Tom Moore - Candidate

I am a long time Ottawa area resident and Carleton graduate (BSc. - math - 1970). I also have a Masters degree in Computer Science from Waterloo. I worked for a number of hi-tech firms in Ottawa before starting Software Kinetics Ltd with two partners in 1981 and grew the business to over 125 people over the next 2 decades. Interestingly, along the way Software Kinetics' Halifax office started one of Canada's earliest internet service providers - Nova Scotia Technology Network (or NSTN) - in 1989.

Although my working career initially focused on software development and technical project leadership, at Software Kinetics it quickly evolved to focus more on the many aspects of project and business management. As an owner I was also on the Board of Directors and directly involved in the policy and governance of the corporation.

Another aspect of my relevant experience is my involvement with the Little Angels Blood Cancer Fund. Little Angels is a registered charity that provides funds to qualified patients receiving treatment for a blood cancer at the Ottawa Hospital. The funds are used to assist patients having financial difficulty coping with non medical expenses related to their treatment. Currently I am president of the Board of Little Angels.

What skills will you contribute to the NCF Board?

I have experienced the issues and challenges a small entrepreneurial technology based business can encounter. I have participated in governance boards and understand the board's role in relation to the management of the business.

What are the most important functions of teh NCF for its members?

Certainly, providing reliable and cost effective access to the internet for its members is one of the NCF's most important functions, if not the most important. However, as a newcomer to NCF, what strikes me as most remarkable (and important) is the community NCF has created. The community brings together people of wide ranging backgrounds, skills, interests and economic resources and provides a context in which people can share information, share resources and help each other. It's hard to say which of those two functions is more important. Perhaps one could not exist without the other.

Why do you want to be an NCF director?

There are two reasons:

1. Ottawa is a community is in which I have lived and prospered for most of my life. It gives me pleasure and satisfaction to be able to give something back.
2. The NCF Board is a talented group with a broad range of backgrounds and experience. In addition to being able to contribute to that mix, I hope to learn a few things along the way.