Richard Mander is a technology design expert who has been an active overseas ambassador for New Zealand business for many years.
He earned a B.A. at the University of Canterbury, M.A. (Hons) at the University of Auckland and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at Stanford University in California. His dissertation explored the design of interfaces for manipulating 3D virtual reality objects.
He worked for seven years in Apple Computer’s Advanced Technology and Interactive Media Groups where he developed methods for customer-centred product design and rapid product development. His last position with Apple was as Program Manager of a 35-person team responsible for QuickTime VR – Apple’s photographic virtual reality system.
Richard then became a principal of Zanzara Inc, a Seattle consulting company that helps clients reduce development time and increase product sales by tightly targeting their product development activities to meet core needs of specific user constituencies. Zanzara works with some of the world’s largest companies including Boeing, Microsoft, Palm, Sony and Xerox.
In 2004 Richard returned to New Zealand to take up a position as Chief Technology Officer for Navman, the Auckland-based global positioning specialist.
Richard holds patents in interface design, has published papers on user interface design and conducted workshops on customer-centred design process. His experience with the business and technology of companies spans a range of sectors including healthcare, banking, finance, consumer electronics, computer, publishing, telecommunications and research.
In addition to his consulting work Richard has given his time to many community projects in the Pacific NorthWest and authored a book applying his design process to web applications – Web Usability for Dummies.
While an expatriate, Richard returned frequently to New Zealand to work, without charge, with CEOs of early-stage New Zealand companies that want help in crisply defining their product and getting their engineering and marketing efforts better aligned. He has also promoted a number of innovative New Zealand companies such as Fisher & Paykel, Formway Furniture and design agency The Church. Other pro bono work has included consulting with MFAT and KEA on the expat community in the United States and advising design taskforce representatives working on the Government’s Growth and Innovation Framework.
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Winner of the inaugural World Class New Zealander Award in 2003, Andy Lark is a global communications and marketing professional with more than 17 years of experience spanning America, Asia, Europe and New Zealand.
Born and bred in Auckland, Andy is now based in Silicon Valley, CA, USA, where he is Vice President Global Communications and Marketing for Sun Microsystems. He founded and leads “the GNOK” (Global Network of Kiwis), an organisation bringing together top Kiwi talent in the US to assist high potential technology companies break into offshore markets. As a member of the KEA executive in Silicon Valley he provides advice and contacts for New Zealand companies, and assists them in raising venture capital. Andy is also on NZTE’s ICT Advisory Board for the Silicon Valley Beachhead.
He has assisted dozens of companies with their offshore strategies and currently sits on the board of Argent Networks and the advisory board of Number 8 Ventures.
His achievements have earned him multiple awards and recognition including being named by PR Week as one of technology industry's "Most Influential" communicators. And in 2001, the corporate communications team he built, and now leads, won the “Corporate Communications Team of the Year” in PR Week's inaugural US awards.
The World Class New Zealand Awards are presented by Kea, New Zealand’s Global Talent Community, and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
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