, Asha (7 April 2017). "TechnologyOne CEO and founder hands reins to current COO". ZDNet.
- ^ Damon, Kitney (15 December 2019). "Tech boards must find right 'risk and creativity' balance". The Australian.
- ^ Kitney, Damon (27 April 2019). "Learning the 'Frosby Flop' taught boss to aim higher". The Australian.
- ^ Redrup, Yolanda (5 November 2018). "Tech player Fusion Sport jumps to life with TechOne founder funding". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ Bailey, Michael (18 March 2019). "TechnologyOne founder Adrian Di Marco's 10-year start-up horizon". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ Hurst, Daniel (8 October 2009). "Emmy winners the brightest in Brisbane". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Howarth, Brad (28 September 2015). "Australia's 10 most influential people in tech". SmartCompany. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Redrup, Yolanda (23 February 2022). "TechnologyOne's Adrian Di Marco steps down after 35 years". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ "TechnologyOne founder Adrian Di Marco to depart as chairman". CRN Australia. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.