Australia
Head of IT

Michael Viney

As Head of IT, Michael is responsible for Square Peg’s technology and future state. With experience at SafetyCulture, BCG Digital Ventures and PwC, Michael has supported businesses as they grow, built high performing IT functions and scaled them to support rapid growth.

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Get to know

Michael Viney

We're one global team but we've got our own stories. Here's what makes us tick.

What in your childhood made your career trajectory probable?

"My first job was working with the electrician in my high school, building our first computer lab. I was exposed to everything from terminating patch leads, racking infrastructure and configuring a network from scratch. Over the years, I continued this work and helped a sister high school in Papua New Guinea build computer labs and libraries with donated equipment we collected in Sydney. I trained teachers who had never used computers how to use software like Excel, Word and PowerPoint. I never thought I would find myself pursuing a technology career, it was always a side gig. I spent a year and half completing a law degree and working in IT part time for PriceWaterhouseCoopers. I realised I was more excited going to work than I was in my contracts lectures and the rest is history."

What’s your passion outside of work?

"I am addicted to (and frustrated by) the game of golf. Arnold Palmer said it better than I ever could, “Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.”"

What is the trick to being excellent at your role?

"Rapid context switching. Working in IT means you are working across different tasks, projects, stakeholders and disciplines. You’re responsible for the engine that enables the business to move fast and deliver quality. There’s lots to juggle to make that happen!"

Who has impressed you most with what they’ve accomplished?

"My Nonno (Italian for grandfather) Leo Vicario. He grew up in a small rural village in the middle of Sicily and had the equivalent of a year 3 education. At 20 he left his family in Sicily and moved to far north Queensland to cut sugar cane. He spent a decade doing this and eventually saved enough to move his family to Sydney. He worked several jobs at a time; working in factories and moonlighting as a gardener. I realised just how much he accomplished when I went to Sicily for the first time and saw the house he grew up in. His accomplishments created the opportunities I enjoy as well as taught me what you can achieve with dedication and hard work."

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