Keynotes - ITx

2014 Keynotes

The 2014 ITx Keynote Presentations

2014 ITx Keynotes

	Mona Akmal (USA) Director of Product/Curriculum, Code.org Mona is a certified geek with a long history of building stuff for real people. Her goal at Code.org is to be a part of an awesome team that wants to build fun products that help kids learn computer science and embrace their inner geek! In her past life, she ran product management for the OneDrive (SkyDrive) experience at Microsoft, and she co-founded dreamfly.org in her spare time.
	Peter Dengate Thrush (USA) Internet governance expert Peter is a globally recognized leader and chairman of Internet infrastructure organizations. He has shaped the development and growth of the Internet naming system, while fighting for an open, unrestricted and multi-stakeholder model of governance. In November 2007 he was appointed Chairman of the Board of ICANN, taking over the role from Vint Cerf. At ICANN, he led the process to replace US Government oversight of ICANN with accountability to the global Internet community, and oversaw the introduction of sweeping policy, administrative and technical innovations that are cumulatively the biggest changes to the Internet since its inception. Peter will talk about the current battle for control of the Internet.
	Greg Cross Chairman and CEO, PowerByProxi For most, the concept of delivering power wirelessly is the stuff of science fiction - but when Fady Mishriki and Greg Cross founded PowerbyProxi in 2007, their focus was to identify real world customer pain points and match them with a solution they could not deny. Now with contracts with some of the world's top technology companies, Greg will tell his story.
	Henry Lane Co-founder, EPIC Technology Hub Henry is one of the four creators behind the EPIC Technology Hub (Enterprise Precinct and Innovation Campus). EPIC was built thanks to a hugely collaborative effort from organizations both national and international including Google, The BNZ, Weta Workshop, Cisco and many more, in order to house innovation-focused Canterbury businesses displaced by the 2011 earthquake.
	Mary Quin CEO, Callaghan Innovation In 2013 Mary Quin took the helm of the newly created Callaghan Innovation, the Government's go-to vehicle for generating commercial value from Kiwi ingenuity, science, technology and ideas. With a background in R&D in materials engineering and over 20 years' experience working in senior executive roles in NASDAQ-listed companies such as Xerox and Eastman Kodak Company, Dr Quin has an impressive profile and experience in technology and engineering industries.
	Paul Fenwick (AUS) Lifehacker extraordinaire Paul likes to think of himself as some guy from the Internet who loves freedom. As a serious Perl hacker and Managing Director of Perl Training Australia, Paul is also seriously into life hacking - setting up hundreds of systems around you to make you more productive, efficient and engaged. Paul will outline some of the latest trends in life hacking and how you can use it to get organised today.
	Sir Ralph Norris ex-CEO AirNZ, ASB Bank, CBA Ralph Norris' first prominent position was as CIO of ASB Bank before moving on to the CEO role in 1991. Under his stewardship ASB launched the country's first internet banking site in NZ followed by the first online bank in BankDirect. Norris was then appointed CEO of Air New Zealand in 2002 and was successful in reinventing and revolutionising the airline, again through embracing technology. Norris stepped down in 2005 replaced by his right-hand man Rob Fyfe. Norris then went on to become CEO of Commonwealth Bank of Australia, overseeing a $1 billion-plus technology transformation project.
	Ian Taylor Founder, Animation Research Ltd Ian Taylor (Ngati Kahungunu) is recognised as one of New Zealand's leading Maori innovators and has established 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 revolutionalised the way the world watched sport with the creation of real-time 3D graphics for the Americas Cup. This was later expanded to cover other sports such as Golf, Cricket, Motorsport, Gliding and Aerosports, and the mobile America's Cup app last year.
	John Hosking Dean of Science, Auckland Uni John Hosking was Professor of Applied Computer Science at the University of Auckland before heading across the ditch for two years as Dean of Engineering and Computer Science at the Australian National University. He recently returned to New Zealand to take up the role of Dean of Science at Auckland University and will be talking about the differences in approach to tertiary/industry engagement between Australia and New Zealand