When Craig Doran left frontline policing after years as a Queensland Police Detective, he walked out with something most people never see: the growing frustration of thousands of investigators pushing pencil to paper when they’d rather be policing.

“Comtrac was born from my 22 years as a police detective, where I witnessed firsthand the immense time and effort investigators dedicate to building cases and preparing briefs of evidence,” he tells The CEO Magazine.

“I saw how much of their day was consumed by administrative work instead of investigative thinking.”

Most technology introduced into policing over the past two decades has focused on digitizing existing systems. But for Doran, that wasn’t enough. He wanted to rethink them entirely.

“That experience became the catalyst for Comtrac – a vision to transform how justice is delivered through smarter, AI-driven tools,” he explains.

The platform launched as a direct answer to a structural weakness inside the justice system: investigators losing hours – often days – to building briefs of evidence rather than solving the case itself. Today, Comtrac is a US$65 million software as a service (SaaS) company redefining investigation management.

The success has not only earned Founder and CEO Doran a spot as finalist in the Information Technology and Telecommunications category at The CEO Magazine’s 2025 Executive of the Year Awards, but has also resulted in Comtrac winning the Telstra Best of Business Awards ‘Embracing Innovation’ category in Queensland.

“To see the vision grow from an idea on a whiteboard to a platform that’s now used by law enforcement and regulatory agencies across Australia and internationally is deeply rewarding,” he reflects.

A force for trust

The timing of Comtrac’s growth coincides with a major shift facing policing, according to Doran – attrition is outpacing recruitment, leaving fewer investigators trying to manage rising caseloads.

“Across every Australian jurisdiction, police and regulatory agencies are facing record levels of attrition,” he points out.

“Recruitment simply can’t keep pace with the loss of experienced officers, and those who remain are increasingly overwhelmed – not by investigative work, but by the mountain of administrative and evidentiary paperwork that comes with every case.”

Doran shares one example that speaks volumes.

“In our work with the Queensland Police Service, we found that officers responding to domestic violence incidents were spending up to four hours completing paperwork for each case,” he says. “Using Comtrac, that process has been reduced to around 20 minutes.”

At the same time, investigators now operate inside massive digital evidence ecosystems with higher public accountability than at any other time in history.

“The industry is being reshaped by the convergence of AI, digital evidence and accountability frameworks,” Doran explains.

“Investigators now operate in an environment where data volumes are exploding and scrutiny over decision-making is intensifying. At the same time, governments are rightly demanding responsible AI governance to ensure fairness, transparency and trust in automated systems.

“Comtrac sits squarely at the center of these changes.”

Comtrac applies AI to augment human expertise – not replace it, Doran explains.

“Through our Elementising Evidence™ methodology and structured AI management processes, we automate the manual components of investigation management while preserving human judgment and accountability,” he reveals.

“Internally, we call this the AI ‘30–40–30 Rule’: 30 percent clear human instruction, 40 percent AI analysis and 30 percent human review.”

Technology in policing is increasingly judged not only by what it does, but by how transparently and responsibly it does it, Doran says. And he welcomes that scrutiny.

“We’re committed to leading by example in responsible AI governance,” he says. “As one of the first platforms to strive toward achieving ISO 42001 AI Management System certification, we’re setting benchmarks for how AI can be deployed ethically and transparently within justice operations.”

Ultimately, Doran believes the future of policing and investigation management isn’t about replacing people with technology, it’s about giving them back time.

“Tools like Comtrac don’t just increase efficiency; they help agencies retain skilled officers, reduce burnout and deliver justice faster for the communities they serve,” he adds.

Leading with conviction

Doran’s leadership philosophy unsurprisingly mirrors the architecture of Comtrac itself: purpose first, structure second.

“My leadership philosophy is grounded in one core belief: purpose drives performance,” he says.

He also looks for belief before he looks for skill.

“Skills can be taught, but belief, passion and alignment with purpose cannot,” he stresses. “I believe leadership isn’t about hierarchy; it’s about creating belief, clarity and momentum.”

That conviction was sharpened by a defining piece of advice imparted to Doran early in Comtrac’s growth story.

“The best advice I’ve ever received came from one of our investors, Adrian De Marco, Founder of TechnologyOne – one of Australia’s most successful SaaS companies,” he recalls.

“A few years ago, he said to me: ‘Don’t try to build everything for everyone. If you’re targeting everyone, you’re targeting no-one. Focus on the one changemaker – the one that will deliver the most change right now.’”

The shift that followed was pivotal. Instead of trying to build functions that would make the platform resemble a traditional case management system, Comtrac doubled down on its point of difference – its Elementising Evidence methodology.

“We stopped building features and started building impact,” Doran confirms. “It’s a philosophy that has since defined us – becoming not just another software company, but a genuine changemaker and industry disruptor.”

A culture that cares

In terms of the company’s success, Doran is quick to credit his team, who are driven by mission, not just output.

“At Comtrac, our culture is built around a shared sense of purpose, accountability and innovation,” he says.

“Every member of our team understands that what we build isn’t just software – it’s technology that supports police officers, investigators and regulators who serve their communities under enormous pressure.”

That’s why, instead of operating like a detached SaaS company focused solely on the total addressable market, Comtrac focused on the smallest addressable market, where the biggest change could be delivered through real-world experience.

“We foster a culture that’s both high-performance and deeply human,” Doran says. “Many of us come from law enforcement or regulator backgrounds, so there’s an inherent empathy for the challenges our clients face.”

Doran adds that there’s also a strong focus on thinking outside of the box.

“Our engineers, designers and customer success teams are encouraged to challenge assumptions and contribute ideas that shape the product,” he explains.

“We empower our people the same way our technology empowers investigators – by removing obstacles and giving them the space to focus on what truly matters.”

Returning time

Looking ahead, Doran sees the justice system undergoing a major transformation.

“My hope for the investigation and justice sector is that we see a fundamental shift from reactive administration and business intelligence to proactive productivity and quality,” he reveals.

“It’s a future where technology allows investigators to spend their time investigating, not typing.”

Thanks to Comtrac, the impact is already measurable: frontline officers returning to frontline duties, investigators refocusing on judgment rather than formatting and agencies retaining experience that would otherwise be lost to burnout.

“My favorite part of the job has always been the creative process – brainstorming the next feature or breakthrough idea with our R&D team,” he says.

Even now as CEO of this eight-figure company, Doran grins as he shares that he still personally runs demonstrations.

“There’s nothing more rewarding than watching the real-time reaction when people see how Comtrac can turn hours of investigative paperwork into minutes,” he says.

“My vision has always been simple but ambitious: a world where every hour saved through innovation is an hour returned to serving the community.”