Spotlight shines on Kiwi performance systems

March 25 2007

Global spotlight shines on Kiwi performance systems

New Zealand software company QLBS.com has helped Mauritius to a global win.

The Indian Ocean country was scored by the Geneva based International Trade Corporation (ITC) as having the best small country trade promotion agency.

The ITC is the joint technical cooperation agency of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the World Trade Organisation for business aspects of trade development. Twenty six trade organisations entered the awards.

QLBS.com has been working with Mauritius to build the business capability of its export companies. President Keith Phillips says QLBS.com was engaged to first evaluate risks the country faced from rapid and extensive deregulation, then to help develop individual company plans.

“Both government and businesses in Mauritius have an accurate picture of their strengths and weaknesses and are designing strategies to operate and grow in the newly deregulated economy,” Mr Phillips says.

QLBS.com has been working with a joint committee of New Zealand’s Ministry of Economic Development, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and members from the private sector on developing similar systems for the past four years.

Lance Wickman, the former chief operating officer of Enterprise Mauritius, says the award made in Argentina earlier this month has led to many inquiries about QLBS.com’s measurement systems. The ITC itself asked for a more in depth presentation from Mr Wickman on how QLBS.com’s systems could be applied around the world.

QLBS.com is a private North Shore based company that is a graduate of Massey University’s e-centre. It specialises in using information technology to create performance improvement systems for economic development, health and education.

Mr Phillips, who has had an international career spanning Europe, USA, Middle East, Africa and Asia, is a former director of technology venture capital firm IT Capital and former part owner of Terabyte Interactive. He is Chairman of NZX listed, payment solutions company Cadmus Technology.

Together with co-directors Steve Lewin and Margaret Mulqueen, in three years he has developed QLBS.com into an international business. Last year after Mr Phillips accompanied Prime Minister Helen Clark in a trade mission to India, QLBS.com signed a partnership agreement with CMC - a member of India’s huge TATA Group.

The agreement with CMC allows the development of scalable services through the US and United Kingdom. Mumbai based CMC, a listed company with revenues over $300 million, is introducing QLBS.com to its customer base and providing a sales force and consulting backup.

ENDS

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