INTRODUCING Clicks 2022 Contractor of the year, Ian Edmondstone.
Ian was presented with his prize – a Samsung Portable Projector and Sennheiser Over-Ear Wireless Headphones – by our QLD Business Manager, Craig Favilla.
Clicks contractors provide immense value to IT teams and projects across Australia. We are delighted to celebrate the excellent services they provide with our annual Contractor of the Year award. It was fantastic to see so many outstanding nominations this year. It reflects our IT contractors’ dedication and the quality outcomes they deliver.
The winning entry highlighted the individual’s immediate impact; their ability to understand both business and technical challenges; and the positive, inclusive, pragmatic approach.
Pictured above: Clicks’ 2022 Contractor of the Year, Ian Edmondstone, with Clicks’ QLD Business Manager, Craig Favilla.
The winning nomination
Ian joined my team in late September 2022 after five rounds of OIR (Office of Industrial Relations) recruitment to find the right person to lead our transformation program’s solution architecture.
Ian immediately understood our business needs, constraints, and challenges. He stepped into the technical issues we have faced with pragmatism, options, and solutions. He also commenced architecture documents, bringing his own IP to the table, strengthening our architecture capability.
His style and approach is engaging and positive, respectful of all contributions. I know it’s early days in his time with us, but we are SO pleased we finally found him through Clicks!
We had the chance to catch up with Ian and tell him the good news
Congratulations Ian, what excites you the most about your Samsung Portable Projector and Sennheiser Over-Ear Wireless Headphones?
It’s some cool tech. My son is into gaming and his headphones have seen better days, all that sweat over the years takes its toll, so the headphones will be going there. All projectors I have used in the past are pretty much old tech and most presentations are over teams now a days. It has some cool function and I am thinking it may end up in gaming.
What made you decide to become an IT contractor?
I have been really fortunate in my career to have worked on some awesome projects around the world and have met some great people. I have worked across a number of industries, both government and private, and I really enjoy project space. I started contracting over 25 years ago, though I have taken a couple of permanent jobs during that time; one of those was actually through Clicks as Architecture Manager for Optum, a large US health company, in Melbourne. I took a contract in the UK for a couple of years back in the late 90s when the Y2K fear was at its peak, and on my return to Australia stayed contracting in the project space. Contracting provides me security, though some people don’t think that I have rarely been out of work over the last 25 years; it provides me reward and the ability to work on some really interesting projects with some very talented people, providing me an opportunity to learn and grow.
What do you think it takes to be a standout IT contractor?
There are a few ways to stand out in IT regardless of being a contractor or permanent. You can be an industry, domain or an application expert, however you need to combine that with a number of personal skills to succeed. Some skills which have served me over the years, is the ability to listen; to actively engage with stakeholders; to be personable and approachable; to be trustworthy, open and a source for knowledge. The ability to step outside your comfort zone and not be tied to a role definition; to be willing to lean in when and where its’ needed, and to have a sense of humour. As a lot of contractors bring experience and knowledge, I also think it is important to share that, to take the opportunity to educate and lift others where possible, so they can take up the baton.
And lastly, tell us what you enjoy most about your current engagement at the Office of Industrial Relations?
Office of Industrial Relations is a fantastic place to work. I am leading the architecture for an exciting service delivery transformational program. We are moving a large number of bespoke Java/Oracle legacy systems into a single Appian platform; amalgamating data, extending application functions to better align with the business, automating workflows, and improving data quality and reporting. This work will deliver significant value to the majority of the OIR business, our partnering government agencies and perhaps most important, to the Queensland community.
Everyone I have been fortunate enough to work with at OIR is knowledgeable, dedicated and passionate. We have access to the latest toolsets and technologies and a great office space. OIR has a flexible work from home policy, which promotes productivity, avoids wasting time in travel, and gives me flexibility around family; it is really appreciated.
However the best thing about working at OIR is the culture. The ICT leaders have a clear vision and work actively to enact that; they are engaging, supportive, empathic and open. It is one of the few places I have worked in my career that the organisation leaders actively engage and push culture. It is a great place to work and I am really enjoying my engagement.
Well done, Ian! You are an asset to your team and organisation. Your expertise and professionalism makes you truly deserving of the title Contractor of the Year!
Thanks to everybody who took the time to submit a nomination for this year’s award. We received some incredible praise for our dedicated #Clicksters around the country. Reading these submissions brought us great joy–and the contracting staff will greatly appreciate it. We’ll be in touch with all nominees to share details of your nominations and a small gift.
As is the nature of contracting, we constantly have contractors finishing up assignments and looking for their next gig. So, if you need a great contractor for your team, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your Clicks Account Manager, or contact us on 1300 CLICKS.
