​Certus Solutions, an IBM systems integrator in Australia and New Zealand, has appointed Mark Southey as the new country manager for Australia and says he will be an integral part of the company's transformation to a business solutions provider.

In the role of country manager, Southey will be responsible for defining and executing Certus' Australian business plan and helping Certus  become a business solutions provider based on IBM technology.

According to a statement, at present Certus is working to become the leading IBM solution provider and systems aggregator in Australasia, with a focus on management reporting, big data, mobility and compliance solutions.

Southey has a background in professional services strategy and consulting on major transformations and will help drive this change.

“Mark has gained extensive expertise in creating, leading and developing many organisations, driving operational efficiencies across a range of industries,” says Brian Allen, Certus CEO.

“His extensive management consultancy background and, in particular his experience with major transformations are the key reasons we appointed him to run our Australian business. I welcome him to the team,” he says.

During his career, Southey has held a number of executive level roles in the technology and management consultancy fields at the Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific and global levels.

He has held partner, senior VP and CEO roles with companies such as Deloitte, IBM, Oracle and Capgemini and has experience helping C-level executives define and deliver their business strategies, according to Certus.

Certus says it has seen large scale on-premise software licencing deals diminish, and in order to deliver solutions customers want it must transform itself.

Currently, Certus has a Premier Partnership with IBM and says this ensures its customers' solutions are developed on secure, scalable, enterprise-ready IBM software.

Using an application framework significantly accelerates time to market, ensuring implementation in weeks rather than months or years, Certus says.

“I am thrilled to be at the helm of Certus' Australian operation and am looking forward to being a key part of the transformation of the company to a business solutions provider.

“We are embracing a more educated business world by providing our customers the solutions they need,” says Southey.