Mark Bathie,Codesion
Director Mark found a gap in the market when he first started working in the ICT industry which led him to start his own business,CVSDude.The company is now a leading global provider of specialist source code hosting services and project management tools, with nearly 3,000 commercial customer worldwide.Mark Bathie, Codesion
Mark found a gap in the market when he first started working in the ICT industry which led him to start his own business, Codesion (formally CVSDude). The company is now a leading global provider of specialist source code hosting services and project management tools, with nearly 100,000 users worldwide, and has recently been acquired by a larger Silicon Valley company - CollabNet.
Why a career in ICT?
I was always interested in computers right through school, before computers were ´cool´. I was hooked and this lead to me studying IT at university after school.
Everyone uses computers these days, so I knew there would always be work. As a job, ICT is challenging, dynamic, fun and creative, with plenty of opportunity to engage in new and emerging technologies.
How did you get where you are today?
I was working in the industry, and knew I could have used a collaborative service like Codesion now provides, but there was nothing around. On returning from a working holiday in the UK, I knew it was the right time for me to just ´go for it´. Applications were starting to move off the desktop and into the cloud, so I started CVSDude to host open source version control and project management tools in a secure environment.
It was not always easy. We had to be leading edge, but with no funding to start the company, it was a lot of long days and nights, but this meant I had to really focus on what was most important. Seeing the company grow is very rewarding and makes the hard work worthwhile.
What is your role with Codesion?
I served the company as Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), as well as chairman of the board. Codesion has since been acquired by Silicon Valley company, CollabNet. I continue to serve as the CTO of the CollabNet business unit.
What are the rewards of your job?
I have my finger on the pulse of everything that is the latest and greatest in ICT and the power to make my ideas in to reality. It is very rewarding to see how far Codesion has come, from an idea I had, to a worldwide enterprise with nearly 100,000 users, and exiting via acquisition by a larger company.
It is immensely satisfying to take a step back and look at what we have achieved, creating something out of nothing. It is also great to work with a team that is committed to the same vision.
I get to travel with my job, moving between the United States, Australia and beyond.
How flexible is your job?
Just working in the IT industry has a flexibility all of its own. You can work from home, or from anywhere really. Other professions require bricks and mortar offices to work in, but an ICT professional is mobile.
With the growth of the company, I have been able to delegate a lot of the day-to-day responsibilities, and focus on high-level strategy and goals. I am still busy (but funbusy), but my personal goal now is to pick and choose what projects I work on and maintain balance in my life with friends, family and recreation.
ICT in the global village
The ICT industry is known to be a big energy user, which can contribute to climate change. Recent research has found that a typical Google search generates about seven grams of C02 compared to boiling a kettle, which generates about 15 grams. But there is so much opportunity today to be more efficient with technology, both in the design of more efficient computing resources and how we as end users use technology. As a company we are sponsoring a section of rainforest in Papua New Guinea to quarantine it from logging to offset our carbon footprint and have a number of companywide green policies, for example, a zero print policy where you think before you print.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in ICT?
Get experience in any way you can - go to Uni, work ´smart´ and hard for companies you want to be involved with. There are so many different fields in the industry, it can be hard to know what area you want to specialise in. Don´t let yourself get stuck in a particular field if you´re not happy, ICT has a lot of different fields, so move on until you find something you're happy with.
Away from the computer ...
Computers are fun, but I also love the outdoors - surfing, mountain biking and meeting people. I also love to backpack and travel, so that´s an added perk of my job.
Read more about Mark's career in ICT Download
