Founded in 2002 by independent GIS consultants Harley Prowse and Tony Elson, GBS is an established and privately-owned location intelligence company.
GBS is powered by high calibre geospatial solution architects, expert geospatial technical consultants and developers, and experienced project managers and business analysts.
GBS is the only Esri Certified Gold Partner in the Asia Pacific Region, having gained gold status in 2013. This means we are recognised experts when it comes to delivering tailored Esri geospatial solutions. Gold status also signifies that we deliver the highest quality GIS solutions to our Esri-based clients, ensuring best practice every time.
We’re great believers in the power of partnership. The more you involve us, the more we can do to build tailored GIS solutions that truly
contribute to your competitive advantage and operational efficiency. Our insistence on a close relationship comes from experience. We know
that a deep understanding of your business leads to the best-possible geospatial solutions.
With a background in geology and nearly ten years of GIS experience, Justin helps clients make sense of their data to drive better decisions. He’s worked with the USGS and as a consultant, and when he’s not diving into maps, he’s likely exploring the outdoors in his home state of Colorado.
Alicia is an Esri Technical Consultant. With qualifications including a BSc Honours in Agricultural Engineering (Spain) and MSc in Natural Resource Management (UK), Alicia appreciates the versatility that GIS tools and platforms provide to make spatial data accessible and meaningful to a wide audience.
When she is not busy working at GBS, Alicia enjoys dancing, cooking and exploring new places.
Jade holds a Postgraduate Diploma in GIS from the University of Auckland and brings extensive experience in mapping, spatial data manipulation, and GIS programming. She has a strong background in coding with React, TypeScript, and Python, and is highly skilled at building customised solutions with Esri’s Experience Builder.
Outside of work, Jade embraces the New Zealand lifestyle – enjoying the climate, exploring new places, practicing yoga, playing squash, and doting on her cats. Since moving to New Zealand, she’s also become a dedicated rugby fan (and a proud supporter of the All Blacks!).
Catherine joined GBS USA in 2021.
Catherine’s goal is to bring GIS to non-GIS users so they can make sound business decisions and provide efficiencies in their workplace.
Based in Lakewood, Colorado, Catherine works closely with Mark to help support him with projects in the USA.
An outdoor enthusiast keen on skiing, swimming, camping and mountain biking, Catherine hopes to return to New Zealand (with her family next time) to continue her sightseeing travels that she started at the beginning of her GIS career.
Jade became part of the GBS team in 2019 and now works as a Senior GIS Consultant. She holds a BSc Honours in Geoinformatics from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and brings several years of hands-on GIS experience to the table. Jade plays a key role in delivering complex GIS projects and values the meaningful, long-term relationships she builds with clients along the way.
When she’s not immersed in GIS, you’ll find Jade painting, exploring new destinations, or hiking through New Zealand’s stunning landscapes.
Heath has over 20 years experience working in IT, with over half of that time in GIS. Throughout his career, he has served in a variety of roles such as computer repair technician, desktop support engineer, network administrator and software developer. These days he is primarily involved in GIS software development and GIS design and implementation using ESRI technology.
Outside of work, Heath runs a Taiko drumming school where he also teaches and performs. In his spare time, he enjoys weightlifting, locksport and computer programming.
With over 25 years in New Zealand’s geospatial industry, Mark combines strong analytical expertise with technical development skills to deliver effective GIS solutions.
Based in the Top of the South, he pairs his professional focus on property, asset management, and data analysis with a love of the region’s mountains, forests, and beaches.
Brendon is a Delivery Lead and Consultant in his fourth year with the GBS Delivery team. Over this time, he has broadened his client and project portfolio, working across a diverse range of initiatives—from providing support services for SMEs to delivering GIS functional components for the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) online system. He holds a Master of Science in GIS and Environmental Geography and is a Certified Scrum Master.
Outside of work, Brendon enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons, often attending soccer tournaments, or relaxing at his local hobby shop.
Mike has over 20 years of experience in GIS and more recently Project Management and Agile methods. He has worked across many sectors from government, research and engineering/environmental consulting. These include organisations such as NIWA, WSP and the University of Auckland. This varied background allows him to quickly understand client needs. Mike is qualified with a MSc in Geography and recently was certified as an Agile Practitioner (ICP).
A fan of the outdoors, Mike can regularly be seen out on the water sailing, surfing or spending time with his family hiking and cycling.
Jo brings a background in sales and accounting to her role at GBS, where she keeps the office running smoothly and ensures the team is well supported. By taking care of the administrative load for Harley, Mark and Tony, she helps them focus on delivering for clients.
Known for her strong multitasking skills and ability to keep things organised, Jo has been an integral part of GBS since 2010. Outside of work, she’s a proud mum of two who enjoys music, camping, and staying active.
With a wealth of local government experience in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom and over 15 years in the Geospatial industry, Michael brings his valued and varied skills to his role as Solutions Manager.
A keen fisherman and hockey player, Michael is also a family man with two young children .
Shane’s role as GIS Architect and CTO revolves around being technical lead and resident applications expert; he’s also highly proficient with .NET, ArcGIS Enterprise and Mobile GIS. Shane is responsible for much of the solutions architecture work for our clients.
His outside interests take him outdoors, where he runs trails, snowboards, swims and hikes (with kids these days!).
Tony, co-founder of GBS since 2002, now serves as Head of Sales, Marketing, and Business Development, staying closely involved with clients and strategic decisions. He has stepped back from the tech side, leaving that to others (as he says, “there’s better people to do that than me!”).
He takes pride in GBS’s loyal and growing client base and its strong GIS capability and credibility in New Zealand and internationally. Tony is always exploring new opportunities and enjoys networking at conferences worldwide.
Outside work, he loves surfing and the beach, and family is central—proud father of four daughters and grandfather to five grandsons (karma!).
Mark is the CEO of GBS USA and Director of GBS NZ.
Mark’s passion is focused on leveraging Esri and GIS technologies to strategically add value and operational benefits to businesses and organizations. His vast range of experience across multiple industries and business acumen makes him an excellent platform to look beyond the obvious and draw on his past knowledge and strategic thinking. More recently, Mark has been leading projects and upskilling efforts within the Utilities Practice at GBS.
Mark opened the affiliate GBS USA office in February 2020, now located in Kalispell, Montana. Mark serves as the CEO/Managing Member and has remained as an integrated resource for projects and support with the GSB NZ and GBS Korea offices.
An avid skier and nicknamed ‘Snowman’, Mark moved to northwest Montana to be closer to the slopes and a more kiwi way of life after his stint in Auckland, NZ. However, he and his family will be travelling back and forth to New Zealand as often as possible for business and leisure.
From a study foundation of physical geography, Harley has mastered all aspects of GIS software design and development. Before establishing GBS with Tony Elson, he worked in GIS-related roles at Environment Waikato, Genasys and Geographic Technologies Ltd.
Harley enjoys the process of understanding client challenges, then developing innovative GIS solutions that save time, money and frustration. Harley’s role within GBS is ‘off the tools’ these days, with a focus on business development through sales and account management.
Beyond work, Harley gets to grips with geography through mountain biking and skiing and attempting to instill a sense of geography in his two kids!
