Introduce yourself

I am Robert Snoep, an engineer and self confessed gadget enthusiast turned patent attorney and founder of a rapidly growing Christchurch based IP practice. We are about commercially savvy IP strategies to grow NZ Inc value and not just filing for the sake of filing. I am personally interested in participating in this discussion as I think we can take on the world in the tech space but we need good IP processes as one part of the puzzle.

I'm Terry from Cortexo, I've been involved in the Christchurch tech sector for the last 15 yrs and I'm very keen on the concept of cooperation between tech companies to make complete end-to-end solutions that can be marketed internationally. That will get us on the map!

Hi, I'm GM for Trineo. We are developers of cloud software based in Christchurch, but also with offices in Auckland, Sydney and Boulder, CO.

Once upon a time I was a software developer myself and lived/worked in the UK, US, Australia & Singapore. It's a while since I've cut any code, but these days I'm lucky enough to be more of a leader/manager/strategy-guy for a software exporter brimming with tech talent.

My interest is in helping to develop a more cohesive, collaborative strategy for the tech industry in Canterbury, improving the eco-system supporting export growth/development and harnessing the wealth of knowledge and experience that we all bring to this 'party'.

Hi, I'm Ed from Tait Communications. I've been involved in recruitment and staff development at Tait for over 20 years - from finding and developing NZ Uni grads to travelling overseas to find people with the right skills. I've provided input for Computer Engineering and Software Engineering qualifications and more recently for the proposed Chch ICT Grad School.
For me, it all starts with finding people with the right skills and aptitudes, and then supporting them with tools and opportunities to succeed. I'm interested in exploring new ways to attract these people to Christchurch.

As the founder of InFact, a technology innovation and product design company and as a BetterByDesign Coach, I am committed to defining a strategy that is informed by the deeper latent needs of the companies within our Canterbury Tech Sector. Using a Design Thinking approach - Empathy Interviews and Customer Insights - we could design a new growth agenda that is strongly aligned with the real and urgent needs of these sector companies - make it relevant to have impact.

Hi I’m Peter Montgomery from InventoryTech. Have founded numerous start-ups in tech and other services over the past 25 years. Enjoy helping other entrepreneurs with design thinking, innovation, business modelling and value propositions. More of a passion for physical hardware/products over pure software plays yet love combining both disciplines. Local Mentor with BMNZ for 20 years and also a NZTE Beachhead Advisor. Keen to see where the conversation leads and hope to add value where I can.

Howdy All ....Rob here. I am the Callaghan innovation Regional Business Partner for Canterbury. Working from the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce (CECC) and collaboration with CDC we serve the Canterbury Region businesses with the range of Business R & D Funding programs. I work with Carly Wheeler, my very capable assistant to seek out new business engage the funding tools and help them boldly grow to where they have not been before. We work on the premise it is a yes until proven to be a no...but even if funding does not fit at this time the business can link with other resources to assist them on their journey.

I've been an academic staff member in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering since 1987. As an educator of software engineering students, it's important to align the experiences we offer our students with the goals of current and future sector strategies. As a researcher, I am keen to engage with sector groups wherever possible to explore ways to measure, visualise and promote quality and efficiency across our software development community. Agile processes, such as Scrum and Kanban, are strengths of our local industry and I am particularly interested in collaborations involving those.

Hi, I'm Stuart Charters, Head of the Department of Informatics and Enabling Technologies at Lincoln University.
I'm also involved with the development of the South Island ICT Graduate School (SIGNAL).
I'm interested in the alignment of the experiences we offer at University with the needs of the sector and ensuring that we are meeting future needs as well as current need. Research is an important component of the work we do and I would like to see greater academia-industry links built around research collaborations.

Hi, I'm in the economic development space working from Timaru, NZ. My role is broad and includes both one-on-one business support and macro development projects. A particular passion is the application of digital technology to improve our natural environment and business's effectiveness.
I work for Aoraki Development, who have a collaborative relationship with CDC on various aspects of strategy and business support for Canterbury. Recently I worked with Helen Shorthouse and others on the establishment of the draft Canterbury Digital Strategy. Following this work I have also prepared the as South Canterbury specific digital strategy to which is not so much about technology, but about the people of South Canterbury benefiting from what technology enables us to do. Many initiatives within have come to light thanks to a joint community effort during the Gigatown Timaru campaign. www.southcanterbury.org.nz/digitalstrategy-dft

Looking forward to learning from, and hopefully contributing to, this impressive group.