BAI names Dr Angela Coble as Chief Transformation Officer

BAI Communications has appointed Dr Angela Coble OAM as Chief Information & Transformation Officer. She will join the executive leadership team and report to Chief Executive Officer Peter Lambourne.

The newly created role comes as BAI expands its work across broadcast infrastructure, government partnerships, public safety, transport, and private 5G networks.

Dr Coble joins BAI from the Australian Energy Market Operator, where she held a senior technology leadership role. Earlier in her career, she worked at Accenture, including as Managing Director, Strategy & Consulting, and Chief Technology Officer.

Her appointment adds a senior technology executive with experience across government, not-for-profit, and corporate organisations. BAI says she has more than two decades of senior leadership experience and has led distributed teams of more than 350 people while overseeing technology budgets of more than AUD $700 million.

Leadership remit

Dr Coble will lead technology strategy and transformation as part of BAI's next phase of development. The role signals a broader focus on digital systems, data, and infrastructure resilience across the group.

BAI operates a broadcast network that reaches 99% of Australia's population through managed television and radio services. It also works with broadcasters, governments, mobile network operators, transport operators, venues, and other organisations on communications infrastructure and connectivity projects.

Its recent acquisition of Titan ICT, rebranded as BAI Communications, expanded the company's presence in mining, resources, and energy. The deal also broadened its ICT services across the asset lifecycle, from advisory and assessment to engineering design, systems integration, and managed support.

Lambourne said the appointment reflected the type of executive leadership BAI wants as it continues to develop.

"Angela's appointment reflects the calibre of leadership we want driving BAI into its next phase. She has spent her career building trust across governments, regulators, and boards while delivering large-scale technology change, and that combination of judgement and delivery capability is exactly what this role demands. Digital capability, data, and critical infrastructure resilience are only becoming more central to what we do, and Angela's background positions her to lead on all three. Beyond the technology remit, she brings a genuine commitment to developing talent and leadership within organisations, values that align closely with how we want BAI to grow," said Peter Lambourne, Chief Executive Officer, BAI Communications.

Career record

Dr Coble has been recognised in the Australian technology sector for both executive leadership and advocacy. She was inducted into the CIO Hall of Fame in 2023 and was named among the AFR's Top 5 Women in Leadership (Technology).

She also received the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to technology and gender equity. Her doctoral research examined success in technology leadership and ways to increase the participation of women in senior leadership roles.

That background gives BAI an executive with experience across regulated industries and public sector systems as the company deepens its role in critical communications infrastructure. The group is part of a wider network alongside sister organisation Boldyn Networks, which operates across the Northern Hemisphere.

BAI's shareholders include CPP Investments as majority shareholder and AIMCo as minority shareholder. BAI says this structure gives it access to international expertise while remaining focused on the Australian market.

For BAI, the appointment comes as communications infrastructure operators take on a broader mix of broadcast, wireless, and ICT responsibilities. That combination is becoming more important in sectors such as transport, emergency services, resources, and energy, where networks are expected to remain operational in demanding environments.

Dr Coble said the breadth of the company's operations was a key reason for taking the role.

"I'm thrilled to be joining BAI at this exciting moment in its growth. Few organisations sit across broadcast infrastructure, government partnerships, public safety, transport, and the rollout of private 5G networks in the way this organisation does. This scope of responsibility, along with its community-driven purpose and values, was a big part of what attracted me. I'm looking forward to getting to know the team, understanding where the technology and transformation opportunities lie, and working with Peter and the leadership group as BAI continues to expand its private wireless and next-generation connectivity capability," said Dr Angela Coble.