Kordia Group chief executive Scott Bartlett has stepped down to focus on his health, the state-owned enterprise said in a statement.
In August 2019, Bartlett was diagnosed with multiple brain tumours.
"After undergoing a period of remission, he returned in January 2020 to resume his role but unfortunately become illagain two months ago," Kordia said this morning.
Bartlett, who has been chronicling his illness via his Instagram account, was just five years out of university when the ISP he was working for, Orcon, was sold by founder Seeby Woodhouse to Kordia for $24.3 million in 2007.
While Woodhouse (now running Voyager) exited stage-left with the deal, Bartlett stayed on - at first running Orcon as a division within Kordia, then rising through the ranks to run Kordia Group as a whole.
Kordia chairman John Quirk says Bartlett led Kordia to new heights during his tenure with the company.
"When Scott was first appointed CEO of Kordia Group in 2016, we were largely known as a broadcasting and networks company. His leadership has seen Kordia evolve into the digital era, becoming a leading provider in business technology. He was instrumental in developing our cybersecurity capabilities with the acquisition of Aura Information Security and advancing our focus on cloud connectivity and transformation.
"The work Scott has done with Kordia speaks for itself. He is one of the most talented business people in New Zealand. Kordia is truly a better place to work because of Scott. He will be deeply missed by his colleagues at Kordia, and we will continue to support him through his journey."
