Bio

I am an entrepreneur with experience in user experience, software as a service, sales, marketing, people management and not-for-profit management. I thrive and have a track record in early stage ventures, both commercial and social. I was the co-founder of Optimal Usability (NZ user experience consultancy) and Optimal Experience (Australian user experience consultancy), which has recently been acquired by PriceWaterHouseCoopers. I'm also the co-founder and director of the user research software company Optimal Workshop. I am also experienced with social ventures and international development, in particular anti human trafficking, impact investment and ICT for education. I helped establish The Mekong Club (a public-private partnership between the United Nations Interagency Project on human trafficking and leading firms in Hong Kong), created a social venture capital fund in Cambodia (Shift360 & Uberis Capital), and founded Grit Learning - a ''virtual classroom'' targeting young learners in developing countries. I helped lead a USAID funded project called Development Innovations - a multi year program to design, fund and support innovative uses of technology to improve democratic, governance, livelihood, health and educational outcomes in Cambodia. After an extended break back in New Zealand to spend time with family, I'm currently leading teams to identify, accelerate and scale innovations that will help end global hunger by 2030. Specialties: ICT4D, impact investment, business incubators, angel investment, fund management, user experience, design thinking, web and mobile technology, micro-finance, social businesses, counter human trafficking, education, mobile learning.