Christchurch-based hydro engineering company HydroWorks Limited has raised more than $1.5 million from its pre-IPO offer. Following the drive, Ventnor Capital have been named corporate advisors ahead of HydroWorks’ anticipated listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

HydroWorks designs, builds and upgrades hydro generation plants. HydroWorks CEO Andrew Rodwell said the fundraising is a “key moment” in the company’s history.

HydroWorks is looking to list on the ASX in the first quarter of 2017.

Orion Health is investing significantly in new analytics and machine learning applications as it embarks on a hiring programme to acquire what it hopes will be the best analytics talent in Aotearoa. Leading the Analytics team is Peter McCallum, who has over 15 years’ experience working exclusively in the business intelligence, data warehousing and data analytics domains. He joins Orion Health from Spark’s data solutions company Qrious, where he was head of data & insights and was responsible for helping customers understand how data can improve business outcomes through the delivery of smart data solutions.

Orion CEO Ian McCrae said he believed McCallum’s skills and experience will enable the company to attract the brightest analytics team in the country. “Machine learning is becoming increasingly important in the delivery of software that enables the practice of precision medicine or personalised healthcare,” he said. “We are now focussed on boosting our ability to provide data insights that will help our customers improve their delivery of healthcare. We already have a talented analytics team based at our US headquarters in Arizona, but we need a team in Auckland where the majority of our research and development team of over 500 people are based.”

Peter McCallum.

Spark is moving its Xtra email service to New Zealand-owned email provider SMX. The company will progressively move Xtra customers to the new email platform over a three-month period from January 2017. All customers will keep their existing Xtra email address.

Spark Home, Mobile and Business CEO, Jason Paris says that its decision to partner with Auckland-based SMX is great news for customers and for New Zealand business. “Our customers tell us that their email service, including their @xtra.co.nz email address, is critically important to them. After a positive nine-year relationship with Yahoo, we have decided to transition our email service to SMX, a New Zealand based provider. We know that email is a critically important service to our customers and we are dedicated to making this transition as seamless as possible for our users.”

Last year, Spark moved more than 11,000 Spark business mailboxes to SMX on its new Business email platform.

Cyber Toa, previously the cyber division of Total Risk, has appointed Mandy Simpson as CEO. Simpson joins Cyber Toa from NZX, where she was COO for the past four years.

Simpson brings with her more than 20 years’ experience in New Zealand and the UK. She has a law degree from Cambridge University and an Executive Master’s degree from Victoria University of Wellington. She is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. “I’m excited to be joining Cyber Toa in this key growth phase,” she said. “As the use of technology accelerates in all areas of our business and personal lives, the need for qualified, capable cyber security professionals has never been clearer. With Cyber Toa’s world class expertise, and in partnership with Victoria University, we’ll be able to make a significant difference to our clients’ ability to respond to this growing threat.”

Mandy Simpson.

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