Career and Experience
My career in technology began with a fundamental curiosity about how things work. An early interest in electronics led to formal technical training and, at 19, a position at Power Beat International, a Hamilton R&D company developing advanced battery technology. Within months I had progressed from entry-level work to electronics assembly and production.
I was deployed to the Arabian Gulf to support the launch of Power Beat's products across the Middle East. Working in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and living in Bahrain provided exposure to international business operations, product development, and the commercial realities of scaling technology products in new markets. The entrepreneurs I worked with there instilled a practical approach to problem-solving, and a focus on lateral thinking that has informed my work ever since.
Returning to New Zealand in the late 1990s, I founded e-Solutions, later rebranded as ZeroOne. The company grew to deliver web development and hosting services for major clients including the All Blacks and Telecom New Zealand, along with multilingual education portals and enterprise software solutions for the government. After a decade of growth, I successfully exited ZeroOne in 2007.
Following the sale, I founded LayerX Group with a focus on cloud infrastructure, managed services, and technology commercialisation. LayerX became the platform for developing and spinning out multiple technology ventures, including COMS Systems, theCloud rebranded as vGRID (virtual infrastructure), and ModuSense (industrial IoT for primary industries).
ModuSense became a significant venture, developing remote monitoring solutions for primary industries using IoT sensors and satellite connectivity. In 2020, ModuSense became the first company to transmit commercial data through the Swarm Technologies satellite network. This capability led to a joint venture with FreeWave Technologies (USA), enabling global scale across agriculture, environmental monitoring, and smart city applications. The company was acquired by FreeWave in 2023.
Through Scripted Ventures, I now provide board advisory and independent director services for companies seeking technology expertise at the governance level. My experience across the full lifecycle of technology businesses, from concept through to successful exit, provides practical insight for boards navigating technology strategy, digital transformation, capital raising, and M&A transactions.
I also remain actively involved in technology delivery through 14th Street, providing custom software development, AI solutions, and enterprise systems integration for clients across New Zealand and Australia.
Several successful exits across cloud infrastructure, telecommunications, IoT, managed services, and digital services have reinforced the importance of strong governance, clear commercial focus, and building businesses that deliver genuine value to customers and stakeholders.