RUSH announces Pavan Vyas will transition from CEO to Board
After five years as CEO, Pavan Vyas will be assuming a new role within RUSH as non-Executive Director.
Under his leadership, Pavan - or Pav as he’s known around the office - has steered RUSH through five years of growth and evolution, taking us from a software services provider to the company that it is today; a global partner in business transformation with a unique blend exceptional engineering, design, product and operations that allow for the creation of world class digital products and experiences for customers.
Shortly after Pav joined RUSH, he initiated a staff-led process to chisel out our “why” and this purpose statement rose to the top; We design technology to better serve humankind. It grounds us as we come into the office and it guides us to make very clear decisions about what we will and won’t do.
From the outset, Pav wanted to bring significant, meaningful products to market and right now in history we have seen how technology can impact an entire population. RUSH has worked on COVID tracing technology in three countries - New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the Cook Islands - and the success of these defining projects is a testament to the vision and clarity of Pav who navigated these problem spaces with the team.
The innovative and customer-first partnerships that Pav has led can’t be embodied any better than our work with Z Energy over the last five years. It brought in the Best CX Partner Award in 2018 (among a few others) which recognised the hard work and relentless effort that both teams put in to deliver world-first customer experiences.
Pav’s more recent focus on diversification of our IP and capabilities over the last two years has made room for building a new business within RUSH called R/VISION. Deep research and immersion in this area foresaw that with digitally connected cameras, video and imagery is an organisation’s most valuable untapped resource. What R/VISION can deliver is a centralised A.I. & camera workflow platform for customers to drive CX, health and safety as well as security use cases.
RUSH Founder and CTO, Danushka Abeysuriya says: “Pav joining the company when he did allowed RUSH to develop into a larger, more mature organisation without compromising our ability to be forerunners in digital product innovation with a reputation for exceptional delivery.”
“Without Pav’s guidance and experience, the many complexities of growing a company and wrangling technology would have limited our trajectory. Personally he has been a friend and colleague of the best kind, and I have learned so much from working together on some tough challenges and great outcomes. Pav and I are both excited to see what RUSH will do next.”
As a member of the Board of Directors, Pav’s focus will turn towards governance and strategic oversight as the company continues to progress its growth strategy.
“RUSH has never been in a stronger position than it is today, and since its inception, has grown from strength-to-strength. When I walked in through the door at RUSH on my first day at the company I knew we had the potential. Today we’ve built a special, purpose-driven organisation that is solving some really tough problems. I look forward to seeing where the company goes and to continue to play a governance and strategic role in the company” Pav says.
“The company has exciting options in the future. I am particularly looking forward to helping find the pathways to accelerate our growth.”
Speaking of Pav’s transition, Chair of the Board, Bruce Cotterill, adds: “Pavan has overseen RUSH during a period of massive growth where the Company has developed into a stable and highly successful technology company. I believe these businesses are measured by their work, and RUSH has evolved into a leading design and technology studio that does great work for clients and projects that we believe in."
"In his own quiet and focussed way, Pavan has led the relationships with many of our key clients and leaves his full time role with the business in a very strong position. We are excited that Pavan will continue to work with RUSH in a different role, and equally we are looking forward to the new ideas and energy a new member of the team will bring.”
Outside of RUSH, Pav will take a well earned break, before continuing to march forward on his personal mission of helping to transition Aotearoa New Zealand into a knowledge economy. His intention is to work on projects to unearth new, impactful business opportunities.
He will maintain a continued focus on working with, investing in and advising New Zealand’s early-stage technology startups as investor and adviser on their growth journey to test, build and scale new technologies that benefit humankind, as well as continuing his Board roles at Take2 and Frankie where he is a Founding Director.
“I’m driven by the desire to ensure our economy is fuelled by knowledge and technology, and am looking forward to working with early-stage startups that create opportunities for technology to make the world a better place. I firmly believe that, globally, we will be able to solve a lot of our existing problems with technology.”
Pav will transition away from Chief Executive Officer over the coming months, and is working closely with the Board and senior leadership team to find a suitable successor.
The incoming CEO stands to inherit a role which has been primed for impact; as Pav has laid down the foundation for a focus on scaling to even better serve humankind with the tech we design and build.
They’ll also be steering a passionate team, who have really felt the personal and professional support offered by Pav during his tenure - the scores of comments on this LinkedIn post add to the story of a leader who embodies the RUSH value ‘Put People First.’
Our purpose, our values, our clients and our people will continue to benefit from the strategic and innovative approach Pavan brings, as well as the new skillset and energy of his successor.
“‘We design technology to better serve humankind’ is a statement I will always stand behind, along with the dedicated, driven and skilled people who make RUSH the company that it is.”