As we settle into the second half of 2025, we’re excited to welcome a new member to the Geodetica team: Rick Spence.
Rick is a highly experienced program and project manager with a career spanning the United States, Canada, England, Japan, Europe, Mexico, and Australia.
Born in Alaska, Rick’s family moved to Australia in his early teenage years – settling in Canberra where Rick attended high school and college. After college he explored life in Brisbane and Melbourne, were he started his program and project management career. It’s also where he met his wife, and together they decided to return to the US.
“My early career was spent mostly in IT,” recalls Rick. “So, when we arrived in the States, I took a contracting role that quickly turned permanent with a pharmaceutical company as a computer technician. I worked my way up to become manager of the international service desk, while working as a project manager.
“I spent many years travelling the US supporting the company as both their international service desk manager and project manager.”
Extensive travel, long hours, and prolonged work priorities took its toll though, and Rick eventually decided it was time for a change.
“After leaving the pharmaceutical world, with support from my wife, I took a position with an IoT company which, at the time, was still young in the States. I worked as a scrum master, product owner, and assisted with business development which was a great opportunity. I then took a position with a finance company – managing the build out of their project management office, online mortgage system and mobile apps, and their critical transition from on-premises to the cloud. I also oversaw major IT projects such as the development of a multi-level international call centre.
“My last role before moving back to Australia was with an automotive services company seeking to transition their 700+ franchisees from an outdated point-of-sale (POS) system to a comprehensive front and back-office system. That was definitely a challenge! I mapped out the program of work, assisted the CTO with expanding the teams, oversaw system implementation and development of training materials and methods, and more.
“Complexity in projects isn’t always defined by the technology you’re using; sometimes it’s the complexity of the human behaviour you’re seeking to change. This was a project with high human complexity, and I found myself travelling the US again, engaging with franchisees in training conferences, on FaceTime calls, and even face-to-face in their stores to ensure every last one knew how to make the system work for them.”
Once the project was successfully completed, Rick and his wife decided to move back to Canberra. For the past 7 years, Rick has remained in contracting and expanded his program/project management expertise into the government and Defence sector.
“I’ve worked as the director for program management, taught scrum agile, built global program/project teams, and always looked for areas where I could make a positive difference and impact to programs and projects. I enjoy working with and encouraging my peers and team members to excel, and celebrating their achievements. That’s what brought me to Geodetica. Beyond supporting their clients with my program and project management experience, I’m excited to help the team uplift their internal ICT capability to better support the company’s rapid growth.
“Geodetica’s leadership sees the value and potential in people as both individuals and professionals. They nurture personal and team success. I hold these values too, so I’m confident we’re a good fit and am excited to contribute the skills I’ve learned over the years to benefit the business as well as their clients.”
When he’s not working, Rick loves spending time with his family.
“I enjoy watching movies, playing video games and riding my motorcycle with my daughter, and indulging my passion for project management with DIY projects. It’s great to see others enjoy the end solution, such as our ‘VR playing space’. My wife Juanita has been a constant source of support throughout my career, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without her. The same is true of my mum Colleen and dad Robert who have both played vital roles in my life.”
