America's Cup chief and Jade boss join Enable

Jade Software's managing director and theformer head of an America's Cup syndicate have been appointed to the board of Christchurchfibre company Enable Networks.

Craig Richardson, managing director ofJade Software, has experience in telecommunications in Australia and Sweden.However appointee Anthony Romano is new to the industry. Romano began hiscareer in Deloitte & Touche in Christchurch before moving to Milan tobecome a key executive for Timberland in Italy and then to Calvin Klein to headup its European Office. He also spent four years as the general manager and directorof Luna Rossa for the 2007 America’s Cup challenge. He has now returned toChristchurch and set up his own consultancy.

Richardsonand Romano replace outgoing directors Murray Milner and Wesley Barnard. Milner resignedfrom Enable’s board after being appointed to the board of Crown Fibre Holdings,the government entity in charge of the $1.5 billion Ultra FastBroadband (UFB) network.

Enable Networks was launched in 2007 and is a whollyowned subsidiary of the Christchurch City Council. It has deployed112kms of fibre, which is terminated in 160 locations. It plans to invest $36million to expand the open access fibre network so that it can serve 85% ofChristchurch businesses. At its AGM last year it announced a profit of $1.36million compared to a loss the previous year of $306,000.

EnableNetworks has put in a bid to partner with the government on the UFB and is memberof the New Zealand Regional Fibre Group (NZRFG) – an alliance of 19 lines companiesand regional fibre companies.