2017 Awards Judges

Dr Andrew Kelly is a founder and co-CEO of BioPacific Partners, a business dedicated to bridging the best of life science innovations into global markets. His breadth of contacts and experience with multinational corporates is unparalleled in New Zealand.

Andrew previously founded New Zealand’s first specialist life science venture fund, the $100 million BioPacificVentures which invested in health, food & agriculture start-ups across New Zealand & Australia. Prior to that he has had long experience in product development, in research management and in R&D in both New Zealand & Australia.

Paul Dyson, Entrepreneur and non-Exec Director
Paul has worked in international technology companies in 5 countries and has broad experience in the development, sales, marketing, general management and governance of a wide variety of technologies – principally in the healthcare, SaaS and in light electric vehicles (LEVs). He is currently Chairman of SimTutor  and a Director of SIMTICS.  In addition, for the past 12 years Paul has managed the business in the Middle East and Africa for ResMed (NYSE: RMD) and 2 years ago co-founded Scarecrow - Cafe, Grocer, Restaurant - showcasing the best of Auckland’s regional artisan food and wine producers.

Rob Heebink, Research and Development Executive, Gallagher
Rob stepped into the R&D Executive role at Gallagher in 2008 after holding a variety of senior R&D management positions in New Zealand-based global technology companies. Rob is an experienced executive with extensive international experience in operations and R&D management. With his unique combination of Engineering and International Business Strategy qualifications and experience, Rob specialises in aligning R&D activities with business strategy and developing R&D as a strategic capability for sustainable growth and competitive advantage in international business.

Bridget Coates is co-founder of Kura™, the consumer nutrition division of California-based White Cloud Nutrition, LLC. She is also Chair of the Board of Directors for White Cloud Dairy Innovation Ltd, a New Zealand food and beverage innovation hub which is committed to taking the very best of New Zealand’s outstanding food and beverage products and ingredients to world markets.

Bridget was instrumental in the establishment of ArcAngels, an angel investment network. She is a current director of the Board of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and has held several director-level board leadership positions in the past - Fisher and Paykel Appliances Holdings, Sky City, UniServices and the Council of the University of Auckland. She has managed an investment company in New York, focused on investments in healthy living companies.

Prior to that, Bridget was the chief operating officer of New York City’s strategic innovation consulting firm, Fahrenheit 212. Bridget was the inaugural chair of the ICEHOUSE, an incubator developed to create business opportunities between the University of Auckland and the wider business and government community. Bridget also held leadership roles in the Knowledge Wave Trust and in KEA, the global kiwi network.