Carol Brown named new Country Manager for Databricks New Zealand

Carol Brown has been appointed as the new Country Manager for Databricks in New Zealand, the company announced today. Databricks, known for its work in data and artificial intelligence, has made this strategic move to underscore its commitment to growth and expansion in the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) region.

Brown steps into her role carrying over 15 years of experience in sales, marketing, and leadership. Her responsibility will be to lead the New Zealand business and promote the adoption of the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform across various industries. This appointment is timely, coming on the back of a substantial 70% year-on-year growth that Databricks has experienced across the ANZ region during the past fiscal year.

Before joining Databricks, Brown dedicated 11 years to Microsoft, where she held multiple positions, including that of Sales Director for Microsoft’s Enterprise business in ANZ. In this capacity, she oversaw commercial outcomes and supported diversity and inclusion programs. Beyond her professional roles, she also represents New Zealand on the Forbes Coaches Council.

Adam Beavis, the Vice President of ANZ at Databricks, expressed his enthusiasm about Brown’s appointment. "The ANZ region is witnessing incredible growth, with our team collaborating with clients such as ASB Bank, Contact Energy, Kotahi Logistics, and LawVu in New Zealand alone. Carol brings with her a robust experience in building growth and revenue within a business. Coupled with her passion for exploring the impact of technology on people, I'm confident she's the right fit to lead the New Zealand business," Beavis said. He eyes collaboration with Brown as a stepping stone to broaden Databricks' impact in New Zealand by helping more enterprises leverage the full potential of the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform.

Brown herself spoke with optimism about her new role at Databricks. "Data and AI are the building blocks for businesses in today's landscape, and I've been admiring what Databricks has been achieving in the space for some time now. The company has gone from strength to strength, building a strong ecosystem of customers and partners in ANZ. I'm excited to jump in headfirst to work alongside Adam and the rest of the team, to continue growing the presence of Databricks in New Zealand, and to help Kiwi businesses seize emerging opportunities in the data and AI space," she commented.

Jason Wright, Principal Data & AI Engineer at LawVu, shared insights into how Databricks has empowered their operations. "Using the power of Databricks, LawVu is enabling in-house legal teams to make data-driven decisions, achieve faster workflows, and derive better legal insights for their businesses. The Databricks Data Intelligence Platform has provided us with a single source of truth and has facilitated security and governance at scale through features like Unity Catalog. Moving to Databricks from our legacy data architecture has significantly reduced costs and boosted the value we deliver to our customers through in-app reporting and secure data-sharing via Delta Sharing," Wright elaborated.

From another partnership perspective, Nick Walton, Country Managing Director at Slalom, expressed eagerness about Databricks’ ongoing focus and investment in New Zealand. "We're excited to see Databricks continue to expand their focus and investment in New Zealand, assisting customers to quickly and easily realise value from their data assets and accelerate their adoption of generative AI. We look forward to continuing to assist New Zealand's leading organisations by combining Slalom's global experience and local capability with Databricks' innovative technologies and tools," Walton said.

Databricks continues to solidify its presence globally, with more than 10,000 organisations, including prominent businesses such as Comcast, Condé Nast, and Grammarly, relying on its Data Intelligence Platform to unify and democratise data, analytics, and AI.