Macquarie Telecom group executive steps down

Luke Clifton will become the director of Macquarie Technology Operations.

Macquarie Telelcom Group executive Luke Clifton has stepped down and will become the director of Macquarie Technology Operations.

He spent more than a decade leading Macquarie Telecom and has chosen to move over to his now role.

Clifton will continue to support the business throughout the handover period and his appointment as Director ensures his experience and perspective continue to inform the company as it scales.

As part of this evolution, Marija Harris has been appointed Group Executive, Macquarie Telecom, effective early 2026.

Harris, who has previously held senior roles at Foxtel and Virgin, has served as commercial director for the past two years at Macquarie Telecom.

Clifton told CRN Australia that this change is more of a planned evolution than stepping down from the role.

“After nearly 15 years in senior leadership, and more than a decade leading Macquarie Telecom, this felt like the right moment to change my focus,” he explained.

“The business is in strong shape; we’ve got depth in the leadership team and Harris is absolutely the right person to lead the next phase.”

He said this is a shift toward governance and long-term stewardship, staying close to the strategy and the business, without being in the day-to-day operational role.

“Equally, I have enjoyed leading the Australian Men’s Shed Association as Chair over the last few years and I’ve learnt that leadership and impact can take many forms and make a substantial difference for both communities and businesses,” he added.

In this new role, Clifton will focus on helping Macquarie Technology Group scale well.

“That means bringing a long-term perspective to risk, partnerships, and capital decisions, and ensuring we keep our challenger mindset as we grow across telecoms, cloud, cyber and data centres,” he said.

“Alongside that, I’m building a broader governance and advisory portfolio where I can support organisations that value strong leadership, good decision-making, and long-term thinking.”

Looking at the Australian IT channel, Clifton said it is maturing and that’s a “really positive thing”.

“Customers are no longer looking for resellers – they’re looking for partners who can design, integrate, and operate complex environments and stand behind the outcome,” he explained.

“That’s driving consolidation, deeper vendor partnerships, and a much higher bar on capability and governance.

“The channel players who will win are the ones who can combine strong technical depth with real service, accountability, and local presence, which is exactly what we’ve been building at Macquarie with our SoUnTelco+ model.”

Reflecting on his time on Macquarie Telecom, he said leading the business has been a “defining chapter” for him.

“I’m incredibly proud of what the team has built, from our early SD-WAN leadership to our cybersecurity and cloud expansion, and our commitment to Australian jobs,” he said.

“I remain closely connected to the business and very invested in its future, just from a different seat at the table.”

Clifton played a central role in Macquarie’s SD-WAN evolution, cybersecurity and cloud enablement, and more recently the expansion of major partnerships including VeloCloud, Fortinet, and Netskope.

The leadership changes will be implemented progressively over the coming months, with a structured program of engagement with customers, partners, and employees to ensure continuity across the business.