After nearly 12 years leading the Australian-headquartered venue technology firm Priava, James Pegum will be transitioning to take the role of Chairman of the Board and leading the search to find a new CEO to drive the next phase of the company’s growth.
“I’m enormously proud of the work the Priava team has done in building a great product which is loved by venues and backed by market-leading customer service,” says Pegum. “I’m not going anywhere. I love this company and I’m looking forward to contributing from my new role”.
Started in 1996 as Parrimark Technology under the leadership of Michael Scroop, Priava’s first product was Functions Perfect, a solution that was built specifically for venues. The innovative Events Perfect followed a few years later.
“I started out at Parrimark Technology just before the GFC hit,” says Pegum. “It was a time of enormous change because Cloud technology was in its infancy and the economic landscape was shifting rapidly. We knew that cloud software would go on to replace on-premise solutions but we had absolutely no experience in-house to tackle this generational shift in the sale and delivery of software”
Priava was born in 2011 when the core product and brand were brought together in preparation for the launch of Priava Cloud in 2013. “Prior to the launch event in Walsh Bay, Sydney experienced the biggest storm it has seen for years. It was a transport nightmare, but we scrambled to get buses on a loop to get everyone there and, in the end, it was a great celebration heralding the start of a new era of venue management software with Priava’s world-first cloud solution” says Pegum pointing down to the Rocks on Sydney Harbour.
Asked to reflect on his major achievements in his time as CEO, Pegum said “there are too many to mention but certainly transitioning to the cloud was probably the hardest – both technically and commercially. I’m also proud that we’ve opened new offices to bring the best of Priava to new customers right across the world. What trumps it all is the engagement of our team and the response of our customers to the work they have done”.
So what is next for Priava? “I’ve never been more excited about the future of the company,” says Pegum. “We have a great team, a wonderful product, thousands of happy users around the world and an experienced Board to steer the next phase of growth. I’m looking forward to introducing our new CEO when we have found the right leader for the next decade, but until then it’s business as usual for Priava and all our customers”.
The role of Priava Chief Executive is being advertised on Seek and Linkedin.
