“Ui mai ki ahau, He aha te mea nui o te Ao? Māku e kī atu, He tangata, he tangata, he tangata”
– Māori Proverb
Martin Knoche
Chief Executive
Martin has global experience in academia, the private sector, the public sector and as an entrepreneur. He started off as a Climate Scientist in Antarctica and has worked across industries including aviation, finance, health, ICT (hardware, software, Telco) printing, academia and the public sector. He has a Masters in Physics from the University of Kiel in Germany and an MBA from Wake Forest University School of Business.
John Houlker
Chief Research Officer
John has worked extensively with technology start-ups and high-growth companies. He is currently CTO for Toi Ventures and brings experience in commercialising R&D. John studied and began his career at the University of Waikato.
The Leadership team is supported by strong technical resources and a good local and international advisory board.
Our local Advisory Group includes:
Dr Hilmar Schulze-Bergkamen
Corporate Strategy Advisor
Hilmar has worked in the glass and refractories industry in Germany, New Zealand, and China. He has held various senior positions including board member, key account sales manager and director of R&D and QC. He has a PHD in Chemistry (Material Science/Nanotechnology) and was a postdoctoral Fellow at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He currently works in China.
Dr Barbara Nebel
Sustainability Advisor
Barbara is an expert in Life Cycle Assessment and implementing sustainability in daily business operations. Barbara founded the Life Cycle Association New Zealand (LCANZ) and is the association’s current president. She has a PhD in Lifecycle Assessment from the Technical University of Munich. Barbara runs the sustainability consultancy ThinkStep in Australia and New Zealand.
Northland Innovation Centre 