Our People
Our team drives our success
With the right attitude, anything is possible. That’s why attitude is the key attribute we look for in our quest to build the very best team.
We understand that people make the difference between adequate and exceptional. We build strong, trusting relationships with every customer by developing a thorough understanding of their business operations, requirements, and wants.
We want our team to thrive so we can service our customers better. We foster employee development and are always evolving to stay ahead of the game.
Our Values
As a team, we decided that we value many things:
Comradery, Integrity, Fun, Driven, Customer Focus, Innovative, Empathy, Accountability, Trustworthy and Honesty.
There’s a reason why we have so many values: because we live them throughout the year, every day.
For years now, our leadership has hosted monthly value sessions, where we highlight one of our values for in-depth discussion and learning. We apply our values to our day-to-day and look for opportunities for improvement, whether it’s a product, process, or potential growth area.
We celebrate our team by nominating a monthly values champion to recognise and reward. And our annual strategy day is an opportunity to bond, brainstorm, and share ideas.
Always, our goal is to make better decisions for Think Concepts and its customers by actively thinking about and living our values—each and every day.
Our Team
We believe in growth from within: CEO Ahlam AyoubZadeh and COO Simon Davis joined Think Concepts in 2010, Ahlam as our marketing coordinator and Simon, our tech consultant.
Helping founder Hadleigh Bognuda turn his vision into a reality, the two rose through the ranks, Ahlam managing operations and Simon leading teams before the two acquired the company in 2018, when Hadleigh left to explore other opportunities.
Today Ahlam and Simon are supported by our board, who ensure accountability and sound governance, each with their own area of expertise:
● Sally Davis – Executive leadership and change management
● Mike Ogle – Tech company governance, sales, marketing and international growth
● Matt Crockett – Organisational leadership, numbers and strategy management
Our Leadership Team
Ahlam AyoubZadeh
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
An all-rounder and go-getter who's been with Think Concepts since the beginning, Ahlam became CEO at the age of 28. She’s now also the co-owner.
Ahlam joined the company as a marketing coordinator when she was 23.
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One of her first achievements was to implement the company’s marketing programme – from scratch. She later took over procurement as well. As someone passionate about great workflow, Ahlam is continually developing new processes for service and delivery within the company. Having worked in nearly every role, she’s well-equipped to understand delivery and how it affects customers and her team.
She’s a “people-person” who enjoys reaching out to customers for their feedback and using it to continue improving Think Concepts. As well as operational management, Ahlam oversees various strategies to better their products and help the company grow.
She’s also in charge of HR and takes pride in driving the company culture. One of her main roles is in collaborating with the Tech Lead. Together, they review and implement new products to ensure they are delivering exceptional results.
Ahlam credits much of her success to simply being around great people – especially her team at work. She spends as much time as she can just talking to others and absorbing their wisdom, and believes that being happy is key to success.
“If you’re not happy with yourself and not content with your life, you won’t have the energy to give back to anyone else. To me, success is being happy and having integrity in life to follow your beliefs.”
Outside of work, she likes to switch off by listening to music or getting out into nature.
Simon Davis
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Simon Davis is the Chief Operating Officer at Think Concepts. He’s responsible for overseeing the technical and sales aspects of the business. He also works with the regional managers and technical staff on the ground to deliver robust, quality outcomes for their clients.
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Simon started at Think Concepts as a Consultant and now, as one of the current owners, he remains part of the team on the floor and makes time for anyone and everyone that would benefit from his assistance and experience in the business.
An empathetic sort of guy, Simon believes in treating everyone with respect and understanding. He prioritises other people’s feelings and strives to forge strong relationships with both clients and team members.
Working in IT is much more than a job for Simon. As a lifelong fan of computers, he got a huge kick out of being able to install and configure his first commercial server at Think Concepts. He says this was the moment he knew he was in the right career.
At home, Simon is busy tending to his menagerie of pets: two Maine Coon Cats, three parakeets and a house rabbit, whom he counts as part of his family. He also loves thematic science fiction and fantasy board games and hosts a weekly boardgame club night with some of the Think Concepts team.
Jason Short
Technical Lead
Jason started out his career in IT in 2003, as a computer technician. Today, he’s the Technical Lead for Think Concepts. He provides internal strategic direction in regards to products and services, while also refining their technical offerings and keeping the company up to date with the quickly changing market.
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Jason also maintains quality control across Think Concepts’ client technical environments. He assists the internal team with technical escalations and provides technical consulting services to clients.
“Integrity is very important to me. I believe in being honest and straightforward with people. In my opinion it’s the only way to have a successful relationship on any level in life.”
Having fun is also very important to Jason. He reckons life would feel long and arduous otherwise, so he sets out to enjoy what he does.
Jason has completed several successful technology consulting engagements, some for large companies overseas. The positive feedback he received from these engagements was extremely valuable, confirming that his advisory services are up to scratch on a global stage.
Outside of Think Concepts, Jason likes to wind down by playing video games. He’s also a keen guitarist and loves his music, but that goes on the backburner when his toddler Erin demands his time and attention! He adores his little girl and spends his Fridays looking after her.
Tim Nadirli
Chief Financial Officer
Tim Nadirli is Think Concepts’ Chief Financial Officer. With over 20 years of experience under his belt, Tim’s diverse skillset and specialised training allows him to quickly identify and satisfy the needs of customers.
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Tim is the financial maestro of Think Concepts. He is the company's money-magician who turns spreadsheets into spells, transforming numbers into meaningful insights for strategic decisions.
Although Tim really likes his numbers, he thoroughly enjoys just hanging out with people. You can sometimes find him engaged in a friendly chat with a customer or a colleague.
Tim values integrity, transparency, honesty and reliability in interpersonal relationships, and believes that they should be the base of any negotiations or dispute resolution.
Tim’s out-of-work passion is his kids and speedskating. His kids are already following in his footsteps: each with their own pair of skates. They enjoy going on family skating adventures on a nice day.
Courtney Oakes
Marketing and Administration
Marketing and administration coordinator Courtney is the engine behind Think Concepts’ website and social media, and strives to keep Think Concepts customers informed at all times.
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She also works closely with the Think Concepts procurement section in creating online promotions for ThinkSupply, as well as coordinating their products and staff events.
As secretary to the board, Courtney is responsible for the smooth running of Think Concepts internal matters. She’s the “go-to” assistant for both Ahlam and the leadership team for organising meetings, projects, and quarterly assessments.
Honesty is very important to Courtney. She loves her job and the people she works with and thrives on any new opportunity to develop further.
“In my role I wear many hats. Working for Think Concepts I have been exposed to so many new experiences. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to work here and I continue to grow and learn more every day.” Outside of work, Courtney loves dancing and going to the gym. She’s especially passionate about dogs as she has a working line German Shepherd named Kaiser.
Nic Edlin
Service Delivery Manager
Nic takes pride in exceeding all contractual service obligations to Think Concepts’ clients. He enjoys leading his team, and leading by example.
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Nic’s previous leadership roles in have provided him with a powerful set of skills that he now applies on many different levels. Along with over 10 years of working in the IT industry, Nic’s background in leadership assists him in delivering consistently high client-focused results.
Integrity and commitment are integral to the way Nic lives and works. He believes life is not just a journey to walk through alone, and that every interaction and task has an effect down the line.
Nic is proud to mould his role into something far more exciting and effective than it is on paper. He treats every day as a chance to express himself and step up the quality of his clients’ outcomes.
When not at work, Nic loves music – listening, playing, recording and discovering. His instrument of choice is the drums, but he’s always willing to try out other noise-makers!
Matt Leigh
Business Development Manager
With experience in IT and a degree in business, the role of Business Development Manager at Think Concepts could have been written for Matt Leigh.
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He has more than a decade at the company, as a consultant, team leader and most recently, Regional Manager for Wellington and Bay of Plenty and has rich experience in customer relations and helping businesses manage their IT.
Matt has seen great change in the IT industry with innovations in equipment, products and technologies. There has been an acceleration in this change in the last two years, with a shift to remote working, and more businesses turning to external IT experts to provide their employees with the secure services they need for flexible working.
As Business Development Manager, Matt’s role is to develop and attract new business, to communicate with new customers, design solutions and put forward business proposals to grow Think’s managed service customer base. It’s a role where his skills and passion for problem-solving and working with business owners come to the fore.
His history at Think Concepts, his own time as an IT consultant and his business degree, gives Matt a deep understanding of what clients might need, to run their business. Like his colleagues at Think Concepts, Matt puts trust and integrity at the forefront of everything he does.
When not at work, Matt’s time is spent with his wife and children in the Bay of Plenty, and racing his two much-loved cars with friends in the region.
Statue's game - Clarks Beach, Christmas Party 2022
Clarks Beach, Christmas Party 2022
Kids Activities - Christmas Party 2022
Glow stick fun - Christmas Party 2022
Team Strategy Day 2022
Fun and games - Strategy Day 2022
Spark Awards - Awarded Top ICT Partner 2022
HP Awards 2022
Ultimate Value Champion Winner 2022
Team Halloween 2022
Team Strategy Day 2021
Award Winners - Pakiri Beach, Christmas Party 2019
Logan receiving the annual Value Champion winner at Strategy Day 2019
Best Dressed Winners - Pakiri Beach, Christmas Party 2019
Statue's game - Pakiri Beach, Christmas Party 2019
HeartKids 360 Plunge Charity Event - 2018
Mad Hatters Tea Party - Christmas Party 2018, Wintergarden Pavilion.