People
Geoffrey Anson, Chairman
With a successful career of over 25 years in IT sales, marketing and senior management behind him, Geoff now uses this experience, executive network and street smarts to help start-up or existing businesses grow far beyond their dreams.
Educated via local schools, colleges and Princeton University, Geoff spent his early years at Compaq Computers in sales & marketing roles which led to advancement to the formation and management of the consumer products division and representation at board of director's level.
More recent business development roles as Managing Director of Palm Computing, Australia & New Zealand, and Asia Pacific development roles for the Palm organization have expanded to local consulting roles within the IT industry, and, excellent results.
Philip Argy, Director
Philip Argy is an experienced mediator and arbitrator. He specialises in intellectual property, science, technology and competition law. Philip left Mallesons Stephen Jaques on 31 December 2007 after being with the firm for over 31 years, 24 of them as a partner.
He qualified at the University of New South Wales for a Bachelor of Commerce (Information Systems) degree in 1975 and a Bachelor of Laws the following year. He is a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Courts of New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Western Australia.
Philip is Immediate past President of the Australian Computer Society and he still speaks extensively on subjects such as professionalism, risk management, electronic evidence and record retention and on intellectual property issues.
He established ArgyStar.com in January 2008 to both evangelise and implement dispute resolution strategies in the IT sector, applying what are expected to become known as the Adroit Principles jointly promoted by the ACS, IAMA, and PMI.
Dr. Vadim Gerasimov, Director
Vadim Gerasimov is an engineer at Google Australia. After completing BS/MS in applied mathematics at Moscow State University he joined the MIT Media Laboratory in 1994, working on a variety of multidisciplinary projects, gaining an MS in Media Arts and Sciences in 1996 and a Ph.D. in 2003. In 2003-2006 Vadim worked at the CSIRO ICT Centre as a research scientist on a range of complex systems and machine learning projects. After CSIRO, Vadim spent one year as a research scientist at Emotiv Pty Ltd focusing on brain-computer interface development. Vadim contributes his free time to software development of OLPC project .
Rangan Srikhanta, Executive Director
Rangan Srikhanta is a graduate from the University of Technology, Sydney with a double degree in Business (Accounting Major) and Computing. He has spent four years at the United Nations Association of Australia, NSW Division as a Director and three years as Treasurer. Rangan is a recipient of the Elizabeth Hastings Memorial Award for his work contribution to the wider community as a student of UTS. Rangan recently resigned from a full-time position at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Sydney to focus on One Laptop per Child Australia.
For nearly three years Rangan has been working with key stakeholders; locally and internationally to bring the One Laptop per Child initiative to Oceania. He has presented on the Oceania initiative to PACINET 2007, Honiara, Solomon Islands. He was also present at the Secretariat of Pacific Community's 60th Anniversary Meeting, Samoa, to demonstrate the OLPC XO-1 laptop technology to leaders from Pacific Island Nations.
Prof. Barry Vercoe, Director of Education
Barry Vercoe is Professor of Media Arts & Sciences at MIT. Born and educated in New Zealand in music and mathematics, he gained a doctorate at University of Michigan, then taught at Oberlin and Yale University before moving to MIT. In 1985 he was a founding member of the MIT Media Laboratory, where he does research in Music Cognition and Machine Learning. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Computer World / Smithsonian Award in Media Arts and Entertainment.
In 2005 Vercoe joined other Media Lab faculty to establish One Laptop per Child, an initiative aimed at putting an inexpensive but powerful laptop in the hands of every child on the planet. Focusing on children of the Pacific, Vercoe has sent laptops to remote villages of the Solomon Islands, and is now systematically distributing machines to the 22 island nations of the Pacific Community.
Michael Harte, Director
Michael Harte was appointed Director of One Laptop per Child Australia in May, 2009.
Michael also currently heads the Technology and Banking Operations teams for the Commonwealth Bank, in his role as Group Executive Enterprise Services and Chief Information Officer.
Michael joined the Group in April 2006 as CIO to lead the enterprise-wide technology function and implement a new IT strategy. The Group formed Enterprise Services in October 2008 to enable the Customer Service focus and to accelerate the delivery of technology and operations for superior customer service.
Prior to joining the Group, Michael was VP Systems at Citigroup and EVP and CIO for PNC Investment Services, one of the world's largest investment fund administrators.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Business degree and a Diploma in Business. His post-graduate studies include Economics and a Master of Science in Systems with distinction from New York University.
