Introduce yourself
Kylie (CDC Comms Advisor)
Public
Seen by 446
Welcome to the Christchurch Tech Sector introductions thread.
This is a place for you to introduce yourself before the discussions kick-off and to see who is getting involved.
Please take a few minutes to give us an idea of who you are and why you’re interested in the Christchurch Tech Sector. As a starter we suggest something like:
“Hi this is Susan from [company] based in [location]. I’m interested in contributing to this conversation because [reason].”
Please also update your display name to “name, [organisation]” and add a photo on your Loomio profile
Need help?
If you have any questions please post these in the getting started on Loomio thread and we’ll answer as soon as possible.
Sharn Nu'u (Diligent) Tue 14 Apr 2015 5:05AM
I'm Sharn Nu'u, QA Lead for the Infrastructure and Security Team at Diligent Board Member Services. The growth of the Technology Sector in Christchurch has been exciting to watch and be apart of. I am really looking forward to working with you all to make Christchurch the place to be!! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this exciting opportunity.
Paul Swettenham (Sunstone) Tue 14 Apr 2015 5:06AM
G'day I'm Paul an IT Recruitment Consultant / Organisational Psychologist and Founder of sunstonetalent.com based in Christchurch.
Having worked in Christchurch over the past 5 years (previously in the UK for 10 years OE after attending UC) I work with New Zealand's leading software houses, technology companies and corporate clients, within an IT Recruitment / HR Consulting career that has spanned over 15 years!
I enjoy finding Christchurch companies quality talent from all over the globe, am passionate about technology and have a vested interest in continuing the IT sector's growth in our great city of Christchurch!
Ben Reid Tue 14 Apr 2015 5:50AM
I'm Ben Reid, Managing Director at Memia Consulting based at EPIC and committee member at Canterbury Software Cluster and more recently Canterbury Angels. I also helped to create the Flux report on Canterbury's tech sector last year.
I want to continue to see Christchurch tech companies to innovate and grow, create long term wealth that stays in the region and attract the best talent from all over the world. Good on CDC for making this a priority.
Andrej Falout Tue 14 Apr 2015 6:58AM
Andrej Falout - technologist and strategist, with some 30 years in IT industry, in 7 countries and 3 continents. Currently in position of Architect with Canterbury District Health Board, delivering on Digital Health strategy.
My passion is translating between people and technology, and in this exciting times it is great to see CDC taking the lead. I see enthusiasm and sense of opportunity in the industry, and I'm interested in helping to turn this into something that will last.
I am in particular interested in creating career paths within organizations, building bridges between educators (in the widest possible sense of the word) and businesses - as well as building mentorship networks.
Lets talk! :)
Sam Ragnarsson Wed 15 Apr 2015 12:37AM
I'm Sam Ragnarsson, one of the EPIC Innovation Directors and consultant at Effectus. Been on the organisation committee for Startup Weekend Christchurch two years in a row, and involved in Lightning Lab.
Very enthusiastic about the future of innovation, tech and startup/early stage companies in Christchurch and NZ as whole.
If there is anything I can do to help or support get in touch.
Amar Verma Wed 15 Apr 2015 1:06AM
Hi, I'm Amar Verma. A successful ICT business owner with a few companies in NZ, Switzerland, US & India. NZ is my home for last 2 years. Having spent in US the most of my professional career (24+ years), I'm amazed by strong determination to success and values (at the same time) that NZ has. My NZ company is committed in developing and nurturing the local talent so that we can maintain the leadership in global innovation. My NZ firm is developing big data analytics workbench for the Retail, Dairy & Manufacturing industry, and I provide ICT consulting, coaching & mentoring for the benefit of NZ businesses. I'm happy to be part of this group.
Geoff Brash Wed 15 Apr 2015 1:25AM
Hi I'm Geoff Brash, Christchurch based tech startup junkie. Known as a co-founder of SLI Systems but am also working to bring Lightning Lab to Christchurch, chair of Canterbury Software, Trustee of Ministry of Awesome and lots of other tech startup related things.
Paul Wilkinson Wed 15 Apr 2015 3:19AM
Hi, I'm Paul. I work for UK Trade & Investment, helping NZ companies land in the UK. I'm currently working with a number of NZ tech firms, helping them learn more about their sector in the UK, set up operations and access local networks etc.
Graeme Woodward (Wireless Research Centre, University of Canterbury) Wed 15 Apr 2015 3:24AM
Hi, I'm Graeme.
I'm the research leader of the Wireless Research Centre at the University of Canterbury. We do industry-focused research on wireless communications, mostly for Canterbury-based technology companies.
We are very interested in strategies to ensure an ongoing and flourishing technology sector in the region. We hope to continue contributing to this ecosystem by providing ideas, technologies and solutions to local companies.
We are also keen to see that there are rich employment opportunities in this area for graduates from the University of Canterbury.
Kylie (CDC Comms Advisor) · Mon 13 Apr 2015 10:09PM
Hi I'm Kylie Yardley, Communications Advisor at CDC. I'm part of the project team developing the Tech Sector Strategy and am really looking forward to hearing the ideas from this forum and ultimately producing a strategy that is responsive to the issues facing the industry.