Job Title : Global IT director

Organization : buyingTeam

Katherine Coombs appears on the CIO50 list for the second year running, but for her role in a different company. Coombs recently moved to outsourcing and procurement service provider buyingTeam from Morrison Facilities Services where she was CIO.

buyingTeam is a rapidly growing company for which Coombs has responsibility for client-facing technology and internal IT across growing European and US operations.

Coombs has worked in IT for more than 10 years, including stints in finance, government, services and retail. She started work in her native Australia including a time at Schlumberger and Jacobs Engineering.

She then worked as an IT consultant for Avanade with clients including Barclays, HMRC and Virgin Atlantic.

In 2007, Coombs joined Lloyds TSB’s IT innovation and research team where she oversaw a £50m IT-led innovation programme to take advantage of new income streams and reduce costs. She then became CIO of the savings division when the company acquired HBOS.

After her time at what became Lloyds Banking Group, Coombs was CIO at social housing maintenance business Morrison Facilities Services.

Coombs has a degree in computer science and is currently studying for an MBA. When not at work, Coombs is a keen traveller and is also learning to speak Spanish.