Keynote and Plenary Presentations
The following are the major Keynote and Plenary presenters. Full details of all presentations will be added later.
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Craig Nevill-Manning is a great example of a kiwi using ICT to innovate around the world.
Dr. Nevill-Manning graduated with a BSc in computer science from the University of Canterbury. He received his PhD from the University of Waikato where he worked on the Weka machine learning suite.
After a successful academic career, including Assistant Professor at Rutgers University and a post-doctoral fellow in the Biochemistry department at Stanford University, Craig joined Google in 2001 as a Senior Research Scientist.
Craig went on to found Google’s first remote engineering center, located in midtown Manhattan, where he is currently the Engineering Director. He’s continued to be at the forefront of Google’s innovation, for example invented the technology which drives Google’s Froogle, a ground-breaking product search engine.
Craig’s story is a fascinating one – how a young chap from Blenheim headed out into the world stage and ended up at the forefront of ICT innovation.
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Greg is the National Director of the Canadian Council of IT Professionals for CIPS (the Canadian Information Processing Society), as well as Chair of IP3, the international body that accredits national ICT certification programmes.
Greg was part of the team that established Clear Communications in New Zealand, the first and largest competitor to Telecom in the telecommunications space. Clear merged with Telstra in 2001 to become TelstraClear.
As a Canadian, Greg grew accustomed to being asked what part of America he came from, and was a prolific speaker throughout New Zealand at the time on Disaster Recovery.
Greg holds an MBA from Massey University and now works for Avanade (a joint venture between Microsoft and Accenture) as the Director, Business Development Public Service for Canada. Prior to joining Avanade Greg worked with Accenture in a Business Development role in the Public Service Group in Ottawa. Before Accenture Greg held senior leadership roles at Microsoft, Deloitte Consulting, Bell Canada and EDS.
Greg has lectured at the University of Ottawa in the administration faculty on Governance and IT and is a Fellow of the Centre on Governance. Greg has also contributed to Lac Carling Review on the same topic.
Greg will be outlining some of the challenges of establishing a major telecommunications company, as well as focusing in on the nature of good ICT governance and the growth and importance of the global ICT profession.
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Regarded by many as New Zealand’s most successful ICT entrepreneurs, Sam Morgan has become a household name in New Zealand.
Sam founded online auction website Trade Me in 1999. Trade Me became New Zealand‘s largest Internet business, a title it still holds, and in 2006 was sold to Australian media giant Fairfax.
Since the sale of Trade Me, Sam has invested directly in a number of early-stage businesses and acts as an advisor.
Sam is also a director of Xero (listed on the NZX in 2007), Sonar6 and Visfleet. Sam will be speaking about life after TradeMe, the transition to investing in software companies in New Zealand, and the essential nature of a good team.
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Nat was deeply involved in the history of the Internet in New Zealand, hosting the country’s first web server.
Nat then left our shores and worked for O’Reilly Media where he chaired the O’Reilly Open Source Convention and other major O’Reilly conferences for over a decade. Nat co-wrote the best-selling Perl Cookbook, and was also one of the founding O’Reilly Radar bloggers.
Nat recently returned to New Zealand from the USA and established the Kiwi Foo Camp and NZ Open Govt Project, as well as building networks of open source innovators, entrepreneurs, and emerging technologists in New Zealand.
Nat’s primary focus is on Web 2.0 and Open Source, and will discuss a range of topics related to entrepreneurship and innovation in ICT.
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Ian Taylor (Ngati Kahungunu) is recognised as one of New Zealand’s leading Maori innovators.
After a 20 year career with Televison New Zealand Ian left in 1988 to establish three successful technology businesses from his base in Dunedin: Taylormade Media – a television and multi media company; Animation Research Ltd (ARL), one of the country’s most celebrated high tech companies; and BookIt, a specialist on line booking company.
Taylor shot to fame in 1992 by revolutionalising the way the world watched sport with the creation of real-time 3D graphics for the Americas Cup.
In 1999 Virtual Spectator was born – a real-time 3D graphics tracking system enabling the Americas Cup to be tracked and viewed in 3D in real time. This created even more revolutionary graphics for TV as well as the ability to broadcast the race online in a digital form for the first time ever.
This was later expanded to cover other sports such as Golf, Cricket, Motorsport, Gliding and Aerosports.
His company is credited with many other international breakthroughs in digital and 3D graphics, and were responsible for content as diverse as the Bluebird’s Skiing Penguins.
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Founder of Xero, the award-winning Software-as-a-Service company currently redefining small business accounting, Rod was previously founder and CEO of AfterMail which was acquired by Quest Software in January 2006 and subsequently won Best Exchange Product at TechEd 2006 in Boston.
Rod co-founded USA based Context Connect Incorporated which provides directory solutions for mobile devices. Rod also has international patents in the directories area. Prior to this Rod was Chief Technology Officer of Advantage Group (now Provenco) where he spent significant time in the USA working with leading international technology companies.
In 1995 Rod established Glazier Systems, one of New Zealand’s leading software development and consulting companies. Glazier Systems was acquired by Advantage Group in 1999 and continues today as Intergen.
Rod was an Independent Director of TradeMe – New Zealand’s most successful eCommerce Internet site – when it was sold to listed Australian media giant Fairfax. Rod continues on the TradeMe Advisory Board. Rod joined NZ Trade & Enterprise Beachheads Programme Advisory Board in August 2006 and is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.
Rod is passionate about inspiring New Zealanders to innovate, and will focus primarily on removing barriers to innovation in New Zealand.
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Very few CEOs could boast to having created a bank from scratch, and far fewer could speak of profits within the first 5 years in such a price-competitive market, yet that’s what Sam Knowles has achieved with KiwiBank.
Sam has a rich history of corporate innovation through embracing ICT, and is currently also a Director of Trustpower.
Before taking on KiwiBank Sam was CEO of At Work Insurance Limited; GM – Global Product Management, National Australia Bank; GM – Marketing and Distribution, Australia, National Australia Bank; GM – Business Development and Subsidiaries, BNZ; Retail Financial Services – BNZ; Head of Strategic Planning – BNZ; Manager – Project Research and Development, BNZ; Investigating Officer -The Treasury.
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Ian McCrae founded Orion Health in 1993 with a five-person staff in Auckland, New Zealand. Under his stewardship, the company has seen unprecedented growth and success. With over 200 staff members now operating on four continents, Orion Health has introduced its health integration software to every major market around the world.
Ian is one of 11 members of the New Zealand Government’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Taskforce, formed to identify ways to boost the sector’s economic contribution. As an industry visionary, Ian spearheaded the formation of New Zealand’s Health IT Cluster, a group of 25 companies collaborating to promote New Zealand’s unique software solutions overseas, increase the country’s export sales and introduce new jobs to the local market.
Before founding Orion Health, Ian was a senior telecommunications consultant for Clearfield Consulting Ltd., specializing in message standards and connectivity of data network systems and infrastructures. Prior to his work at Clearfield Ian worked for Ernst & Young designing corporate networks. Ian has also worked as a product manager at Imagineering Micro Distributors in New Zealand and a senior business analyst for the London Stock Exchange.
Ian received a Masters in Engineering Sciences and Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) from Auckland University.
