WHO WE ARE
Canary Board
Steve Parsonage is Executive Director & Co Founder at Canary.
Steve is a seasoned entrepreneur across the Technology and Retail sectors, and spent 24 years as CEO of ITConsult, one of the businesses that merged to form Canary in May 2022.
Steve brings a unique blend of technical acumen and industry insight. His passion lies in identifying best-of-breed technologies and growing highly capable teams to unlock value for our clients.
Steve currently acts as Executive Director with a keen focus on Mergers & Acquisition.
Bill Henderson is the Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder at Canary.
Passionate about harnessing technology to solve real-world business challenges, he has led the design and implementation of cutting-edge solutions that not only streamline operations but also empower teams to perform at their best. Known for a forward-thinking approach, he is committed to fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
A strong believer that technology should enable people - not replace them - Bill champions solutions that prioritise user experience, employee productivity, and long-term client success. Under his leadership, Canary has grown into a trusted partner for organisations seeking a balance of technical excellence and human-centric service.
Stephe is Chair of the Canary Board, guiding the team toward high performance while upholding strong governance and strategic oversight.
A lawyer, technologist, and seasoned company director, Stephe has an extensive record leading global technology businesses in high-growth and disruptive sectors. His career includes senior roles such as Regional Director (Asia and Japan) Regulatory Affairs for BT Asia Pacific, Managing Director of XYZed Pty Ltd (an Optus company where he developed Australia’s first competitive broadband wholesaler), Chief Operating Officer at Nextgen Networks and Personal Broadband Australia, and Consulting Director with NM Rothschild & Sons.
He has also served as a Non-Executive Director and Chair across multiple ASX-listed and private companies. Stephe currently acts as Non-Executive Chair of Vonex Limited (ASX: VN8) and Non-Executive Director of BluGlass Limited (ASX: BLG). With deep expertise in finance, strategy, M&A, and public affairs, Stephe brings invaluable insight and leadership to the Canary Board.
Stephe Wilks
Chair
James Ormesher is CEO of Canary, leading the company’s strategic growth, customer success, and market expansion.
A recognised leader in Australia’s IT services landscape, James was a founding member of VMtech in 2010 and helped scale it into one of the country’s fastest-growing technology companies. Following VMtech’s acquisition by Telstra, he continued to drive growth within Telstra’s services division before taking on a national leadership role at Tesserent as Chief Growth Officer.
Respected for his entrepreneurial mindset, industry insight, and ability to turn vision into execution, James is a trusted partner for customers and a driving force behind Canary’s future. He is passionate about steering the business toward long-term success through innovation, operational excellence, and a relentless focus on client outcomes.
James sees Canary as a bold, customer-first organisation built on agility, innovation, and deep technical expertise - where great people and great service create exceptional results and lasting impact.
Our Leadership Team
David Thomas is the Senior Director, Customer Success at Canary. David brings 25+ years experience, excellence, and leadership in all aspects of service delivery ranging from consultancy, program and project management delivering enterprise scale projects, service desk management, sales, account management, and customer success, all across a broad range of client industry verticals.
David joined Canary in 2021 after previously managing a consultancy delivery team of 20+ across APAC for a SaaS provider. After many years working with Software and SaaS applications, David has now found his sweet spot at Canary bringing together his love of technology, client engagement, and people to drive exceptional client experience across all of Canary’s pillars, and enjoys nothing more than seeing customer growth achieved through a supporting technology strategy and the trusted services we provide to our clients.
Chris ‘Cyril’ Starsmeare is General Manager, Cloud at Canary.
He was previously CEO of Diversus Group for almost 16 years, up until its acquisition by Canary in May 2022.
Under his direction and leadership, Diversus Group grew from a services business focused on NetApp technology to a hybrid cloud and cybersecurity specialist.
His experience also includes time at NetApp, KPMG Consulting and AON.
Darren Jerrett is the General Manager of the ERP Solutions team at Canary technology and is a seasoned retail technology specialist with over 28 years of experience across the Australian, New Zealand, and Pacific Regions retail sectors. He brings extensive hands-on expertise in grocery, liquor, hospitality, specialty retail and forecourt / convenience operations, combining deep technical knowledge with a practical understanding of retail business needs.
Before joining Canary, Darren served as a consulting Manager with LS Retail, where he managed the ANZ consulting team that has since transitioned to form Canary’s Retail pillar. His career also includes 17 years with Metcash Wholesale in a variety of retail technology management roles, delivering innovative solutions and driving operational efficiency for retailers of all sizes.
Darren’s passion lies in bridging the gap between technology and retail operations, helping businesses adapt, innovate, and thrive in an evolving marketplace.
General Manager, ERP Solutions