We're a diverse bunch here at Optimation, with staff from around the world who can boast an impressive array of skills and qualifications.

But we all share a common delight in solving tough problems and we’re constantly on the lookout for smart, practical ideas you can use to improve the way you do business.

 

Neil Butler

Neil Butler

Chairman and Founder

Neil founded Optimation in 1992 and is committed to seeing the company and the ICT Industry grow, succeed, and create employment for New Zealanders.  He is looking at strategic partnerships and deepening Optimation's specialisations. He is also focused on developing Optimation Ventures, a vehicle to explore emerging technologies and joint ventures to develop IP we can share with our clients and leverage globally.

Neil is actively involved in a number of industry groups and he is a member of the Institute of Directors. He continues to work with ICT sector groups, undertaking some independent directorships and mentoring.

 

Alex Bouma

Alex Bouma

Chief Executive Officer

Alex is responsible for driving and executing a value growth strategy for the Optimation Group of companies across New Zealand and Australia. This includes building on existing long-term relationships with key clients, evaluating and supporting long-range and non-BAU initiatives, and supporting  the incubation and growth of new ventures.

Alex has an extensive background in IT professional services businesses. Most recently, he was HP’s Australia and New Zealand Global Delivery Manager, responsible for the Christchurch and Adelaide Application Services 'Near-Shore' Centres delivery across Australia and New Zealand. A committed Cantabrian, Alex has also served as Chair of the Canterbury Employment and Skills Board where he helped focus and drive local skills development as part of the rebuild.

Vikki Forster

Vikki Forster

General Manager, Business Enablement

Vikki's role encompasses People & Culture and Administration with a key focus on building and maintaining high performance teams. Vikki is responsible for developing our people initiatives to ensure the implementation of leading talent programmes aligned to our strategy and with the welfare and development of our people foremost. Vikki has held both HR and recruitment roles for IT, Telecommunications and Utilities companies both here in New Zealand and in London. 

Carl Church

Carl Church

Chief Operating Officer

Carl works cross-functionally across all areas of the business. He has a focus on enabling Optimation to execute on business strategies and grow value and has specific responsibility for Optimation’s finance, legal and business operations teams. Prior to joining Optimation, Carl was the COO at a maturing disrupter in the energy sector, and before that he held a regional leadership role within Deloitte's Asia Pacific Financial Services practice.

Carl is a Chartered Accountant and has been admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in New Zealand. He is originally from Southland, of Ngāi Tahu descent, and has lived and worked in London, Hong Kong and New Zealand.

Campbell Hepburn

Campbell Hepburn

General Manager, Presto Resourcing Options

Campbell has 20 years’ experience working with New Zealand employers and diverse candidate groups, and has thrived upon exposure to the diversity in people and business. He has joined the Optimation Group to lead our resourcing arm, Presto Resourcing Options (PRO), following senior roles with Beyond Recruitment, H2R Consulting and Hudson.

Campbell has a strong interpersonal style and takes the time to learn and understand the organisation he is working with. He is committed to finding tailored resourcing solutions that are right for business needs, and is focused on practical outcomes. 

Suji Madan

Suji Madan

Director, Consulting

Suji heads up our Consulting business and has over 20 years of experience in consulting and leadership positions. She has covered a wide variety of roles including programme and project management, business and pre-sales spanning a large number of projects and consulting roles. In particular, she has  extensive experience offering strategic technology and infrastructure consulting at managerial and executive levels.

David Norman

David Norman

Director, Delivery

David heads up the substantive Delivery arm of Optimation. He looks after after all of the customer delivery for the Build and Integration teams, and is also responsible for the service delivery of all support and maintenance SLAs. 

David has a strong track record in the information technology and services industry. His recent professional experience has included senior roles managing delivery for large and complex organisations like Kiwirail. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) from Auckland University, with a focus in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

John Watson

John Watson

Sales Director

John leads Optimation’s national team of Client Directors and is responsible for building strong and enduring client relationships across our New Zealand business. He is committed to fostering a consultative culture that ensures Optimation enjoys win-win partnerships with our clients by delivering solutions that generate sustained business value.

John has an extensive background in Sales, Marketing and General Management in the New Zealand ICT sector. As Sales Director and General Manager, he helped to grow a New Zealand start-up into a major player in the telco sector. More recently, he held a specialist position in Business Continuity Solutions.

Petar Bielovich

Petar Bielovich

General Manager OGA (Australia)

Petar has an impressive history in consulting and leadership positions and heads up OGA (Optimation Group Australia). Petar has over 20 years experience in Professional Services during which he has led the integration of ideas, people, strategies, processes and technology. Working for ThoughtWeb, PwC, IBM and now OGA, he has worked across the industries of Aerospace & Defence, Industrial Products, Consumer Products, Banking, Professional Services and Government, in South Africa, USA and Australia.