Our Team
We believe our team at IEL is second to none! Individually amazing, and collectively astounding, we are a highly motivated, very committed group of people with a common aim – to lead the way in building technology, partnering with our clients to provide a level of service and source of advice that we would all appreciate but so rarely encounter.
Paul and Nikki Harris started the company in 2007 and remain the sole directors.
Nikki graduated with a degree in psychology and education. She has many years of experience in leading teams, with varied roles in media, business training, and management.
Nikki’s role is varied and includes responsibility for strategy, forecasting, budgets, HR, and marketing (much preferring the latter two). If you ask, she will tell you she wears the hats no one else wants!
Living and working with your husband can have its challenges. Nevertheless, this couple has made it work and still seem to enjoy each other’s company! (“Most of the time” adds Nikki.)
Paul‘s experience with building technology spans many years including time as NZ Sales Manager for Clipsal Integrated Systems.
Paul is known for his ability to “think outside of the box” and enjoys the challenge of providing a solution to solve every challenge.
His advice is sought by consultants, contractors, and clients, and he spends a lot of each day on the phone. When he does manage to un-glue the handset from his ear, he is usually head down, poring over plans to assist the estimating team.
Paul and Nikki have built a house beside a lake a little north of Auckland, and take time out to enjoy walking, gardening, and spending time with their grandchildren. When not at the IEL offices in Auckland, they assist with Northland projects from their Mangawhai base.
Rebecca (Bex) is the General Manager, overseeing the day to day running of the business, but is also another wearer of multiple hats!
One of our technical wizards, she ensures all our engineers are skilled in the technologies we employ. A smart cookie, she recently received the “Highest Award for Achievement” at a “Skills for Success” Dale Carnegie course. Bex also runs our “IEL Knowledge Centre” providing seminars for those wanting to know more about building technology, in particular about DALI-2 (currently the only lighting control standard for Australia and New Zealand).
Rebecca is also an enthusiastic participant in crossfit and other fitness disciplines. When not working on the business or on her fitness, Rebecca enjoys socialising with friends, and spending time with family. “Family” includes her son, but also her parents Paul and Nikki Harris! Rebecca is a major part of the “succession plan” for the IEL business.
Andrew Thompson hails originally from the mighty Manawatu. After an extended stint in Australia, Andy returned to New Zealand joining the IEL Wellington office in the role of Sales Engineer at the start of 2020.
Andy brings 20 years of Lighting Control industry knowledge to the team. He is familiar with all systems on the market and has worked with consultants to design and oversee the delivery of projects throughout Queensland, Victoria, Hobart, Papua New Guinea, and now in New Zealand.
A keen sailor and kayaker, if Andy’s not on the water sailing around Mana Island, or paddling around Porirua Harbour, he can be found travelling with wife Bronwyn, reconnecting with New Zealand’s scenery. Having just purchased a house in Wellington he will no doubt be re-visiting the joys of home maintenance!
Manu Bhagwanji was born and bred in Auckland, and graduated from Auckand Uni with a BSc/BTech. He also holds a number of qualifications in IT having worked in that industry for over 15 years both as an engineer and project manager. He implemented numerous education and commercial projects including a number as part of the Christchurch rebuild.
He moved from IT into the controls industry, and as controls specialist has lead numerous IEL projects to successful completion, including one of our largest projects, Commercial Bay.
Manu’s interests outside of work include sport, music and photography. His photography is obviously not of himself, as it was a challenge obtaining a photo to post here!
Sanjiv Gounder although the youngest member of our “IEL family”, demonstrates a level of maturity and professionalism beyond his years! Our team and clients alike appreciate his enthusiasm and beaming smile, which is seldom absent from his face. He invited the whole team to his wedding last year – the only time we’ve ever seen Sanjiv attempting a more serious “look”!
His role as controls specialist sees him involved in projects at all stages from designing, estimating and pre-programming to on-site commissioning. Sanjiv has a great understanding of control systems and enjoys troubleshooting and coming up with creative solutions. He graduated as an electrical engineer from Auckland University where he won an award for the best final year project – a solar-powered irrigation system that he designed and built.
With over 6 years’ experience in managing teams, Emma Holgerus is a TechIES member of the IESANZ and has a background in spatial and lighting design. After graduating from University of the Arts in London she realised she had a knack for organising tasks, along with a passion for people and client outcomes.
Returning from her recent parental leave, Emma is excited about her new role as Service Manager for Intelligent Environments. Her focus will be on proactively managing relationships with customers “post project” to provide the level of service we would all like to receive but seldom encounter.
Photo from a trip to Japan.
Ian Rose has been working in the lighting controls industry for 15+ years, and is based at the IEL Wellington office. Like all control specialists is our team, Ian doesn’t restrict himself to “local” projects, but is an invaluable resource in estimating and delivering projects across the country.
Ian’s background is electrical, but with a Bachelor of Computer Systems, he moved into the more technical side of building technology. As a controls specialist, he enjoys the variety of designing, pricing and implementing commercial projects and project-managing them from start to finish.
Outside of work he enjoys time spent with his family, and mountain biking (when not too busy with house renovations and gardening).
Michelle Leach looks after our CAD department and is responsible for producing our lighting control drawings.
Originally from an IT background, she realised her passion for interior design, by completing her studies in this subject with a Commercial Design elective.
Outside of work, Michelle’s recently taken up a brand new hobby by way of sewing, and now it’s just a matter of finding the time to make all the wonderful projects brewing in her head! She also loves spending time with family and watching her little girl grow more every day.
With primary responsibility for accounts & payroll, Debbie Rabl makes sure that suppliers and employees get paid on time, and that our customers pay us! She insists that with “far too many years’ experience to put in print”, she has worked in this type of role in a range of industries in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.
Away from the office, Debbie’s time is spent reading and pottering in her “artfully unkempt garden”. She lives with her husband, three grown children, dog Zia and goat Clifford in a beautiful coastal village in the Waitakere Ranges. Her passion is overseas travel and her photo shows her enjoying escargot and supping Pinot Gris from a typically green-stemmed Alsace glass.
We were pleased to welcome Julian Beckham to our team in 2022. Julian’s face may be familiar to many clients as he has been working in the electrical industry for a number of years, and has long had a particular interest in controls systems.
He joins Intelligent Environments as Technical Support for our Projects team, and will be assisting with on-site delivery of projects, while learning the more technical elements of programming control systems remotely, and providing support and maintenance once commissioning is complete.
In his spare time Julian enjoys paddleboarding, running, cycling and tinkering with (and flying) scale model remote control helicopters.
Carolyn Morgan is the Logistics Coordinator at Intelligent Environments, with experience in a wide range of procurement & production projects.
With a love of processes, systems and all things organisational, Carolyn takes pride in providing the best turnaround times possible for all the materials we need for a project, maintains our complex inventory, and deals with all incoming product orders.
Outside of the office, Carolyn & her husband have three children, two dogs and a cat so life is fairly hectic. In the little free time she has, Carolyn is active in the ice skating community as a senior figure skating judge.
Bel Arevalo grew up in Chile but with a passion for excitement, travel and snowboarding, ended up in Canada for eight years, never using her degree in Commercial Aviation!
Having moved to NZ, and now a permanent resident, she has brushed up her technical skills and as a Control Specialist is an important member of our delivery team. Bel is passionate about ensuring projects are completed to the highest standard. Tackling every task with good humour and enthusiasm Bel’s positivity is contagious!
In her free time, Bel has been discovering all that New Zealand has to offer, taking advantage to see as much of our beautiful country as possible. Photo taken in Vegas, while passenger in an aerobatic plane.
