Piers’ note: Two things happened at the end of last year – we hired Chris and shamed Shay into finally writing his “Welcome” blurb for the web site.  I thought a good way to start 2017 was to meet two of our newest team members…

Shay Telfer

Hi, I’m Shay, a one of the newer hires at Gaia Resources.

Previously I’ve been a Programmer, Systems Administrator, Senior Programmer, “Cloud Dev Ops” and now I’m a Software Engineer again. I’ve worked on software for online inventory management and payment systems, real time data capture, stereoscopic 3D movies, and 3D shape digitisation.

Most of my spare time is devoted to my family, friends, cooking, gardening, coffee, Science Fiction and Fantasy, travel, computers and electronics. And chickens.

I have competed in the World Solar Challenge, twice driving from Darwin to Adelaide with our solar car Sungroper (http://www.sungroper.asn.au/), and have built my own 3D printer with the help from some folks at the Perth Artifactory (http://artifactory.org.au/).

Joining the Gaia Resources team has been a great opportunity, and I now own a lot more Star Wars T-shirts.

Shay

Chris Roach

Hello world, I’m Chris and I’m pumped to have joined the Gaia Resources team in Perth as a Project Manager. I’ll also be bolstering an already strong GIS team and wearing a few other hats.

I came on board just before Christmas, and my very first task was to attend a Gaia gathering at the pub. I must say that is a good start.

 Proof: Eagle-eyed social media followers would have seen Chris in the middle of this picture (standing, striped shirt) from a function late last year (Shay is also on the far right – so far the only picture we have of him)!

My background over the past 15 years has spanned GIS consultancy, environmental applications and information technology. I think it is fair to say that my career has gone through a migration (doesn’t everybody’s?) from applied science into the technology space. I actually started out working life as a Geologist, and after short stints high in the mountains of British Columbia (Canada) and deep in the wheatbelt of Western Australia I realised that what I liked doing best was working with maps and data. How can we understand more about our environment, by getting smart about the data we collect and how we interpret it? You get to do that stuff as a Geo, but I also missed the city lifestyle.

I’ve never lost that passion for spatial, despite moving from a pure technical role in GIS analysis through to team coordination and into IT (project management and business analysis). I’ve had the pleasure of being involved in a variety of State government programmes, utility operations, and major infrastructure projects. I thoroughly enjoy understanding how business processes work, where technology and data can provide real value, and then working with delivery teams to make a concept reality.

I am a keen (but aging) ice hockey player, and one of my goals at Gaia will be to convert the sports enthusiasts here to what is clearly the most exciting game on the planet! In saying that I have embraced more traditional Australian sporting codes and am not too shabby with a cricket bat or a set of BBQ tongs. My enthusiasm for the outdoors, environment and sustainability I think fits really well with the core values here at Gaia Resources.

Chris on the ice

My spare hours in recent times is taken up in raising two young children who I am very proud of; but as I am sure any parents out there will agree comes with an insane mixture of self-sacrifice and reward.

Chris

You can leave a comment on our two newest hires below, or via Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. We’ve also got a couple more to announce soon…