SHE# @ MICROSOFT
Location: Held at Microsoft Building, Auckland | Date: Held on Wednesday 27th April, 2016
SheSharp joined with Microsoft for an evening with cupcakes, champagne and lightning talks!
This event brought speakers from various parts of the tech industry together for an evening of demos, lightning talks, networking and cupcakes. We were even lucky enough to get to try out the first ever Microsoft HoloLens in New Zealand!
Our speakers included Federica from Orion Health, Lance from Trade Me, Ella from Spark Ventures and Donna and Rocky from Microsoft. Attendees got to hear about analytics, the cute smart bin, Microsoft HoloLens and precision medicine.
Read more about our fantastic lightning speakers below!
OUR SPEAKERS
Donna Wright
Business Strategy Director, MICROSOFT
Donna joined Microsoft in 2010 as Microsoft NZ Services Director, leading the Microsoft Consulting and Support teams to enable Microsoft’s Enterprise Customers through use of Microsoft solutions. After a leave of absence in 2015, Donna returned full time to Microsoft in January 2016 as Business Strategy Director, with a prime focus on developing the Subsidiary’s growth and transformation strategy.
Prior to joining Microsoft Donna spent 15 years in the Airline Industry across New Zealand and Australia, responsible for developing IT strategy and leading change with a focus on e-commerce and digital transformation, business intelligence and marketing solutions. After leaving Air NZ in 2004, Donna spent 6 years as the CIO of Coca-Cola Amatil NZ enabling business initiatives across mobile sales, automated warehousing and implementing the global Coca-Cola Bottler SAP ERP solution. Donna has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Masters of Business Administration from Auckland University.
Rocky Heckman
HoloLens Business Development Manager – APJ, MICROSOFT
Rocky is the regional manager for HoloLens at Microsoft. With the new era of computing emerging through holographic computing, Microsoft’s HoloLens is the world’s first fully untethered holographic computer. Designed to being the digital world into the physical world, HoloLens has opened up a world of possibilities for Microsoft and its customers and partners. Driving this initiative is all part of his larger goal to enable the Digital Society.
Rocky regularly presents at major Microsoft events and major industry events such as Microsoft Ignite. With 18 years of experience in all facets of software development he has worked with governments, law enforcement, aviation, health care, financial, game studio and ISV audiences. Prior to his life in computers, Rocky was an aircraft mechanic, worked at Cape Canaveral, and several US government contractors.
Lance Witheridge
Insights Analyst, TRADEME
I’m originally from London, where I accidentally embarked on a tech career after a temping job became a permanent job and then a 10-year contracting position. I worked as a software developer for JP Morgan’s Equities division in London and Tokyo (and from home in Christchurch), before moving to a similar role in Westpac’s Financial Markets team in Auckland.
I moved into an Analytics role in Westpac’s mortgages team, before leaving the world of banking (and suit-wearing) to my current role as an Insights Analyst at Trade Me. I am sufficiently old to have once attended a workshop where we were invited to find out more about this new thing called “the internet” and to work out whether there may be a way to make money out of it. I’m enjoying finally getting to put that into practice.
Federica Lanzo
Technical Business Analyst,
ORION HEALTH
ORION HEALTH
Federica is a Technical Business Analyst for the Data line of business, focused on modelling, storage, and retrieval of clinical data. She has been involved in strategic projects for North American and European customers, with the opportunity to widen her knowledge in insurance data.
She joined Orion Health three years ago as a Graduate Software Test Engineer and since then, thanks to the improved technical skills acquired, she worked her way into a BA role.
Federica has a degree in Biomedical Engineering with a 2 years specialization in Bioinformatics. Science and medicine are her passion, she could not be more excited to present Precision Medicine on behalf of Orion Health.
Ella Obreja
Head of Product, LIGHTBOX
