By YOKE HAR LEE
After months of being without a manager, Technology New Zealand finally has one - but only for the next three months.
Gowan Pickering has taken on the task of interim manager to keep the organisation going until it is absorbed into the Foundation For Research Science and Technology.
The foundation manages over $300 million of research funding out of the Public Good Science Fund. Technology New Zealand is one of its programmes.
But the foundation is in the process of reshaping itself along the lines of an "investment bank" so it is moving to streamline its agencies.
Mr Pickering spent his entire career in IBM and was that company's chief executive between 1991 and 1998.
He will be interim manager until the job disappears and is philosophical about his temporary role.
"What it has put in place in the last couple of years is widely regarded as having a positive impact on the attitudes and on the understanding of the worth of applied technology.
"My hope is to help build off this, help the companies in differentiating and broadening the product in a marketing sense, in the places they choose to be."
He said he was brought in because of his background in the management systems of complex organisations.
Tech New Zealand is one of the foundation's strongest brand names. It acts as a part-funding agency for companies exploring technology projects and in the last June year gave out a record $25 million across 1000 projects.
Tech New Zealand has been without a permanent manager since the departure of John Manning, a change generally thought to be linked to the foundation's displeasure over his comments on the weakness of New Zealand's funding system.
Since Mr Manning's departure, Nigel Metge from Tech NZ's office has been acting manager. He has now been assigned to preparations for the foundation to "take over" Tech New Zealand's office.
Technology man's tenure brief
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