Brad Power – Senior Software Engineer

Hi, my name’s Brad Power – I’m a software engineer and researcher from Perth.

I’ve worked across a number of different industries including embedded/mobile, video game development, scientific data visualisation, and academic research. I’m interested in technology in general but am also fascinated by maths, music, and history – really I think I’m just a sucker for a good story and learning new things!

Having spent a fair chunk of time in academia I’m also passionate about getting people involved in knowledge sharing, and contributing information back into the community.

Casey Murrihy

Hello, I’m Casey, Gaia’s newest Support Coordinator. I followed Jordan into the Gaia office one day and they decided to keep me.

I’m very excited to work for Gaia as it was my childhood ambition to help preserve the environment for future generations. I studied environmental Science; however, I discovered I was much better at turning computers off and on again and found myself working in IT Support when I got older, rather than saving the world. Gaia Resources doesn’t just talk the talk; they try very hard to walk the walk too. The sincerity and the integrity of the company and all the fabulous people who work for it is an inspiration, and I am honoured to be a part of it (although walking is hard so I’ll just drive my EV).

In my downtime, I like to pretend I can bake and enjoy creating dietary-specific spins on classic baking favourites (some more successful than others). I am thrilled to have a new batch of victims… I mean subjects… no wait,  colleagues to feed. I accept requests, so let me know if you come up with a combination!

Hello! I’m Hayden. I recently started at Gaia as a Software Engineer.

I was born in Perth, the best city in the world, and I’ve lived here my whole life. I have a Bachelor of Actuarial & Applied Statistics, so my background is actually in mathematics, statistics and data analysis. I’ve had a passion for programming since I was young, and through my previous technical roles, personal projects and active interest in the open-source community I’ve become a software engineer. I love Python. I spend a lot of my free time working on personal projects and contributing to open-source projects online. In my spare time I’m also expanding my horizons by learning Rust and Ruby.

My other loves are cricket and football. I’m actually a St Kilda Saints fanatic. You don’t have to remind me they’re bad, or ask me why I support them – I’ve already suffered enough.

I have two best friends, Frank (the dachshund) and Marley (the golden retriever). It’s always funny to see heads turn at the park – no one can believe the fat little sausage dog can keep up.

I joined Gaia Resources for many reasons. First and foremost are the company’s values and ethics. I think it’s rare in today’s world to find somewhere that so strongly cares about our future. Another reason is the culture – even early on it’s clear how much Gaia cares about its employees – we have so many opportunities to develop ourselves. Finally, Gaia has allowed me to take an important step in my career by becoming a recognized software engineer. This is something of a dream come true for me. 

I’ve been at Gaia for almost one month and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve been particularly impressed by how welcoming the whole team has been, the workplace culture and the work-life balance. I’m very proud to be at Gaia, and can’t wait to see where my journey here takes me.

Khaled Faour –

Around 25 years ago, I came to the land of Oz straight from what was left of Beirut.

In my previous life I was an agricultural research economist and bioeconomic modeller and worked at the American University of Beirut, where I completed my Masters in AgEc, then at NSW Agriculture at the Wagga Wagga and Yanco research centres where I got to travel around most of NSW and VIC, and even parts of WA.

I moved to Brisbane around 20 years ago and completed a Bachelors of Commerce. Then around 15 years ago I found myself jumping in the world of project management, mostly with QLD Health.

I enjoy music of all sorts, languages and places, including anything made my by DJ Khaled of course – no bias at all. I also love ‘tasteful’ action and comedy movies.

I’m definitely enjoying my new Gaia family, and loving and living the dream!

Natasha Madondo

Hello there, I’m Natasha! I’m currently interning as a Junior Software Engineer at Gaia. I have a Bachelor’s degree with honours in Environmental Management, a diploma in Japanese and I am about to finish my studies as a Software Engineer.

I’m from Zimbabwe but I’ve lived in the UK, Australia and Japan. I’m really interested in travelling, architecture, the environment and languages . I currently speak four languages and aim to get to seven one day!  I’ve travelled to about 12 counties and counting, my favourites being Belgium, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.

My hobbies include reading, changing my hair every 2 seconds,  hectic rounds of karaoke, and trying to find the platypi that live in the river near us and cooking. I love sweets but can’t bake to save my life so baked goods are always welcome.

Prior to Gaia I worked in Japan as a translator and administrative assistant to improve my Japanese. During my time there I also learnt that as much as I hate snow, skiing is acceptable. I also gained my interest in programming and IT by talking to co-workers and gaining some insight. I love a challenge and just like my 7 languages goal I hope to become a better software engineer and create solutions for a more sustainable world.

I’m very happy to be at Gaia as the values here closely align with my own. Being able to work for a company that values their employees and considers their impact on the environment by making a conscious choice to do better makes me extremely proud to be here.

ガイアの皆様、これからどうぞよろしくお願い致します。(translation)

Natalie is camera shy and doesn’t like to talk about herself, so until we do some further sleuthing, and potentially even get our hands on an actual photo, here’s some text from her LinkedIn profile:

“I am a curious and pragmatic Software Testing and IT professional who is extremely customer focussed.The last 12 years in IT included roles as an Agile Test Analyst, Test Manager, Senior Business Analyst and Senior QA in various domains including Health, Travel, Real Estate, Retail, Finance and the Automotive Industry.”

We’re very excited to have Natalie on board to bring her vast experience and skills to our ever-growing need for software testing and automation, and to aid us in implementing new internal software going forward. We’ll be sure to give Natalie the introduction she deserves next time!