Fiona Balfour
{{Short description|Australian business executive}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Fiona Balfour
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100|AM}}
| image =
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| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1958|8|14}}
| birth_place = Melbourne, Australia
| death_date =
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| nationality = Australian
| alma_mater = Monash University,
University of New South Wales,
RMIT University
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| occupation =
| years_active =
| known_for = Chief Information Officer at Telstra
| awards = Pearcey Award
| notable_works =
}}
Fiona Elizabeth Balfour {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}} (born 14 August 1958){{cite book |title=Who's Who in Australia |date=2023 |publisher=ConnectWeb |url=https://connectweb.com.au/pages/whos-who-in-australia.aspx}} is an Australian business executive in the field of information technology. She has been named Chief Information Officer of the Year in Australia four times: 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006.{{Cite news|url=https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/our-people/fiona-balfour|title=Fiona Balfour|work=UNSW Business School|access-date=2018-07-07|language=en|archive-date=7 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707172316/https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/our-people/fiona-balfour|url-status=dead}} In 2006 she was awarded the Pearcey Award for distinguished lifetime achievement and contribution to the development and growth of Australian IT professions, research and industry.{{Cite web|url=https://pearcey.org.au/2006-pearcey-medal/|title=2006 Pearcey Medal » Pearcey|website=pearcey.org.au|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-07|archive-date=4 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304053932/https://pearcey.org.au/2006-pearcey-medal/|url-status=dead}} In 2017 she was appointed to the board of the Western Sydney Airport Corporation by Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher.{{Cite web|url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2021/07/05/minister-picked-friend-abc-board/|title=On his selection: minister ignored two prominent women for ABC board spots, picking female mate instead|website=Crikey|date=5 July 2021 |language=en|access-date=2021-07-05}} In May 2021 she was appointed to the board of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation by communications minister Paul Fletcher[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-17/new-abc-board-members-appointed-by-federal-government/100144002 Former News Corp chief, Channel 7 executive among new ABC board members] ABC News, 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021. against the recommendations of an independent panel.
Life
Balfour was born in Melbourne, Australia, and completed a bachelor of arts degree in English and history at Monash University in 1979.{{Cite web|url=https://www.monash.edu/alumni/monash-life/steel-yourself-for-more-disruption|title=Steel yourself for more disruption|website=Monash University|language=en|access-date=2018-07-07}} She initially worked in the public sector, in the Victorian State Public Service followed by the Commonwealth Government, in roles related to project management and project leadership. From 1985 to 1991 she worked in management consulting and continued her studies with a Graduate Diploma in Information Management from the University of New South Wales and an MBA from RMIT University.{{Cite web|url=https://cew.org.au/members/fiona-balfour/|title=Fiona Balfour {{!}} Chief Executive Women|website=cew.org.au|language=en-AU|access-date=2018-07-07}}
In 1992, Balfour joined Qantas and held a variety of positions before being appointed Chief Information Officer and a member of the Qantas Executive Committee in 2001. In 2003, her roles was expanded to include IT, procurement, property, financial services, and human resources services.
In 2006, she was appointed Chief Information Officer at Telstra, a position she held for ten months.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cio.com/article/2374672/fiona-balfour-leaves-telstra.html|title=Fiona Balfour Leaves Telstra|last=Levinson|first=Meridith|work=CIO|access-date=2018-07-07|language=en}} Balfour went on to hold a number of non-executive director positions and to teach at the University of New South Wales Business School. Balfour joined ABC board in 2021.{{Cite web|date=2021-05-16|title=Former News Corp executive joins ABC board|url=https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/former-news-corp-executive-joins-abc-board-20210516-p57se0|access-date=2021-07-14|website=Australian Financial Review|language=en}}
Balfour was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2023 King's Birthday Honours for "significant service to corporate governance, and to the aviation sector".{{cite web |title=King’s Birthday 2023 Honours - the full list |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/king-s-birthday-2023-honours-the-full-list-20230609-p5dffh.html |website=Sydney Morning Herald |publisher=Nine Entertainment Co |access-date=11 June 2023 |date=11 June 2023}}
References
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Category:Australian women business executives
Category:Australian business executives
Category:Monash University alumni
Category:University of New South Wales alumni
Category:Academic staff of the University of New South Wales
Category:RMIT University alumni
Category:Businesspeople from Melbourne
Category:20th-century Australian women
Category:21st-century Australian businesswomen