Iress Appoints New CTO to Drive AI-led Modernisation

WHY THIS MATTERS

The appointment of Darryl Campbell-Blackwell as Group Chief Technology Officer (CTO) on May 14, 2026, marks a pivotal moment in the “Iress Transformation” program. By elevating the CTO role to the Global Leadership Team, CEO Andrew Russell is signaling that technology execution is no longer just a back-office function, but the primary driver of the company’s ASX: IRE market value. Iress is currently at a crossroads: it must transition its market-leading wealth platform, Xplan, from a legacy powerhouse into a modern, AI-native ecosystem.

Campbell-Blackwell’s 15-year tenure at Iress provides him with the “institutional memory” needed to dismantle technical debt without disrupting service for thousands of financial advisers. His UK base is also strategic, positioning him at the heart of Iress’s international operations while he oversees global engineering teams. With the recently announced

Iress (ASX: IRE) today announced the appointment of Darryl Campbell-Blackwell as Group Chief Technology Officer (CTO), a newly elevated role on the Global Leadership Team.

The appointment is a key step in Iress’ strategy to accelerate platform modernisation, embed AI across its product suite, and drive the next phase of growth in its market-leading wealth platform, Xplan.

Mr Campbell-Blackwell brings more than 25 years’ experience in software engineering and architecture, including over 15 years at Iress in senior technology leadership roles. He has played a central role in evolving the company’s core platforms and improving product delivery.

Iress’ Group CEO & Managing Director, Andrew Russell, said: “This appointment comes at a critical time for Iress.  We are focused on modernising our platforms, increasing product velocity and embedding AI in a practical, ROI-led way. Elevating the CTO role reflects the importance of technology execution in delivering this next phase.”

The appointment comes on the back of Iress’ recently announced partnership with Thoughtworks, which will augment and accelerate the company’s technology transformation.

Mr Russell added: “I’m confident we are well positioned to modernise at pace and deliver better outcomes for our clients. Our model is clear: strong internal leadership, supported by world-class external capability to accelerate targeted modernisation of core platforms, AI integration across client workflows and improved product delivery, speed and efficiency.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Campbell-Blackwell said: “Iress has strong and enviable technology foundations and a clear strategy. Our focus now is on execution, modernising the platform, simplifying our technology environment and delivering high-quality outcomes for our clients.”

Mr. Campbell-Blackwell will be based in the United Kingdom with engineering teams based in all regions in which Iress operates.

FF NEWS TAKE

Iress is making a classic “insider-led transformation” play. While many firms hire outside CTOs to “disrupt” the culture, Iress has chosen a veteran who knows exactly where the bodies are buried in the codebase. This is a pragmatic move; Campbell-Blackwell won’t spend his first six months learning the platform—he’ll spend them accelerating it. The “ROI-led AI” focus is particularly telling; in a 2026 market where “AI fatigue” is setting in, Iress is prioritizing practical efficiency gains over flashy, unproven features.

The integration with Thoughtworks is the “accelerant” in this equation. By combining Campbell-Blackwell’s deep internal knowledge with Thoughtworks’ expertise in platform engineering and modernization at scale, Iress is attempting to leapfrog its competitors in the wealth-tech space. If they can successfully simplify their technology environment while increasing “product velocity,” they will secure Xplan’s dominance for the next decade. The challenge will be maintaining this speed across disparate global regions while ensuring that the “modernization” actually translates into the higher margins and client satisfaction that Andrew Russell has promised shareholders.