The people behind VortexDNA

Branton Kenton-Dau, CEO

Together with colleague Martin Burley, Branton has pioneered the science of human intention. Since 2001 the team has been instrumental in mapping the structure of human intent through the mathematics of complex systems. In 2007 the team first publicly demonstrated the principles of complex systems in human behaviour in a test against Google SearchTM. Since then the commercial applications of this major scientific breakthrough have been focused on providing better segmentation in the insurance, credit and online sectors.

Branton is also a director of MetaWealth Limited and MarketsDNA Limited. Prior to his work on human intention Branton created the first corporate environmental rating system based on whole system principles. Before moving to New Zealand in 1996, Branton ran Human Technology UK Limited, a high profile business consultancy focusing on the management of change. Branton holds a First Class Honours degree in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Lancaster University, UK.

Xiaomei Liu, Representative, South West, China

Xiaomei is the co-founder of IDF Global, a Chinese 3d visualisation and model making company which now has more than 300 staff and has 25 offices worldwide. Her academic achievements include a BA majoring in English literature and a Diploma of Commerce majoring in Trade.

Justin Liu, General Manager Asia

Justin has over ten years experience in sales and marketing with several multi-national companies; the majority of this time has been devoted to international market development for telcos and other industries. While working for power solution supplier Eaton, Justin significantly increased their revenue in China from start-up level. Justin is experienced in opening and growing new markets, creating new business opportunities and building up effective sales and service operational platforms.

Uniquely qualified to further VortexDNA's business with Chinese telcos, Justin held engineering roles at China Telecom/China Mobile for close to ten years and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Wireless Telecom Engineering from the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. Justin has multilingual ability in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Hakka.

Andrew Groom, Senior Developer

Since completing an MSc in Physics at the University of Canterbury, Andrew has worked in the IT industry in a variety of roles and industries since 1989. His main focus has been on software design and development in a wide range of environments, but most recently in database-driven Internet and intranet-based applications through consultancy work with Web development companies and as a freelance consultant.

Andrew also has a strong interest in Open Source technologies, including the Python programming language and Zope Component Architecture on which VortexDNA server technologies are based.

Kaila Colbin, Head of Communications

Kaila is an entrepreneur, a published writer, and a communications expert. Since graduating from Cornell University in 1994, she has founded several companies including Missing Link Consultants, a communications and marketing consultancy with a focus on social media, and Falcon Training, a project management training company.

Kaila is widely recognized as a forward thinker and an innovative voice in web trends and global online communities. She is the voice of the Web Genome Project blog and a regular contributor to the US publications Search Insider and Network World. She has developed a particular expertise in provoking disruptive thinking and in bringing together disparate ideas about humanity.

Martin Burley, Head of Research

With an educational background in maths and philosophy, a Master's in Applied Ethics, and experiential research in organizational and management behavior, Martin's understanding of the forces affecting his community are better informed than most.

His knowledge in this area has been demonstrated repeatedly through his work at VortexDNA. For his first project, Martin analyzed the cultures of all of the companies in the S&P 500, validating the positive bottom-line impact of adhering to a core purpose and values. He then built on that success by being a key member of the team that mapped the mathematical structure of human intention.

For Martin, a whole systems approach isn't limited to abstract intellectual concepts; he applies it everywhere, every day. As a LifeLine phone counselor for people in distress, Martin is emphatic that his ability to perceive people as whole systems -- using concepts like flow and coherence -- has been vital to his ability to help others.