Blog
Jul 02

Chief Technology Officer at NEXT BIOSCIENCES

Robert Boccia has been appointed as Chief Technology Officer of Next Biosciences.

He says a key attraction of the role at Next Biosciences was the opportunity to join a completely new industry.

“It’s been great to get to learn about this new industry and its exciting challenges. I’ve had a huge interest in since seeing American inventor and futurist Raymond Kurzweil speak on human life extension and biotech’s role in creating huge increases in the human quality and quantity of life.”

Commenting on Robert’s appointment, Kim Hulett, Founder & CEO at Next Biosciences says, “At Next Biosciences, we generally manage our own recruitment process when sourcing candidates because our industry is very niche. We decided to use Homecoming Revolution to assist us with the recruitment of a new CTO, after struggling to find the right candidate for one of the most essential roles in our organisation. When Kelsey and Faye from Homecoming met with myself, our Head of Human Resources and ex-CTO, they made a huge effort to understand our business and the nuances of our diverse requirements. This resulted in them searching far-and-wide and hand-selecting only the most appropriate candidates, whom they presented to us. They were all extraordinary, but Robert Boccia really stood out as exceptional. After our first interview, we knew he was the right person to lead our organisation in the role of CTO, and we actually couldn’t believe our luck in having found him.”

When asked about his experience working with Homecoming Revolution, Robert says, “It was a great experience working with Kelsey and Faye at Homecoming Revolution. They were great at keeping me informed throughout the process.”

Commenting on her experience working with Homecoming Revolution, Kim says, “ Homecoming Revolution are incredible in that they offer a highly personalised service and go beyond expectations in finding the perfect match both from a skills/experience perspective to the right culture fit. If you are looking for a high-level appointment and cannot afford a wrong hire, Homecoming Revolution is your perfect partner.”

Robert has over 20 years experience with his career spanning many industries. Prior to Next Biosciences, he worked as founder and Chief Executive Officer of Leapfrog Global and numerous start-ups. Originally from a finance background, Robert began his finance and tech career at Nampak, then spent 10 years at Microsoft as CIO of South Africa, and then CIO of the Africa region. He then moved to E4 as Chief Technology and Information officer, thereafter spending several years in financial services as CIO of Lion of Africa Insurance.

He holds an impressive track record of achievement, including winning the Microsoft Global best practice award in 2003. He won Innovator of the year, and best department at Lion of Africa in 2013. He was selected as a top 5 finalist in the 2014 IT Web Visionary CIO awards.