The 2013 Committee of the Canterbury Software Cluster

Ben Reid (Chair) - chair@canterburysoftware.org.nz
Ben Reid is Principal Consultant at Memia Ltd - a strategic consultancy focussed on the software industry. Originally from the UK, Ben moved to Christchurch, New Zealand in 2004 and worked as a software architect for HP before founding  Memia in 2008. Ben has worked in a diverse range of vertical industries and technologies over his 18-year software career, and brings a wide-angle strategic perspective to 21st-century software businesses.  He currently acts as an advisor and technology consultant to a number of  New Zealand software companies, and is enthusiastic about growing world-class technology businesses from Canterbury - one of the top innovation, commercial and lifestyle regions in the world!

Jason Hoseason (Secretary) - jhoseason@deloitte.co.nz
Jason is a Manager in Deloitte’s Tax division. Throughout his 15 year career as a tax specialist Jason’s clients have included software, electronics and high tech engineering companies. He spent two years on secondment in Vancouver working on technology and entertainment industry clients. Jason is qualified as a Chartered Accountant and admitted as a Barrister & Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.

Damian Brown - damian.brown@assurity.co.nz
Damian Brown is General Manager - South Island at IT consulting firm Assurity. Damian has strong consulting project management skills, and is a qualified PRINCE2 practitioner, Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified ScrumMaster. Damian has a strong technical background with an understanding across a number of IT disciplines, primarily within the applications environment, voice, data, wireless networking, security, open systems, desktop rollouts, storage environments and operating systems. He is also experienced in the delivery of service based programmes such as ITIL and the associated process re-engineering and organisational change required to implement standards based programmes.

Chris Clarke - chris.clarke@emendo.co.nz

Chris is an IT professional with over 15 years experience developing and delivering enterprise scale software both in New Zealand and the UK. With significant consulting experience in London he has seen, experienced and helped many customers achieve their business goals through IT. Chris has a keen interest in ensuring that IT is seen as an enabler, not a hindrance, to achieving business objectives.

Helen is the Client Manager for the Technology sector at the Canterbury Development Corporation (CDC) – Christchurch City Council’s economic development agency. She has 20 years of sales, marketing and business management spent in the UK and NZ. Much of this time has been spent with technology companies and teams, including Compaq Computers and Hewlett Packard in the UK before moving to Christchurch and working with the agribusiness cooperative Ravensdown. She then moved to DataPro Solutions, later bought by Canterbury Business Solutions where she worked with clients, industry and the development teams to develop an online feedback tool aimed at the tourism sector. Her role in CDC involves supporting the growth of IT companies in Canterbury, with a particular focus on growing exports. Helen hopes her role in CDC and links with the Software Cluster will bring two-way communication and development opportunities between Christchurch business and CDC’s objectives. Helen is also a Business Mentor and the Chair of the board of the human right’s organisation Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand.

Jason Bishop - jason.b@get-sourced.co.nz
Jason is the Business Manager for Sourced, a specialist recruitment consultancy focused on the ICT industry. A native Cantabrian, Jason enjoyed a successful career in Architecture before a move across into Software Training & Consulting in 2008. Jason has accumulated a broad set of skills in his 14 year career, with specific strengths in Business & Systems Management and is responsible for driving the strategic growth and direction of a number of local businesses. Jason has a very strong interest in emerging technologies and is very passionate about Canterbury's IT industry and Software Cluster

Sam Jarman (Student Rep) - sam@samjarman.co.nz

Sam Jarman is a Computer Science student at the University of Canterbury.

Sam is the president of the Computer Society (CompSoc) which has around 250 members. He works at Telogis part time as a software engineer. Sam also completes freelance work developing on the iOS platform. Sam's other interests include embedded programming, social media, programming competitions, networking and building the software community.