Sir Ken Stevens joins prestigious Tait Flying Kiwis

At a national awards ceremony held at Wellington's Te Papa Museum this week the recipient of the 2012 Tait Communications Flying Kiwi Award for hi-tech excellence was announced.

Tait is proud to congratulate Glidepath founder Sir Ken Stevens, who was awarded the prestigious 2012 Flying Kiwi Award in recognition for a lifetime of achievement in export, business and engineering.

Trevor Laughton, Tait Chief Technology Officer, presented the Flying Kiwi trophy to Sir Ken, acknowledging his significant achievements and the crucial role he has played in mentoring the next generation of exporters and in promoting the country's technology.

"The Flying Kiwi Awards celebrate those who forge new paths in the high-technology industry, those who embrace innovation and who lead by example, rising above challenges to achieve success that brings benefits to the industry and New Zealand as a whole.

"Sir Ken, like the Flying Kiwis who have gone before him, inspires all of us to aim higher. He has devoted himself to sharing his expertise and valuable experiences, educating school students and teachers about career paths in business and exporting—setting a whole new generation of aspiring technology entrepreneurs and exporters on the path to success."

Sir Ken is managing director and chairman of Glidepath, which employs 176 people and has operations in Latin America, South Africa, Australia, India and the USA, and sales offices in China, Canada and Chile. Its systems are used in every New Zealand airport and more than 80% of Australian airports. It has installations in 156 airports in the US, including Dallas Fort Worth, in Texas, and American Airlines terminal at JFK Airport.

Tait Communications has sponsored the Flying Kiwi Award—the premier industry award from the New Zealand Hi-Tech Trust—for the last four years, and its association with the Hi-Tech Trust spans a decade, having sponsored other award categories in the past.