Matt Orange has been appointed General Manager of Data Products and Services at Woods. This newly established role sees Matt leveraging his experience in strategy and product development to create and develop new products and services that serve Woods' existing and potential clients.

"My goal is to help Woods expand its focus by developing new geospatial products and services," Orange says.

"We already possess a deep competency in high-resolution geospatial data capture and processing. Our objective is to build from here and start to solve the more complex problems our clients face."

Orange points to how advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence provide the opportunity to analyse vast quantities of geospatial data in near real-time. This enables the rapid identification and classification of geospatial areas, objects and anomalies so that complex problems can be solved more effectively and efficiently than previously.

Commercialising innovation is something Orange is familiar with. Prior to joining Woods, he spent 17 years in the media and entertainment industry and 10 years in the telecommunications industry.

In his most recent role, Orange was responsible for designing, launching and operating the Spark Sport online streaming service. Prior to this, he was instrumental in the inception and launch of NEON and Sky Sport Now while at Sky Television. He has held various roles in technology, corporate strategy and product development.

While Orange's background is not in land development and infrastructure, he is looking forward to the new challenge and the change of industry.

"It's a bit different from sports streaming, but I think I bring a problem-solving mindset and a curiosity for new ideas that will set me up well in this role."

"We're delighted to welcome Matt to the Woods team. He brings a wealth of expertise in helping businesses to create data-driven products and services.

"Woods has invested heavily in data technology for many years, helping our clients better understand the natural environment and their built assets. Matt's appointment is part of our long-term commitment to being the New Zealand market leader in this," says David Kidd, Woods CEO.

A big drawcard for Matt in his decision to join Woods were the underlying values and culture of the business.

"I was really impressed with the culture and camaraderie that I found within Woods. Everyone is working towards moving Woods forward, and there is an openness to new ideas. That was really key in my decision to make this leap," Orange says.