Team

Gareth has a Diploma of Business and a penchant for tackling pesky problems with out-of-the-box thinking. He’s a consummate communicator who gets his kicks helping teams work better together and succeed. Gareth ran a behemoth sports bar/club in Swansea and has tackled business analysis and project management roles for big business and government. He’s chalked up living on an Israeli kibbutz, meeting Dave Grohl and one-day adventure races for Cure Kids. His charcoal barbecue is basically a family member.

Holly is Orbica’s uncontested office queen. She is supreme ruler of getting stuff done, keeping office processes running smoothly and fronting health and safety to make sure that we don’t kill ourselves doing something stupid. Holly likes to draw, potter in the garden, read a good spy novel or chill out watching Die Hard. She’s also a trained production make-up artist who can create a full zombie get-up should we ever need it.

Kurt is Orbica’s founder and mountain-biking CEO. Whereas a range of geospatial-shaped descriptions fit him way snugger than his fav baggies, Kurt’s strong customer focus means his specialisation lies in the geo-enabling of organisations: he identifies potential, makes connections, and turns them into an asset. His superpowers were recognised by the NZSEA with the Young Professional of the Year Award, 2016.

Dr Kurt Joy has a PHD in geology from the University of Canterbury and is one hyper-spectrally talented dude. His props include quantifying human impact on sensitive soils of Antarctica’s Dry Valley using UAV mapping and remote sensing. He’s also into a whole other kind of tech: he builds modular synthesisers for a hobby and desperately covets the TR808 drum machine that powered Public Enemy and Beastie Boys. He is currently an unpaid servant to four cats.

Mallory loves maps and their ability to communicate information and tell data stories. This explains the Bachelor of Science in Geography from University of Canterbury and her ongoing study towards a Diploma of Business at SIT. She shunned the obligatory OE to explore her own backyard in Kiwi-land, challenging herself to take on Outward Bound and learn to kayak-roll. She loves hanging out with her horse Chiquita and dreams of owning a lifestyle block. She’s a former Special Olympics equestrian teacher.

Peter is in charge of Orbica’s European operations for good reasons. As well as a BE(Hons) he holds an MBA from WHU in Germany, and has studied business and management at so many institutions it would be quicker to tick off those not on the list. His background includes the GIS consulting industry alongside Orbica’s fearless leader Kurt, and managing multiple complex turnkey industrial developments throughout Europe. He’s fluent in German, plays a mean guitar and is sickeningly fit. Just in case that’s not enough, Peter was also the recipient of the WHU Future Leaders Challenge award, 2016.

Location data specialist William has a BSc in Geology and a PGDip in GIS. He’s a critical thinker with an eye for opportunity and a knack for practical application. Wielding all the digital trickery of the spatial trade, William transforms dusty piles of data into inspiring real-world solutions. A sportsman and a qualified ski instructor, he says it comes in handy for avoiding avalanches. William also paints spectacularly.

Frenchman Antonin is a geospatial architect with one Masters in Geology and another in Computer Science with a geo focus. His professional credentials are equally two-thumbs up; his expertise is integral to the success of major GIS projects for infrastructure around the world. Antonin’s spectacular 3D platform smarts and curiosity for geo-everything drive inspiring solutions to customer needs. He strives for gold. He is an accomplished sportsman.

Sagar is a data scientist and an AI specialist with an MTech in IT. His enthusiasm for the deep space of data sends him exploring for hidden treasures using machine learning and deep learning algorithms. A multilingual coder, he is proficient in Java, Python and R. His insights solve real world complex problems: he developed the Indian space agency’s Earth rock image classification system. Sagar is equally enthusiastic for cricket. And he plays chess like a demon.

Indian-born innate philosopher Santosh is a spatial solutions specialist. And a formidable talent. He studied Mathematics, Geophysics, Economics and GIS in Texas, a lot. Santosh integrates various technologies to problem-solve and develop enterprising spatial solutions that make Orbica clients very happy. Santosh is a world adventurer. Travelling makes him very happy – see him smile.

Suvarna is Master of Science in Computer Networks and the mechanic who keeps the Orbica rocket ship engine humming. She’s constantly tuning efficiencies that automate the everyday stuff so the whole team can operate in hyperdrive. She specialises in business applications, is a SharePoint guru, and technology is her tool of choice to beat pesky, complex data problems into shape. Out of work she’s an adventure seeker who loves silver screen treasure hunting flicks.

Shanghai native Jiaxin has a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Science and Technology in Beijing and a Master of Computer Science from the University of Edinburgh. He’s also got a sweet spot for good-looking code: away from work he’s wrangling Python to teach his robot car to auto-pilot for fun. While he misses good Chinese dumplings and 24-hour home deliveries, he loves living in NZ, jogging, fishing, travelling, stargazing and watching science fiction movies. He’s a mean badminton player.

Stefan is a Berlin native and true geo-geek. He has a Master’s degree in geography from Heidelberg University with a thesis on using laser scanning to automatically detect changes to the snow surface on Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. He’s equally code-savvy with full-stack design talent. When he’s not fixing computers for friends, you’ll find Stefan running, climbing and walking or cycling long distances. To wind down, he schools up on the latest politics, sports and tech news. He’s an effective altruism believer and part-time drummer.

Shady has a Degree in Management Information Systems and since getting his first GIS job in 2007 hasn’t looked back!
His study and career path have taken him from Egypt to Saudi Arabia and Singapore before he finally settled his feet here in NZ with his family. Working in the domains of infrastructure, archiving, reporting and tracking makes Shady a key player in any project and his enthusiasm to learn is catchy. Shady isn’t all tech though, on the weekends he will be out exploring his new homes hiking trails and getting his garden tiptop.

Anna studied geography in Budapest and continued her studies in geoinformation science at the Technical University of Berlin. Having a geographer's mindset, she likes to learn about everything. She has also gained some experience in logistics. In her spare time, she likes hiking, cycling or just chilling outside, not to mention that she is a huge fan of Z movies.

As a Belgian with Master degrees in Social Sciences and Geography & Geomatics Tijs knows how to deal with a complex geography. After a decade of experience as a GIS consultant, he feels comfortable in hanging out in the Esri suite and actually in any location in the full stack. Tijs enjoys an active living with his family and his bikes.

Bulgarian-born Manuela is an aspiring GIS Engineer with a passion for web and mobile app development. She has a BSc in Geography and a MSc in Geomatics. She is an organized and hard-working individual who strives to achieve optimal results. Having worked for international companies across multiple sectors such as Geo-ICT, navigation systems, architecture and construction, she has a broad knowledge in spatial data analysis and visualization, product design and development, as well as process optimization and automation. In her spare time, she likes playing board games with friends, walking in nature with her dog, and dancing.

Joo-Hyun completed his Masters of Applied Data Science at University of Canterbury, and he is interested in fusion methods between Geospatial and Machine Learning/Deep Learning technology.

He loves a word 'diversity' in that its gives us more ideas, and different perspectives, helping to drive innovation and solve problems in new, novel ways. He fits like a glove to the Orbica culture.