Stu Lees, Team Profile
At an early age Stu found an interest in all things computerised. From the early days of writing basic programming code on his father's Amtstrad to his frustration at high-school at not being able to use a computer for several of his subjects. Stu tempered his 'geek-side' with a passion for sports and in particular, basketball. In the early nineties, you could generally find a younger Mr Lees playing endless hours of basketball at Auckland's Youthtown or any of the many outdoor playgrounds around. Stu's first real job was at Countrywide Bank in Auckland in one of the back office accounting divisions. Stu quickly worked his way through the ranks to end up in the Audit department. It was here that Stu cut his teeth in business information systems and where his passion for computing was put to good use. Stu worked in the Audit department as an IS Auditor and also in the System Security area. Stu credits this part of his career with setting him up (in his words) 'with a thorough grounding and some good habits'. Leaving the Bank to work with one of his lifelong business mentors, Stu worked for the Royal NZ Yatch Squadron as Systems Manager where he had to re-build the organisations' IT infrastructure in preparation for the hosting of the America's Cup Defence in 1997. Stu followed his heart in 1998 and travelled to London where he proposed to his, now wife of 8 years, and 'did the OE thing'. Like a lot of kiwis travelling abroad, Stu chose to take the opportunity to make the most out of the international career options and he worked in software development, software and IT project management and a brief forray in IT management. In the work-hard, play-hard London world, he thrived. Born and bred on the North Shore of Auckland, Stu's fondness for Auckland's beaches and outdoor lifestyle brought him back to NZ after a two year stint. A job offer soon involved him in the setup of a major Shared Service Centre project for Owens Global Logistics where he spent several years setting up, running the new IT operations centre and also project managing the implementation of an ERP system (JD Edwards). It was here, with 1400 end-user customers and a $500m bottom line, that he learnt the value of reliable IT systems and strong disaster recovery procedures. The last 6 years for Stu have been involved in RADN Technology Solutions with business partner and friend, Stephen Needham. Stu has been integral in the development of this successful business in New Zealand with the setup of the RADN eSecurity Division and the RAD9 Computer Services divisions concurrently. Outside of work, Stu currently lives in Silverdale, North Auckland with his wife Emma and 3 year old son, Benjamin. A new passion for horses was introduced to him by his wife Emma and they now live on a 5 acre lifestyle block. |
