Email: peter at petermac dot com
Career Summary
I’m a solution architect with 30 years in IT, working across a wide range of industries — banking, insurance, retail, media, education, government, utilities, telco, manufacturing, and more. Most of that has been as a contractor, brought in to help organisations make sensible technology decisions and see them through to delivery.
I enjoy the architect’s role because it sits where business intent meets technical reality. The interesting work is in the trade-offs — balancing cost, risk, and timeline against what the technology can actually do. I keep an eye on emerging tech because it sometimes changes those trade-offs, not because newer is automatically better.
Key Skills and Competencies
Architecture and solution design. End-to-end design across a wide spectrum of industries and technology stacks. Comfortable with the full scope — picking the right components and vendors, integration design, and guiding the delivery teams that build it.
Cross-industry experience. Having worked across many sectors, I recognise the problem patterns that repeat — and, more importantly, the small differences that make a pattern from one industry a poor fit for another.
Consulting and advisory. Long track record of building trust with senior technical and business stakeholders. Comfortable translating between the two, and comfortable saying plainly when a proposed approach won’t work.
Always learning. The technology landscape moves fast. I spend real time keeping up — reading, experimenting, and separating genuine shifts from hype — so the guidance I offer reflects where things actually are, not where they were three years ago.
Selected Achievements
2003 – Design and architecture of an online enterprise order shipment system for Fosters Brewing Group.
2007 – Complete data aggregation and reporting system for Department of Human Services housing division.
2010 – Advised on introduction of Salesforce into AXA to help enhance agent engagement and streamline contact touch-points.
2020 – AWS Architecture certification.
2024 – Implemented Generative AI chat/voice bot solutions for Australia Post.
Employment History
Davidson RC Technology – Solution Architect (Contract) – November 2025 – Present
Working in a fixed engagement capacity to deliver an assessment of Finance/HR/Service Management platforms to improve integrations for a complex construction client’s needs.
Dulux Group – Digital Architect – December 2024 – November 2025
Working with the digital and marketing platform teams on loyalty and broader digital initiatives for the Dulux Group. The work cuts across marketing, finance, loyalty and product, which makes the architectural choices more interesting — each area brings its own constraints.
Australia Post – Digital & Data Platforms Architect – June 2022 – November 2024
Returning to Australia Post, I led the architecture for the digital and data domain — a broad remit covering web, mobile, notifications, tracking, scanning, CRM, CMS, and customer help systems. The role involved steering multiple concurrent initiatives through a governance framework, while going hands-on with emerging technology — chat and voice-bot AI in particular. A regulated environment, so innovation had to sit comfortably alongside risk and compliance.
Coles – Corporate Systems Architect – April 2020 – June 2022
I joined Coles’ corporate systems team just as COVID hit, which shaped much of the first year — vaccination verification, office and supermarket attendance management, and head-office traffic control all became urgent pieces of work. Beyond the pandemic response, I worked on Time & Attendance upgrades, in-store loss prevention, and early exploration of trolley tracking technology.
Australia Post – Digital & Data Platforms Architect – February 2020 – March 2020
A short first stint — I’d just started supporting several agile delivery teams in the digital presence area when COVID triggered an organisational rethink and the IT area I’d joined was heavily de-scoped. I returned to Australia Post two years later in a broader role (see above).
AGL – Customer Markets Platforms Architect – October 2018 – February 2020
Lead architect for AGL’s customer communications platforms — component selection, system design, and assessment of new initiatives. Platform work spanned Adobe Campaign, Adobe Experience Manager (Cloud), Magento, Pega Decisioning integration, SAP CRM integration, mail-house consolidation, and mobile application enhancements.
Myer – Solution Architect – January 2017 – October 2018
Solution architect at Myer, reporting to the head of enterprise architecture on a broad slate of projects: marketing process automation, Data Management Platform introduction, Managed File Transfer sourcing, fulfilment platform selection and delivery, Identity Management assessment, external vendor integration, and customer data consolidation across CRM and online databases. Heavy vendor negotiation and juggling concurrent initiatives against a tough retail backdrop. Technologies: IBM WebSphere Commerce, Salesforce CRM, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Informatica IDQ, and a Windows 10 migration.
Fairfax Media – Customer Systems Enterprise Architect – December 2015 – January 2017
My role combined project and strategy work within the customer systems area. On the project side, I worked with architects across the organisation to support the subscriptions strategy. On the strategy side, I advised on product selection across Identity and Access Management, API Management, paywall systems, CRM and marketing automation — the toolkit Fairfax needed to hold its ground as print economics continued to shift. Technology components included Ruby on Rails custom platforms, Gigya Identity Management, Salesforce Marketing Cloud (consolidation of instances), legacy print/distribution platforms, and a Magento eCommerce system upgrade.
SPX Trader – Product Architect – June 2015 – November 2015
A personal commercial initiative — I built a web-based options trading platform for Australian investors, integrating real-time and market-close data. Went live August 2015; involved working closely with international options-trading SMEs to turn complex requirements into a subscriber-ready product.
RMIT University – Solution Architect – March 2013 – May 2015
Technical guidance and direction across multiple concurrent projects (~$15m combined budget) over two years, working primarily with the Information & Integration Management team. Projects included:
- Technical leadership for the Global Admissions project, from strategic design through to implementation.
- Uplift of timetabling capabilities and introduction of a new timetable creation system.
- Advised the University marketing team on technology adoption for long-term goals.
- Guided the web transformation project on CMS implementation.
- Identified and addressed vendor engagement requirements for cloud initiatives (AWS in particular).
- Contributed to Information / Data Management strategy and guidelines at senior stakeholder level.
- Promoted Master Data Management awareness within RMIT, with rationale and adoption options.
- Architect on a new Work Integrated Learning system, rolled out across domestic and international campuses.
PBT Group – Product Architect – Oct 2012 – Feb 2013
A short engagement creating a technology roadmap for PBT Group’s claims management product (used by Medibank Australia). Recommended a SOA implementation using Red Hat JBOSS, Fuse and related frameworks — covering strategic product direction, product blueprints and tool options, and implementation guidance to the technical teams.
AIA Australia – Solution Architect – Dec 2011 – Sept 2012
Solution architect reporting directly to the CIO, working across projects to bring cloud-based solutions to AIA. Work included customer single-view and adviser-hierarchy consolidation, vendor selection and technical evaluation of a new life policy administration system, and introducing the Salesforce cloud platform (with partner selection and usage guidelines).
AXA – Solution Architect – Nov 2010 – Dec 2011
Solution architect in AXA’s digital domain — advising on technology uplift across security, automated testing, and vendor product customisation, and on Salesforce adoption as the CRM platform. Worked closely with development teams on Adviser platform initiatives (Single/Federated Sign-on, external integration feeds, secure web mail), and played a broader role across integration projects where people management and technical issue resolution were key to getting teams over the line.
Peter Mac & Associates – IT Consulting – 2004 – 2010
Ran my own consultancy, acting as trusted adviser to CIOs and department heads across commercial and government organisations. Clients included the Department of Human Services, William Angliss TAFE, PMP Printing, Aperio Group, and Telstra/Avanade — work spanning strategy, integration advice, new-solution design, delivery, and ongoing support. Long client relationships came from focusing on quality results.
Projects included:
Department of Human Services – Mental Health Review Board
- Analysis of operational requirements and support with vendor selection process for new IT systems
Department of Human Services – Housing Division
- Redesign of housing records system with emphasis on integration with wider DHS systems.
Salesfest/Askmenow.net.au
- End-to-end design, build and support of SMS integrated website for the motor industry.
Aperio Group
- SQL Server Data warehouse implementation to support manufacturing organisation with 14 sites and 3 ERP systems.
Telstra/Avanade
- Work on the Telstra transformation project to design a call-centre solution integrating multiple desktop and terminal emulation systems.
PMP Printing Group
- Advise on integration of a new ERP system and existing accounts systems. Development of an SOA framework to enable the integration.
Oodles Car Hire Comparison Website
- Provide advice on establishing a local development team and appropriate controls for production deployment of an international car hire price comparison website.
Fosters Brewing Group – Architect – Dec 2003 – Nov 2004
Designed and built a high-volume web-based transport/shipment management application — the first serious .Net project at Fosters — integrating with order processing and a JD Edwards accounting module. Covered architecture, POC build, and design oversight through delivery.
McMillan Shakespeare – Developer – Feb – Nov 2003
Designed high-performance interfaces between McMillan Shakespeare’s homegrown web-based data processing system and their JD Edwards ERP. The salary-packaging business ran many millions of transactions per day, with tight requirements around pushing updates into the accounts system.
SMS/Method eBusiness – Lead Developer – May 2002 – Feb 2003
Method was Telstra’s primary Intranet system software supplier, built entirely in-house. I designed and built additional components to integrate with the Telstra environment, managing development, delivery, and implementation through to UAT sign-off.
Australia New Zealand Bank (ANZ) – Team Lead/Architect – May 1999 – Feb 2002
Team lead in the eCommerce division, streamlining online applications — work that grew into a broader project integrating legacy systems (credit checking, account opening, workflow). The role evolved into cross-divisional liaison, and an opportunity to present a unified systems approach to senior management.
Ireland
Before moving to Australia, I spent my early career in Dublin — starting at Fineos in release management and system administration (1996–1997), then development roles at Flextime (1997–1998) and AIG Ireland (1998–1999).
Education
2025 – Microsoft Azure Architect (AZ-305)
2025 – Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ-104)
2020 – AWS Architecture Certification (Associate Architect)
2011 – TOGAF 9 Certification
1996 – 1998 Dublin Institute of Technology British Computer Society Exams (Honours Degree Level)
1994 – 1996 Dublin Institute of Technology Certificate in Commercial Computer Programming
1993 – 1994 Senior College Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin
- Diploma in Data Processing and Information Systems
- Information Technology Instructor Certificate