Ben attended the awards ceremony at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland surrounded by many of the UniServices Investment team, including his nominee, Investment Director Stephen Flint.
The team were thrilled when MC Kim Crossman announced Ben’s name as the winner.
“It is awesome to have won this award. A large part of why I enjoy my job is because of the technology I get to see and learn about and the people I get to work with. This is a recognition of the collective work and support of many academics, founders and colleagues.”
This award recognises a developing commercialisation professional who is making valuable contributions to the creation of excellent commercialisation outcomes from publicly-funded research.
Ben’s nomination, titled ‘UniServices: Building connections and collaboration for exceptional outcomes’ impressed the judges who described Ben as ‘a star on the rise’.
The judges commended Ben for his exceptional ability to close advanced deals, build strong relationships, and create win-win outcomes. They said: Ben believes in the power of New Zealand science; he sees the bigger picture and is committed to driving Aotearoa forward through research commercialisation that delivers significant economic and societal benefits. He actively supports students and founders, nurturing the next generation of innovators.
In nominating Ben, Stephen says his ability to develop relationships on all sides of the ‘negotiation table’ is what makes Ben so effective.
“He builds trust quickly and he works hard to ensure that each party’s needs are met. He is often a go-to person for advice on contracts having contracted over $50M of research for the university.”
Other UniServices winners on the night included UniServices portfolio company Toku Eyes and Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, for securing the AJ Park Commercialisation Impact Award.
The 2024 KiwiNet Awards judging panel comprised Cather Simpson – CEO of Orbis Diagnostics and Partner at Pacific Channel; Greg Sitters – Managing Partner at Matū Group; Guy Royal – Director of Tuia Group; Suse Reynolds – Angel Investor; and Olivia Ogilvie – CEO and co-founder of Opo Bio.
The 12th annual KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards honoured 18 finalists who are transforming scientific discoveries into new technologies, businesses and real-world solutions. These innovations, emerging from outstanding research within New Zealand’s universities, Crown Research Institutes and other research organisations, are driving significant economic and societal benefits for Aotearoa.
