Kiwi software developer Peace Software has won two significant deals this year. In January, Peace signed a contract with Service Essentials, a joint venture between Australian electricity distributors Energex and Ergon Energy, to bill and manage 70,000 commercial and industrial retail and network energy customers in five Australian states.
And late last month, The Hawaiian Electric Company chose the Peace 8 Customer Information System (CIS) to bill and manage its 400,000 regulated electricity customers on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, Lanai and Molokai.
“We have some more interesting deals coming up in a couple of months,” says Sebastian Gunningham, CEO of Peace Software.
The company is one of the biggest exporters in New Zealand, but ironically, has no customers here.
“We are very focused on New Zealand right now, both in terms of employing people and winning contracts,” says Gunningham.
Peace has about 200 staff in total and 30 vacancies around the company.
The company, which was founded by New Zealander Brian Peace, is headquartered in the US, but retains a development centre in Auckland.
At its peak, Peace employed approximately 250 developers in New Zealand. In April last year the company laid off 54 staff, reducing its New Zealand headcount to 86, but since the the company has grown and is now up to 120 staff in New Zealand.
A team of 15 staff is going to Hawaii and will spend about a year there implementing the product and training customers. Peace will also hire staff on location, but the majority of staff implementing the product are existing Peace staff, says Gunningham.
Gunningham joined Peace Software as CEO in January 2004. He previously held executive positions at Apple Computer and Oracle.