John Vargo
Associate Professor John Vargo is a senior researcher and co-leader of the Resilient Organisations Research Programme (ResOrgs is a member of the New Zealand Natural Hazards Platform) based at the University of Canterbury. His interests focus on building organisational resilience in the face of systemic insecurity in a complex and interconnected world. The ResOrgs group (www.resorgs.org.nz) has been researching Organisational Resilience since 2004 and has been heavily involved in related research following the 2010-2011 series of devastating earthquakes that hit Christchurch, New Zealand. This research has looked at the impacts of the earthquakes on organisations and economic sectors and the application of the ResOrgs 13 indicator resilience model to systemic recovery.
With a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Michigan, MBA from the University of Santa Clara, California and a PhD in Information Systems from the University of Canterbury. His education and experience cover a broad range of commerce, technology and education and has involved dealing with the wide range of risks inherent in commercial organisations, large and small.
His research interests are in organisational resilience, information security, risk management and strategic planning.
In addition to his academic role, John has filled a range of senior management roles at the University of Canterbury in support of major change initiatives including: Dean of Commerce, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Business and Economics), Director of ICT, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Services.