Kordia has announced the ten finalists for their IT Superhero competition, as they battle it out for a trip for two to the NASA Centre in Florida.
The telco launched the IT Superhero Award, aimed at acknowledging the unsung heroes in your business and we can now reveal the finalists.
IAN BURN-MURDOCH - IT Manager @ CEVA Logistics:'Great support no matter what'. That's the recurring theme in Ian Burn-Murdoch's nomination, he supports 5 sites and 70 users - always responding quickly and effectively when needed by his team, even when under pressure elsewhere.
IAN CANNAN - Head of Information Services and IT Superhero @ Antares Restaurant Group Ltd (Trading as Burger King):It's a big whopper of a job making sure the IT systems of 80 Burger King restaurants run as smoothly as sauce from a sachet. But somehow Ian keeps an eye on the future as well as the issues of the day.
PAULENE CROOK - Educational Technology Integrator and IT Superhero @ Wellington Institute of Technology:Paulene has that special ability to translate IT speak into language normal humans can understand. That's because she was a normal human once. In the 90s Paulene discovered her passion for IT while working in the office of an appliance store.
STEVE KNUTSON - General Manager and IT Superhero @ Canterbury Business Solutions:As one nominator said 'Steve's skills, intellect, energy and enthusiasm only come from someone with blood sourced from Krypton'.
RAJ LAL - Systems Administrator and IT Superhero @ Maori Television:Raj Lal's nomination reads like the pages of a superman comic. Apparently you just have to say his name three times and he appears, fixing problems faster than a speeding bullet.
JACINTA (JC) MATISI - Technical Analyst andIT Superhero @ Southern Cross Health Society:'Great sense of humour', 'doing what it takes to get things done, often in her own time', 'the biggest heart', 'always smiling', 'a wonderful relationship builder'. The pages upon pages of accolades for Jacinta say it all.
EDWARD MINNELL - Sole Operator and IT Superhero @ Evertec Solutions:Edward is a networking specialist who could be earning the big bucks in any number of corporate roles. Instead he's working for modest rates in Decile 1 and 2 schools keeping their systems and computers running.
MOHAMMED (MO) MUQEET - System Administrator and IT Superhero @ GEON Group:Mo's team spoke with such passion and affection for him he was an easy selection for the final 10. The ultimate team player, Mo solves issues quietly, efficiently and without fuss following his trademark 'Wot up captain'.
JOHN READER - Systems Engineer and IT Superhero @ Vodafone New Zealand:JohnR (as he is known in social media) lives and breathes and tweets IT, even when supposed to be on holiday. What's different about John is that he doesn't just do a brilliant job fixing Vodafone customer's issues, he also fixes the rest of the world's through forums like Geekzone.
ROGER SILLARS - IT Manager and IT Superhero @ Duncan Cotterill Lawyers:When disasters strike, the real super heroes reveal themselves. After the Christchurch earthquake, Roger Sillars worked at lightening speed to develop and execute a recovery plan, and soon had all 120 people up and running in a temporary premises with completely new systems.
The prize:
Kordia is offering the lucky winner a return trip for two to Orlando, Florida, taking in a tour of the Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex plus five nights of accommodation.
And if this wasn't enough, the winner’s company will receive $500 cash for an office shout to celebrate their victory.
Cast your vote for who should win here.