As CEO, John will be working with the board and his new team to ensure the Network for Learning brings the best content and services to New Zealand schools at affordable prices.

For the three years prior to joining N4L, John was CEO of internet and data centre services provider Maxnet, where in addition to growing and grooming the company for its eventual sale, he observed some of the technology issues schools are struggling with. John has also held key roles on the executive management teams at IBM, Solnet and Computerland.

“I love tech and am passionate about not allowing the digital divide to take hold in New Zealand. I’m humbled by the opportunity to lead a business that can alter the landscape of education and digital literacy in New Zealand, and ultimately drive outcomes for NZ Inc."

As CFO, Patrick is responsible for all financial reporting, financial analysis and accounting activities, as well as leading on legal, corporate affairs, strategy and administrative matters.

During a lengthy career for Ford Motor Company, Patrick held senior posts in various global locations, most recently as CFO of Ford New Zealand. He moved into the world of technology in 2012 taking up an interim assignment as CFO of Rex Bionics, an innovative personal mobility robotics company. Patrick is a Chartered Accountant and is Chair of the Board of Directors of Variety, the Children's Charity.

As CTO, Jeremy will design the network that will connect the schools to a safe, secure and high-quality online learning environment. This will involve working with the selected retail internet service provider/s to ensure the schools receive guaranteed network performance levels and minimum internet speeds regardless of their location and time of day.

Jeremy is now a key member of the team working to finalise the service provider selection process. With the need to ensure that the managed network for schools is guaranteed , reliable, uncapped, and at speeds well exceeding what they are currently experiencing, the decision is now expected to be announced in the coming months.

With over 12 years experience as an architect, consultant and engineer, Jeremy brings a wealth of experience to N4L. In addition to his previous roles as the lead technology architect and product development manager at a prominent internet services provider and datacentre company, Jeremy helped lead the first deployment of a centralised Learning System in the UK.

“When the opportunity arose to join N4L and I saw the potential it had to provide such positive outcomes the appeal was irresistible. Having worked in areas of the education sector in the past, I know that unique challenges come with the territory. The combination being part of this springboard for our children, and the challenge of actually delivering on its potential, is something that really excites me.“

Chris is responsible for the content and services appearing across the N4L network. This includes evaluating and securing arrangements with companies that provide solutions which allow schools to consume, share, store and create information anywhere and anytime. These innovative solutions will be introduced progressively and will be designed to inspire students and educators to create high-quality e-learning experiences in a secure online environment.

Chris has more than 20 years of technology experience in the UK and NZ. Prior to joining N4L he was a principal architect at Gen-i, where he looked at how cloud computing and mobile technologies could be applied to achieve demonstrable benefits to customers.

“I’m passionate about communities, both real and virtual, and the technologies that support them so I jumped at the chance to be part of a nationwide project to help the most important community of all, our children, prepare for the future. This is what technology should be used for – making a real, demonstrable day-to-day difference to the quality of people’s lives both now and for tomorrow.”

Carolyn will be working collaboratively with principals, school leaders and other education sector representatives to ensure N4L’s services and operations are constantly in tune with their needs.

She will be responsible for alerting N4L to the opportunities and challenges facing schools as they progress on their journey of embracing new technologies and digital learning resources into the classroom.

Carolyn comes to N4L following 13 years as a principal; firstly at a rural school in Canterbury and most recently at Wellington’s Tawa Intermediate. In recent years Tawa Intermediate has welcomed many visitors who have come to witness the school’s use of a number cloud-based applications. Many of her students have brought their own devices, as she’s encouraged their use to complement the e-learning experience.

“All NZ kids deserve to learn in schools that are relevant to the age in which they live. To achieve this schools need to work together and I have joined N4L to help facilitate this.”

You are going to see a lot of Andy. He’s responsible for introducing the education sector to N4L, explaining what the company is trying to achieve and how it’s going to get there. Most importantly, he’ll be actively liaising with the school communities (principals, school leaders, teachers, students, trustees and families) to ensure N4L is responsive to their evolving needs. Andy is part of the team that will provide regular updates on N4L’s progress and activities, including stories from schools who have signed up to N4L services.

Before moving into the world of technology, Andy was involved with social justice efforts in Australia, the US and Europe, where he worked with non-profit organisations and schools to help drive community transformations.

Prior to joining N4L Andy ran a residential internet service provider where he managed marketing and communications to wholesalers and residents, while delivering new products and services across the network. His startup experience includes founding an online backup solution business, which became the largest of its kind in New Zealand within two years.

“New Zealand is already a great place to live but there's still work to be done to further reach our potential. I gave up my imagined dream job overseas for what has turned out to be my actual dream job here at N4L and am loving it! Being part of something that helps shape our countries future is an exciting opportunity, one that I'm relishing.”

Jenna will be helping Chris' team to evaluate and select the content and services offered on N4L's managed network.

Prior to joining N4L Jenna was a project manager with the New Zealand Telecommunications Forum (TCF) where she worked on several Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) projects as well as the telecommunication companies involved in the Christchurch rebuild. She has held several other analyst roles, including five years as an industry analyst with IDC.

“As a mother with four children at home I have a vested interest in educational achievement. N4L will enable the use of technology in a way that engages students and makes learning an interactive experience. I'm here to play a part in this, taking on a challenging role and supporting amazing outcomes for our children.”

Steve’s job is to work with the vendors selected to build N4L's managed network, ensuring that it is built according to schedule, so that schools can get connected in a timely and seamless manner. He will also ensure a programme is in place to allow the N4L team to add premium learning and teaching resources to the network as quickly as possible.

Before joining N4L, Steve worked in a variety of senior management roles spanning business, technology and public service sectors.

“After meeting with John and Jeremy and then a visit to the website I was convinced I wanted to be part of this significant change to the traditional education paradigm. I also have a 12 year-old son who is a Visual Spatial Learner; from a parent’s perspective the outcomes of N4L were wholly aligned with his need - and those of many other students - to learn 'differently' and to be well prepared for the digital generation. I'm hooked.”

Paul will lead the team providing technical support services to schools, ensuring the experience of using N4L’s managed network and services is consistently positive and highly rewarding. He will design and oversee N4L’s customer services centre, responding to any questions, concerns and feedback schools may have.

Once the network has been built, N4L will be working as efficiently as possible to get schools connected seamlessly, ensuring the right level of support is provided along the way. Paul’s team will monitor every school’s connection to the network, making sure it is working at all times. In addition to supporting the schools’ network connectivity, the customer services team will support the content and services offered over its infrastructure. The teaching, learning and related resources, eg learning management systems, will be added over time. N4L will be constantly reaching out to schools to seek input on the network's content. Suggestions from schools can also be made to the customer support team via phone, email, and several social media channels.

Paul joins N4L following a 15-year history leading customer service teams for internet and telecommunication companies. Many of his customers were schools and businesses.

“We have a unique opportunity to make a difference within New Zealand schools through technology and I bought into N4L's vision of unleashing learner achievement from day one. I’m obsessed with delivering an amazing, reliable, and enjoyable service to customers and am excited to be heading up the customer support team that will provide this.”

All of Kym’s efforts are aimed at keeping schools and their communities informed with what's happening at N4L, and how schools can benefit from its network and services. She will manage N4L’s digital communities, including social media, websites and blogs. Kym will also coordinate the organisation’s involvement with relevant events around the country, and will contribute to a variety of print and online collateral.

Prior to joining N4L Kym worked for a specialist ICT recruitment company where she gained a solid understanding of the New Zealand technology scene. Her strong communication skills, natural writing ability and affinity with the digital space led her to a marketing role where she was responsible for strengthening the company's brand presence and positioning as thought leaders.

“Technology is the way forward; it's an ever-evolving part of our daily lives - or at least it should be. The N4L initiative provides an opportunity to stamp out the emerging digital divide that’s emerging here in NZ and I'm excited to be a part of it."

N4L will appoint a vendor to build the network, and Clayton’s job is to build the systems responsible for monitoring, supporting and reporting on the network’s performance. He will also be deploying the technology and systems for N4L’s customer service centre. In addition, Clayton will build and maintain N4L’s internal IT systems, including its office network, telephone systems, and computing devices.

For the past 10 years, Clayton has been designing and supporting network solutions across several industries for organisations of all sizes.

“Being part of the N4L team not only allows me to work with emerging technologies, I’m also able to make a positive difference to the education space through my work. As an engineer, the creativity side of things is a unique bonus I’m also enjoying.”

Ian is part of N4L’s content and services team. He joins N4L with more than 12 years of experience designing, developing and marketing web, mobile and multimedia experiences for a wide range of organisations including schools, non-profits and businesses.

Ian’s job is to make sure schools can easily find, use and share the content and services on N4L’s network. He will design the visual and navigational elements of N4L’s online environment, making it simple and attractive for schools to use N4L while ensuring the experience is top-notch and highly rewarding. Whether logging into N4L from a computer or mobile device, Ian will ensure that what schools can see and do on the network is presented in a way that makes sense for both teachers and students.

“I'm motivated by social equity and the prevention of a potential digital divide. Having spent the last few years designing inclusive mobile solutions for Africa and the Pacific, returning my expertise to our own education system is hugely important to me."