Leading ‘big data’ expert to speak in New Zealand

Leading ‘big data’ expert to speak in New Zealand

New Zealand Telecommunications Forum launches the inaugural business leaders’ conference – MindStorm

AUCKLAND 21 February 2013: The New Zealand Telecommunications Forum (TCF) today announced that it will bring together world-leading business and technology speakers as part of its inaugural business leaders’ conference – MindStorm – on Thursday 18 April.

Leading international speakers David Selinger, Allison Cerra and Tim Longhurst will present alongside local thought-leaders including Tony Falkenstein and Professor Shaun Hendy in a line-up designed to challenge thinking about New Zealand’s connected business future.

Continuing the legacy of the late Sir Paul Callaghan, the fast-paced, TED-style conference will focus on how innovation in technology is helping build the foundations of New Zealand’s business success in an increasingly digital and mobile era – and what businesses can do to take advantage of the opportunities these provide.

The conference will take place on Thursday April 18, at the Auckland Viaduct Events Centre.

“Technology is no longer just the domain of the IT department; it’s an integral part of any business strategy. Organisations know they need to address the challenges and opportunities arising from the convergence of social media, big data, analytics and cloud, but doing this can sometimes seem bigger than Ben Hur given the pace at which change is occurring,” says TCF CEO David Stone.

“The MindStorm conference will not be about sitting still and listening; it’s about being inspired to think, talk and share experiences as speakers and attendees look at the challenges and opportunities for New Zealand businesses. The content isn’t aimed at the IT department – MindStorm will address the issues facing New Zealand companies – and at the moment, it just so happens that many of these relate to technology.”

In addition to engaging and inspiring thought-leaders, the conference will also showcase innovative local success stories, and provide the opportunity to hear from the next generation of business leaders through an under 30’s panel discussion.

Speakers for the day include:

•David Selinger, CEO and co-founder of Rich Relevance, is a world-renowned expert in the field of eCommerce data analytics. When leading Amazon’s Data Mining and Personalisation team he increased Amazon’s profit by over $50 million, setting the industry standard for personalisation.

•Allison Cerra, vice-president of marketing and communications for Alcatel-Lucent, and co-author of “The Shift: The Evolving Market, Players and Business Models in a 2.0 World.” Allison is a specialist in emerging end-user broadband trends and helping organisations realise the market potential for next-generation services.

•Tim Longhurst, futurist. Tim is one of the world’s leading authorities on innovation and corporate strategy.

•Tony Falkenstein, CEO Red Eagle Corporation. Tony has been a leading CEO for more than 30 years, of subsidiaries of multinational companies, two NZX-listed companies, and for the past 25 years, his own family company, Red Eagle Corporation Limited. He was instrumental in establishing New Zealand’s first secondary-level business school at Onehunga High School, with a goal - satisfied in 2010 - of introducing ‘business’ as a subject in the National Curriculum.

•Professor Shaun Hendy, Professor of Computational Physics at Victoria University of Wellington, Deputy Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and an Industry and Outreach Fellow for Industrial Research Limited. Professor Hendy was chosen to by Sir Paul Callaghan to continue his writing on innovation, and has been honoured for his work and commentary on the links between science, technology and economic prosperity.

“We’re thrilled that, thanks to the support of our members, we’re able to bring together a line-up of speakers of this calibre. New Zealand is known as an ‘innovative nation’ that punches far above its weight. As an industry, we want to continue to help foster our can-do attitude by helping companies navigate their way through an increasingly digitally connected environment and to find ways to take advantage of the opportunities this provides,” says Stone.

A full list of speakers can be found online at www.mindstorm.co.nz Tickets to the event can also be purchased through this site for $495+gst.

The MindStorm conference is proudly supported by Chorus; Telecom; Vodafone; 2Degrees and Kordia.

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