CEO: DR Ojas MahapatraDr. Ojas is an alumni of the University of Canterbury and The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology where he finished his doctorate in Physics (specialized in Nanotechnology). Winner of numerous awards and fellowships, Ojas also has vast experience in shaping investments, management and planning. |
Managing Partner: Dr Stephen HampsonStephen’s career has been dedicated to transforming new knowledge into commercial success. Stephen’s commercialisation career in Europe included fast-growth execution and business improvement in several acquired companies he was appointed to lead, including trade sale of one of these companies and domination of a global niche in another. Returning to New Zealand, Stephen was inaugural CEO of the award winning Canterbury Innovation Incubator (Cii) before establishing powerHouse in 2006. In this role, he has overseen the incubation and growth of more than 50 new companies. |
Chief Executive, Upstart Incubator: Steve SilveySteve is the chief executive of Dunedin’s Upstart Business Incubator. Originally from the United Kingdom, where he was latterly working for a large government agency, Steve moved to New Zealand over a decade ago. He completed an MBA at the University of Otago before joining as the chief executive of Cottonsoft. That was followed by a stint working for printer Wickliffe and subsequently a short tenure in real estate before joining Upstart. Steve specialises in strategy, innovation, brand management, change management and business to business sales. |