Transfield appoints new CFO to help oversee ERP system upgrade

Transfield Services has appointed Vince Nicoletti as its new CFO to help oversee a major upgrade of its SAP enterprise resource planning system.

Nicoletti has successfully implemented and leveraged enterprise resource planning systems at BHP Billiton where he is currently vice president of strategy and business development. He has held CFO positions at the resources company from 2004 to 2011.

A Transfield spokesperson said Nicoletti will work closely with the head of IT on the implementation of the ERP project in ensuring the business benefits are delivered.

“We are in the midst of a major upgrade that is known as Project Quantum and it will bring our SAP system up to the latest release of SAP. The project is probably about two-thirds of the way through in implementation,” the spokesperson said.

“There are huge benefits for us: The ability to receive and send data from tablets or smartphones or other mobile devices, the ability to enter data from out in the field direct into the SAP system, the ability to map assets using a geographical information system that records the physical asset on a contract, etc. There will be near real-time connection of ledgers across different regions and in parts of the world where the business runs.”

The spokesperson would not disclose how much the project has cost the company to date but said that “it’s one of the largest capital expenditure items the company has ever undertaken”, and is expected to be completed in April 2014.

Nicoletti will replace Tiernan O'Rourke, who has taken up the role of chief executive of Transfield’s Middle East and Asia business, and will commence his role during the first quarter of FY 2014.

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