Global Leaders to Judge PwC NZ Hi-Tech Awards
Michael Dell, influential founder of computer company Dell Inc, will join Cisco's senior vice president, Howard Charney, IDG Ventures SF Managing Director, Patrick Kenealy, Kiwi expatriate Andrew Lark and Edward Farmer, a director of UK based corporate stock broking company Panmure Gordon, as international judges for this year's PricewaterhouseCoopers NZ Hi-Tech Awards.
Now in its 16th year, the awards also feature a thirty-strong panel of local judges led by convener Garth Biggs. In addition to the international judges, a local panel of recognised industry leaders, will give finalists in the company and product based category categories an opportunity to present face-to-face as part of the judging process. The international panel will also remotely assess entries from the finalists in the categories they are judging, exposing these Kiwi entrants to globally influential individuals.
Chair of the NZ Hi-Tech Association, Wayne Norrie reports a stronger than usual interest in this year's awards which he believes is driven by a desire to celebrate the successes the industry is achieving despite the global downturn. "Hi-tech remains one of New Zealand's best kept secrets. The industry isn't good at promoting its achievements but as we approach a NZ$2billion contribution in exports, involving people like Michael Dell, Howard Charney, Patrick Kenealy, Andrew Lark and Edward Farmer in the PricewaterhouseCoopers NZ Hi-Tech Awards remains one of our best platforms to do this."