Hitachi Vantara names Dave Wardrop CTO for Australia & New Zealand
Hitachi Vantara has appointed Dave Wardrop as Chief Technology Officer and Director of Solution Consulting for Australia and New Zealand.
Wardrop, who will be based in Canberra, will assume responsibility for directing Hitachi Vantara's technical sales strategy across the Australia and New Zealand region. His appointment comes as the company looks to expand its presence in the growing data storage, infrastructure systems, and cloud management markets. He will report to Matthew Hardman, Chief Technology Officer for APAC at Hitachi Vantara.
Wardrop brings more than 25 years of experience in IT consulting, network engineering, infrastructure management, project management, and professional services. He joined Hitachi Vantara three years ago and has since led the company's technical initiatives across several key Federal Government agencies in Australia, including work in advanced defence solutions.
Prior to his current role at Hitachi Vantara, Wardrop served as Federal Systems Engineering Manager at Nutanix, where he was responsible for supporting government clients with hybrid cloud deployments over a period of five years. Earlier in his career, he held technology consulting and professional services leadership roles at EMC in both Australia and the United Kingdom.
Leadership comments
"Dave demonstrates high empathy for people, strategic direction, and a deep understanding of the functionality of our technology including its application in complex customer environments," said Hardman. "He embodies the Hitachi Vantara spirit of not only doing the right thing for the customer, but also has a strong connection for doing what's right for his team and those around him. We are delighted to have him join the team and contribute to delivering meaningful outcomes for customers as they seek to manage data across mission-critical environments and the explosive growth of processing required for generative and agentic AI."
Wardrop also commented on his new role and the company's position in the market.
"Hitachi Vantara has consistently set the benchmark for delivering solutions that solve complex IT challenges, fundamentally transform processes and unlock efficiencies through hybrid cloud, automation and data intelligence. My new role as CTO and Director of Solution Consulting for Australia and New Zealand gives me an incredible opportunity to build on that foundation. I look forward to supporting the deployment of Hitachi Vantara's solutions among enterprises and public sector agencies, and in turn accelerating their ability to scale, fast-track AI innovation, harvest real-time insights, reduce complexity, and continuously deliver customer value."
Background and responsibilities
As CTO and Director of Solution Consulting, Wardrop will play a significant part in shaping Hitachi Vantara's technological approach in the Australia and New Zealand market. The company has stated that technical sales strategy and customer support regarding infrastructure and hybrid cloud management are high priorities for his role.
Hitachi Vantara is a subsidiary of Hitachi, focusing on data storage, infrastructure, and hybrid cloud management. The business aims to help corporate and government clients implement systems for sustainable business growth and to adapt to the demands associated with increasing amounts of data and applications involving artificial intelligence.
With the growing demand for secure and efficient data management within both enterprise and public sector organisations, the appointment of Wardrop is intended to further the company's efforts to meet the evolving needs of its customer base in the region.
Hitachi, the parent company, reported revenues for its most recent fiscal year (ending March 2025) of JPY ¥9,783.3 billion. The group operates in multiple sectors globally, including digital systems, energy, mobility, and connective industries, with a total workforce of approximately 280,000 employees.
