Key People John Holt CEO & Director John is a successful global entrepreneur and intrapreneur across a broad range of industry and business including computer hardware and software, financial services, property, construction, hospitality and security. "The common ground amongst all top businesses is great people. Maybe its sounds odd, but I'm passionate about people."   Mike Carden Co-founder, GM Sales and Marketing & Director Mike originally trained in Artificial Intelligence but ended up spending much of his career in consumer marketing for global corporations. Mike has worked in over 20 countries. His big claims to fame include establishing a number one market share position for HP as they launched their Pavilion home PC in Asia/Pacific and crashing a plane into the sea. "I admire anyone who takes their chosen field to the very limit."   Mark Hellier Co-founder, Head of Product & Director Mark has 15 years of experience in the software development field, including 5 years with Commsoft Group, a public company he founded in1996. "I just love challenge. Whether its pushing the boundaries of web development with the team in the lab, or working through a tough route on a rock climbing trip, I love that feeling when you realise you're going to make it."   Pete Weaver Chief Operating Officer Pete brings over 20 years experience in the management of a range of predominantly IT organisations with business in New Zealand and overseas. He has an unabashed passion for anything he is involved in and believes that if it is not fun or enjoyable then it is not worth doing. "My 3 active kids keep me on my toes and I happily give my time to coach if needed, ever the enthusiastic amateur! I have done the Coast to Coast and am into multisport. I officiate at Triathlons both in NZ and overseas and help run the local events for kids aged 8-13, where we get over 5000 entries!"   Jonny Timmermans Lead Developer Jonny joined Sonar6 as a 'Jack of all trades'. Trained in motion graphics, he has worked as a designer, trainer, developer and software architect. Some of his previous clients include The University of Auckland, Saatchi & Saatchi, Fisher & Paykel, the NZRU, Fuji, Schneider Electric, The Smithsonian Institute, NASA, US Healthcare Industry (AAHP), TVNZ and Compaq. "I don't have a TV or landline and I live out in the country caring for an assortment of animals."   Xavier Martin Senior Developer Xavier was born in France, raised in New Caledonia and moved to New Zealand 3 years ago. He has a degree in computer science and is a self-professed Flash junky, working on projects for a variety of clients including the NZRU, Vector, the Auckland Museum, the Ministry of Health and the Cartoon Network. "In my spare time, I am an avid guitarist and enjoy skateboarding and the great outdoors. Check out my site:http://dev.webbymx.net/   Jeremy Allen Senior Developer Jeremy has battled with Flash since futuresplash and still says "Macromedia". He enjoys creating human interfaces, especially for portable devices. He has a design degree from Wanganui School of Design and since then has worked primarily as a developer working on Internet delivered applications. He has also worked teaching multimedia at a tertiary level. In his spare time he recompiles open source software to work on an abacus. "That's the last wipe, I'm hearthing."   Catherine Bircher Quality Manager Catherine studied marine biology at university in the UK, went to Japan to teach English, then bounced back to the UK to learn Welsh and work in quality control for medical devices. She then veered off into software testing, before immigrating to New Zealand and gaining citizenship there in 2008. Her testing background is diverse, ranging from tiny web start-ups to big telcos, but usability was always somewhere in the mix, ever since she stumbled across a Jakob Nielsen article at the beginning of the "intertubes" era. "I like kayaking, my Dexters, and playing RPG with my mates. I haven't yet been able to find a way of combining all three."   Kat Warner Customer Success Representative Using the combination of her people and process skills, Kat has worked in a range of jobs and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2007. Prior to Sonar6, Kat worked for a software company translating between business users and technical staff and managing small-to-medium projects in the utilities industry. "The internet has allowed people to take the conversations that used to be restricted to over the fence or in their living room to a public space where there are a much wider range of people sharing their thoughts, ideas, and opinions."   Karen Rayner Content Manager Karen joined Sonar6 after 4 years as marketing executive at one of NZ’s largest service companies, and her background includes research, tutoring and graphic design. "I hold an honours degree in Marketing and Information Systems, lived in Hungary for a year, and have been known to browse dictionaries when I run out of reading material."   Craig Martin Network Administrator Craig has spent most of his working life in web-solutions; building Web Applications in PHP and MySQl and doing design work. Since then he has moved into network administration for Sonar6, with particular emphasis on deploying all the systems needed to make the Sonar6 lab hum: version control, the development tools, test environments, and bug tracking. "I have a fascination for information technology and enjoy the problem solving aspects presented in the role. I enjoy the calm and quiet just as much as chaos at other times." Ian Goldsmid Marketing Effectiveness Ian has been involved in creating and building software product companies since 1991. During the 1990s he was a key player in a venture capital backed enterprise software company, based in Silicon Valley, that expanded rapidly in the United States and globally. "My entire professional life has been about finding better ways to connect with people's interests & needs - and knowing when to not bother them if they don't have any that relate to my product or service! My role at Sonar6 is to ensure that our prospective customers find out about us, and that our marketing content is always perceived to be professional, interesting, and helpful." Chris de Boer Chairman Chris has extensive experience in investment banking, regulation, private equity, venture capital and consulting in London, Hong Kong and Australasia. He was previously an adviser to Cable and Wireless plc, director of Optus Communications, Chairman of the Hong Kong Takeovers Panel, Investment Committee Member of GEMS Oriental & General Fund and Chairman of New Zealand Venture Investment Fund Limited. Chris is currently a director of Macquarie Media Group and Mobilis Networks Limited.   Sam Morgan Director Sam Morgan started his career at Deloitte Consulting before founding NZ’s most visited website, online auction website TradeMe, which sold in 2006 for $700 million. He has also built online dating businesses in New Zealand, Australia and Canada, and runs New Zealand’s largest friend reunification site, Old Friends. Sam is active as an international speaker on electronic business topics and is recognised as a thought leader in web based consumer applications. His ventures focus on three things – usability, empowering consumers and connecting people.   J Bruce Henry Director Bruce has worked in the Human Resources industry since 1989, managing assignments in both the private and public sectors. He has previously held sales, marketing and management roles in the travel, oil and automotive industries. Bruce currently manages businesses including Wheeler Campbell, InterSearch NZ, Health Recruitment International, and the nursing agency Care Direct.   Jason Jones Director Business Development Jason has spent the last 10 years in the HR and software as a service space. He holds a degree in Organisational Psychology and has provided consulting services in the areas of human resources, business development, marketing and sales. Jason is passionate about helping organisations maximise their talent, leading to successful companies, happy employees and great working environments. "I love participating in my two daughters' lives: coaching soccer, attending performances, and cheering at softball games! Living in the San Francisco Bay area, I am lucky to have sand and snow at my doorstep and outdoor activities are a great part of my life."   Peter Romeyn Sales Executive Peter has spent most of his career working in Marketing, Sales and Sales Management roles for a global technology company, and enjoyed working in an environment where performance and individual achievements were recognised. Peter is passionate about bringing innovative products of the greatest possible value to the market and working closely with customers to hold their respect and loyalty. "Invite me for a game of golf, a good lunch or dinner, or a weekend skiing and I will most likely accept!"   Suzie Valentine Implementation Consultant Suzie came to Sonar6 with 20 years experience in the IT industry, where she held a variety of support and managerial roles. Her role as Implementation Manager involves translating customer requirements into the Sonar6 tool, and she is also Sonar6's telecommuter - working from a rural base 1 1/2 hours north of Wellington, NZ. "When I'm not occupied with work, husband Dave and I are busy with 2 children, 5 cows and a dog."   Elaine Gallagher-Dekker Implementation Manager Elaine has spent the last ten years working with organizations, both in New Zealand and in the UK, to develop their leaders, build on-brand internal processes, and to facilitate change. She has a degree in marketing, overlapped with study in group dynamics and individual development. "I'm a natural observer and imaginator. This has led to an on-going love affair with my diary. I've also written two books and adore the satisfaction of birthing an idea and seeing the result."   Michelle Ellis Service Delivery Manager Originally from Sydney, Michelle fell into IT early on in her career. Trained in Adult Education and HR, her passion for IT was found when she started training people how to use computers.  Along the way she has moved into Service Management, gaining her Manager level ITIL qualifications including being an internationally qualified ITIL instructor. She has worked in a number of organisations including the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, Deliotte and IBM. "Working in Service Management has provided me with the opportunity to combine my drive for good customer experiences with the challenge that IT provides.  In my spare time I love spending time with my husband and two young children"     Robert Donald Diagnostic Engineer Better known as Bobby, he was once sponsored by Google to fly to Shanghai to stay in a five star hotel arranged by ACM. In the process, he had the opportunity to play virtual soccer on the Blue Gene supercomputer provided by IBM "I tried to live life fast and with lots of mistakes but failed almost immediately."   Linda Guo Support Technician Linda was born in China, moved to New Zealand when she was 9, and speaks fluent English, Cantonese and Mandarin (as well as a little bit of Japanese!)  Linda joined Sonar6 right after receiving an honours degree in Computer System Engineering, where she majored in Information Systems and Operations Management. "I like trying different things and exceeding my own expectations.  When I'm not working, Perfect World (the MMORPG) takes up most of my time!"     Amy Booth Finance Manager Amy is a Chartered Accountant who has worked for Deloitte for over 7 years as well as being a founding co-owner and Financial Controller of the Lido Cinema Group for 8 years. "I hail from the mighty land of the grape, Marlborough, so in my spare time I love enjoying a  good glass of wine with friends.  I also love just hanging out with my two young boys and watching movies of course!"   Kai Crow Graphic Designer Kai trained at the Wanganui School of Design as a graphic designer and has spent the last several years working on projects across a wide range of mediums, largely specialising in web and information design. "I have always had an interest in facts, figures and information and I believe there is nothing more important in any business than clear, efficient (and aesthetic) communication"