Board & advisors

Neil Butler, Chairman 

Neil Butler founded Optimation in 1992 and since then he has been committed to seeing the company and the ICT Industry grow, succeed and create employment for New Zealanders.  His entrepreneurial skills together with his professional qualifications and practical industry experience have shaped the success of the company.  Under his leadership, Optimation has grown to be a well-known industry brand and a trusted technology partner to some of the largest organisations in the country.

Neil is actively involved in a number of industry groups including the New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards and is a member of the Institute of Directors. Prior to founding Optimation, Neil worked in marketing, technical and project roles in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Richard Palmer

Richard has 20 years of experience in private equity, the utilities and finance sectors. He is currently Investment Director at NZVIF Limited and is responsible for the NZ$40 million Seed Co-Investment Fund that invests into early stage businesses. 

Previously, Richard worked for Tower Limited, where he was involved in the listing of Australian Wealth Management on the ASX, at AMP in senior strategy and corporate finance roles, and at Orange SA. During his career he has worked on many significant M&A transactions and he has extensive start up and private equity transaction experience. 

Richard is also a founder of the Angel Association of New Zealand and sits on its Advisory Council.

Martin Butler

Martin is a highly experienced and well-known Australasian ICT professional.  Over an eleven-year period, he held many senior roles within Telecom NZ including General Manager Mobile.

Martin is co-founder and Principal of Butler+Associates, a boutique ICT consultancy that provides strategic and commercial advice to a diverse range of New Zealand clients. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated the ability to set new directions, lead and motivate teams, and work effectively with business partners. With a strong combination of business and technical expertise, his experience includes corporate strategy, marketing, commercial management and line management.

Martin has an MBA with Distinction from Victoria University with an Industrial Economics focus.

Paul Cook, Advisor

Paul has worked in London, the US, Asia and New Zealand as a management consultant, and his clients have included some of the New Zealand's largest businesses.

From 1990, he led the EY NZ consulting division and from 1997 onwards he was also a Director of the EY Asia Regional Practice. Following the sale of the global consulting practice to Capgemini, Paul joined Capgemini's Asia Pacific Leadership Team. In 2002, he and two other former partners of EY bought the NZ Capgemini operation. After leading it through a period of rapid growth, they sold the firm to Hewlett-Packard.

Paul is currently on the Boards of Trustees for First Foundation, Hearing House and Ed & Co. He has an MA from Oxford University and is a Member of the Institute of Directors.