Pingar is Recruiting

Through January, Pingar is recruiting.

We will be recruiting for positions in both market development and sales orientated functions. Specific recruitment requirements and announcements will be made via this blog through the month.

Make sure you check back for updates.

The Jade Connection

On Wednesday this week, Jacqui and I spent the day with Gill Davidson, my sister, and her family in Yorkshire. Gill is Group Company Secretary of the Skipton Building Society.

The Skipton Building Society is the largest shareholder of Jade Software, a significant software business in Christchurch, New Zealand.

So there we have it. Peter...Gill...Jade. The classic NZ network schema. Two degrees of separation and a connection is made.

The Belated Happy Xmas!

A Happy Christmas - US Style

It's taken time. About a week in fact. And I thought NZ had connectivity issues

Father had none...big sister had none. So tonight I am sitting in Knutsford, Cheshire, with my first broadband connection for a week. And tomorrow I head for the hills. For Portmadog and Snowdonia for the New Year. And no doubt a further search for that allusive Internet connection. Let's just hope that Wales has got it right.

For those not bothered by the detail, a very belated Happy Christmas greeting! I hope normal service resumes soon.

Lytham Bound

The Windmill on Lytham Green

Tonight, Jacqui and I have a farewell Xmas dinner with friends in London. Tomorrow, we head off to Lytham for the Christmas break.

In days gone by that would have been it for two weeks. Not today. With HBI Software working between Xmas & New Year in Bangalore and various associated commitments, the family will have to get used to me working. And I will have to get used to finding wi-fi.

Lytham is my home town. It will be my first home visit since July 2006. This time tomorrow, I will be there. So I hope is some connectivity!

The Carlton Club

Interior Staircase at the Carlton

Dinner at the Carlton Club tonight with Sir David Mitchell will be special.

Back in the late '70s, early 80's, I played a modest role in the Conservative Party and still remember visiting the Carlton Club on different occasions.

Whilst London might have changed quite a bit in the past few years, some things have not. That I suspect includes 'The Club'. So I guess tonight it will be a gin and tonic in a well-worn Chesterfield. Neither shaken, nor stirred.

Re-establishing the Network

I met up with Jim Richardson of Baker Tilly yesterday.

I have known Jim for a number of years. He is Company Secretary of HB Internet and has been a source of good advice to me for a long time. We discussed the establishment of Pingar in the UK and ways in which Baker Tilly could assist.

This was always going to be an important meeting on this trip. Getting the structure right will help Pingar's long-term development. This involves getting the right professional advice. Further meetings are planned in January as we begin to build our presence here. It was good to meet up again.

NW6 Revisited

West Hampstead in the Snow

Meeting up with friends in West Hampstead has been great. This was after all, my home for almost 15 years.

It has been interesting to listen to their take on the business environment they now experience in the UK. Without exception, they complain about an increase in compliance costs and the levels of regulation. And they think it will only get worse.

Yet despite the complaints, they all appear to be doing well. I think it comes down partly to the size of the domestic market. Whatever the business pressures, working in a city of 10 million people, and a country of 60 million, provides opportunities that are simply not available in New Zealand.

This is reinforced by the fact that they do not talk about 'export'. I experience exactly the same conversations in the United States. The domestic market is so large, going global is not necessary for most enterprising businesses. How different from NZ. But then that is why I am here. To engage a NZ business in the global market.

FRST for Pingar

Part of Pingar's platform development strategy involves working with the University of Waikato Computer Science Department. This Department has a world-class reputation for its knowledge of this area. We are contracting Waikatolink to work alongside our own development team in Bangalore to create complex algorithms that will support different elements of machine learning technology.

So it was great to receive the news that FRST has agreed to provide the Technology for Business Growth grant that Pingar has applied for to part fund this work. For companies engaged in research and development in New Zealand, FRST fulfills a key role. Its grant will enable Pingar to accelerate its development program and deliver a more complete solution in the shortest possible time.

London First

After 18 months, I finally stepped out in London yesterday.

The morning was spent with Michelle Templer, NZ Trade Commissioner to the UK and Ireland at NZ House in Haymarket. Jacqui and John Beer joined me and it was yet another great opportunity to introduce Pingar to NZTE during a market visit.

Of course, the UK is not a new market to me. Having spent the best part of 46 years domiciled in the country, it was more of a return to basics. Yet it is now important as part of the overall engagement strategy that NZTE remain a key focus of our offshore activity.

In the evening, it was dinner with a potential distributor of the Pingar platform to the Chinese language market. We plan to launch a Chinese language version of Pingar at DRUPA in May, so as a follow-up to the recent visit to Hong Kong, it could not have been better timed.

Between these two meetings, we found time to conclude the Pingar Board meeting. A number of key targets have been set and these will now set the tone for our product and market development strategy for the first quarter 2008.

There was time for a final visit of the day - to the 77 Wine Bar in West Hampstead. For some, it is an occasional drop in bar. For the best part of fifteen years however, it fulfilled a much greater role for me. It was here that I first met Jacqui. So time to reflect and time to remember.

The Wyboston Lakes Agenda

Friday saw the first series of meetings for my UK visit.

We held the meetings at Wyboston Lakes, the business park just outside Cambridge. It was my first visit to the facility and I was joined by Jacqui and John Beer as we toured the site. It gave me a chance to catch up with Jan Andrews of East of England International again, together with members of her team. More about that, later in this trip.

It is the type of facility Tauranga could benefit from. As well as providing cost-effective and pretty flexible office accommodation, the on site accommodation blocks, conference facilities and other services created a campus style feel.

Friday also saw the start of the Pingar Board Meeting which we have been planning for some weeks. It was adjourned and will be concluded today in London, following a meeting with NZTE at the New Zealand High Commission. The week ahead has filled up nicely. I will blog on the events as they happen.

Smart-Analytics Embedded into Microsoft Office 2007

Microsoft announced yesterday that Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 1 had been released at least one month ahead of schedule.

Its release means that Smart-Analytics is finally embedded into The Microsoft Office 2007 Suite's research function. It's taken a long time, but finally it has happened.

Well done to everyone associated with the design and build of the Smart-Analytics portal - particularly the development & research teams at HBI Software Pvt Ltd, in Bangalore.

Kimpton Village

Kimpton Village

Kimpton is a picturesque village in Hertfordshire, just north of London. It is also home to my sister Annie. It is currently 9.25am and the temperature outside is -3c. So I am getting the Xmas build up that I like.

Tomorrow, I have the first of a number of meetings scheduled between now and the festive season. Today though is time to go through emails and time to try and shake off the effects of having flown through 8 time zones in the past 24 hours. Tomorrow, the hard work begins.

Farewelling Hong Kong

I am leaving Hong Kong for London in four hours time.

The last 48 hours have allowed me to get at least a feel for the opportunity that establishing a presence here will offer Pingar. A key part of that process was assisted by my meeting yesterday with the team at NZTE.

Apart from meeting up with David Wishart, Trade Commissioner Hong Kong & Macau, I had the chance to meet up with Jane Lin, Trade Development Executive (ICT) and Heidi Chan, Investment Manager - Greater China. I learnt a lot about NZTE's own work in the North Asia region. Working out of seven regional offices, the Hong Kong facility is the North Asia regional HQ. And the opportunity for networking and engagement with Pingar are real.

When I return to New Zealand from the UK, I will be stopping off for further meetings with NZTE here. But before then, it is time to get on the Airport Express and prepare for the flight to Heathrow. UK, here I come!

HK is KO

Having spent 24 hours now, working my way around Hong Kong and Kowloon, I am impressed. And not just by the scale of development I have seen everywhere.

Speaking to people in business, Hong Kong appears to be a very positive place to work from. Regulation is relatively light, taxes are low and the proximity of mainland China make it an attractive proposition. And even though HK is now part of the Peoples Republic of China, capitalism is the order of the day.

This is epitomised by the view of Donald Tsang, Hong Kong's Chief Executive. The continued boom in China, he says, has aided and abetted Hong Kong's economic surge. By adopting the 'one country, two systems' model, Hong Kong is able to continue to operate as an advanced capitalist state, albeit within the socialist Peoples Republic.

This afternoon, I have my meeting at the NZ High Commission. It will enable me to find out practical support NZTE can offer Pingar in the future. As part of the follow-up process, I will be visiting here again on the return trip to NZ from the UK. On the basis of the feedback in the first 24 hours, I will be back.

HK is OK

The Hong Kong Skyline

Hong Kong is similar to Tauranga in one respect. They are both home to significant sea ports. Beyond that however, the similarity really ends.

Traveling into Kowloon on the Airport Express this morning, one could only be impressed by the sight of significant, major commercial construction being undertaken. It is the same in Singapore, the same in in Kuala Lumpar and the same in Beijing & Shanghai. Asia is growing fast economically and the signs of this are everywhere.

It makes my meetings here over the next two days particularly relevant. Hong Kong is in many ways still a 'gateway' to China. Chinese engagement here is now 100% and the trade between HK and mainland China has grown expotentially. Pingar has identified China as a key long-term market. My meetings over the next two days will hopefully begin to move that process forward.

Christmas is coming

A Pohutekawa Tree - The New Zealand Christmas Tree

I can see the Pohutekawa trees coming into bloom across the Bay from the deck. That means one thing. Christmas and summer are both just around the corner.

In one week of course, I will be in the UK. The Pohutekawas will be replaced by oaks and summer will be replaced by winter. The nights will draw in and fires will be the order of the day. To me though, that is Christmas as I know it. It will be good to be back.

Global Engagement

New Zealand - the dot, bottom right

As I prepare to depart NZ, the globe above does emphasis just how far we are based from global markets. Over the past few months, I have been to a number of presentations focused on Export Year 2007. One common thread has emerged from them. That is the need to spend time offshore to engage with and build sustainable overseas relationships.

That is why I prefer the term 'Global Engagement' to 'Export'. It more properly describes the reality of working overseas markets. It describes the whole picture, not just the sales focus.

Over the next few weeks, I intend to blog about my different experiences to help describe this approach to global engagement. It promises to be an exciting period ahead.

Sub-Prime UK

Until recently, I thought the term 'sub-prime' refered to the chiller wrapped steak I used to buy in UK supermarkets. Recent events in the US have changed all that.

So it is with interest that I return to the UK at a time when the fall-out appears to be spreading quite quickly across the Atlantic. The headlines in the online British media make a number of telling observations. Sterlings 3c decline against the US dollar overnight being just one. House prices are now falling in real terms and growth figures for 2008 are being slashed.

In New Zealand, we have been pretty much sheltered from the worst of the US's sub-prime mortgage market collapse. For how long however can that situation remain? My visit to the UK may indicate a foretaste of what is to come.

Trade Shows 08

As we approach the end of the year, I am beginning to think about the key Trade Shows that Pingar needs to attend in 2008.

The first 'cab off the rank' is FASTForward 08 in Orlando, USA in February. The industry's largest business and technology conference dedicated to search-driven innovation, FASTforward '08 features business tracks that spotlight search technology in a variety of industries including media, entertainment, and communications; retail; advertising; financial services; and government.

Pingar deploys the FAST ESP platform to drive the contextualisation search technology that helps deliver Pingar's dynamic reports. It is appropriate then that FASTForward 08 is the first key Trade Show that I will be attending in '08.

Looking ahead, there are a number of other Trade Shows which I think Pingar should attend. As we roll out our technology across global markets, these events will form a key focus of our market development strategy.

Hong Kong Market Visit

David Wishart - NZ Trade Commissioner, Hong Kong & Macau

Overseas market visits have been an important aspect of Pingar's marketing development programme in 2007. My visit to Hong Kong for three days at the beginning of next week is long overdue.

One event I am looking particularly forward to is my meeting with David Wishart (above). I have tried to touch base with local NZTE representatives on all my market visits. They are well-placed to provide advise and guidance on local culture, business etiquette and networks. Without exception, each meeting has enhanced the overall benefit of each visit.

Hong Kong is a particularly important target for us at this time. For Pingar, it is potentially a gateway to China. We have identified a potential partner / distributor and the fit with Pingar looks very good. Next week will provide me with my first opportunity to really engage with and try to understand this opportunity. The meeting with David should help.

Pingar UK Relocation

It seems slightly unreal that in just over one week's time, I will be checking out office accommodation in the UK for Pingar. More particularly, a business park complex outside Cambridge called Wyboston Lakes.

Choosing the right location is a key decision that has to be made on this trip. Fast access to London is important, but so also is access to Pingar's technology partners in the Cambridge area.

We will be hosted on the day by Jan Andrews of East of England International. Having the support of the local Economic Development Agency will help identify and hopefully resolve any relocation issues. Wyboston Lakes is one of several business parks around Cambridge and it will be interesting to compare its facilities with others on offer.

I will blog through the UK trip to outline my take on the opportunities there both for Pingar and other New Zealand-based ICT companies. If global engagement means anything, it is a good place to start.

FRST things first

The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST) invests in research, science and technology (RS&T) on behalf of the New Zealand Government.

I have been working on a Technology for Business Growth (TBG) Application Form over the past few weeks and finally managed to submit it yesterday. The provision of potential government financial support such as this provides a vital source of funding and support for businesses wishing to exploit the bleeding edge areas of innovation and research.

Together with the new R&D Tax Credit regime which kicks in on April 1st next year, New Zealand is finally getting to grips with the importance and significance of a strong R & D culture to long-term economic development. FRST is a good example of that commitment.

Tauranga Golf

Aerial View of Tauranga Golf Club

Yesterday, I had the chance to swing the clubs with visiting friends from Taranaki. It was a good day.

The weather was warm and it was great to get away from the computer for a few hours. (Doctor, please note!) And my round of 81 equalled my best 18 holes at the Course. I must do it again.

Waiouru Army Museum

Colditz Castle

The news this morning that nine Victoria Cross medals have been stolen in a 'smash and grab' raid from Waiouru Army Museum has shocked New Zealand. And rightly so. The theft insults the whole country.

My attention to it has been focused by a decision recently to donate Jacqui's grandfather's Colditz diaries to Waiouru. Back in 1943, he was incarcerated in the famous castle. Dr Bull was a doctor who provided medical aid to many an allied prisoner at this time. Like the medals, his diaries belong in the museum. They are part of New Zealand's army heritage.

Securing NZ Funding

Micro-Entrepreneurs - NZ's Start-up Profile?

Brian Gaynor wrote an interesting article in yesterday's Weekend Herald.

Essentially, Gaynor was saying that risk and return are two of the biggest issues faced by investors, particularly in relation to IPO's. His article also highlighted the big difference between the individual and the institutional investor approach to this risk / return ratio in NZ.

Few institutional investors participated in the 42 Below IPO. The same applied to Xero Live. Both companies were effectively start-ups and though both had charismatic entrepreneurs leading them, institutional investors were unmoved. It does pose interesting an interesting question. Is there an investment market for start-ups in New Zealand?

For me, the jury is out.

What both 42 Below and Xero Live had in common was a desire to become global businesses. That costs money, particularly if you are looking at global markets such as the UK or the US. To prove yourself at an NZ level means little. The domestic market is so small, yet it still costs resource to penetrate. The return is unlikely to be sufficient to fund global expansion, so recourse to institutional investors, in whatever form that might be, is still probably inevitable. If resources are limited and the focus is truly global, why not bypass the NZ market entry - other than for perhaps testing the business model - and go straight to the chosen global market. And if that becomes the preferred strategy, why engage with NZ investors nervous about global expansion?

There are exceptions to this analysis, but they are few and far between. It is significant that Investment NZ has representatives in key global regions whose task is to attract local investors to invest in NZ businesses. I have personal experience of this. They play a key, if somewhat discreet role, in New Zealand Government's program of attracting inward investment. I believe they frequently offer more potential to truly globally orientated start-ups than the domestic NZ investment community does.

New Zealand companies desire for offshore capital is often criticised as being a negative for the economy. Without it, and with NZ's weak capital market for start-ups, many could not expand at all. For me, offshore investment remains an important and sometimes an essential option for start-ups in NZ to execute their global plans. Brian Gaynor's article reinforced that view.