Mike Donovan - A Biography

Born and raised in Auckland, Mike lived in Red Beach most of his childhood and moved to Albany in his twenties. Mike has always loved music so he followed this dream by joining a band for a few years, during which time he also taught guitar at a few schools in the area. His tutoring role worked well with his lifestyle as a musician, but he soon realised his passion for computers and IT.

Mike's move to IT started with an intensive programming course, which helped him secure a role at Peace Software, analysing problems and assisting clients with a variety of issues.

After working at Peace Software, Mike moved onto a more diverse role at Pheta Systems, where he was contracted to work on IT systems across a wide range of clients. Mike trained in Oracle DBA while working for Pheta, which became the core of his IT expertise through his time there.

Having had a strong Christian faith for most of his life, Mike always had a desire to be more involved with his church and after leaving Pheta Systems, became a full time pastor. “I guess I place a high value on people, and for many years I've had the desire in my heart to help people so I really wanted to try being a pastor.”

Three years after this life changing experience, Mike moved back into IT as a consultant, working 4 days a week consulting to businesses while still staying involved in church one day a week. Since working as a consultant, Mike has had the opportunity to be involved in the marketing and website related aspects of running a business.

Mike is passionate about the Internet and is a strong believer in using websites and other forms of electronic marketing to promote businesses and turn them into great success stories. Tapping into his experience, he will be sharing with the audience all the practical tips and techniques they can use to get the best results out of a website.

Mike is a very confident speaker – his skills honed from participating in speech competitions at school and also from speaking regularly in front of hundreds of people later in life as a pastor. His time as a pastor also helped him with being able to explain complex subjects in a way that relates to everyone in the audience. His down to earth and grounded attitude has seen him receive only the best feedback as it helps him instantly build rapport with his listeners.

During the weekends, you will find him enjoying every minute of hanging out with his two kids – taking them to the park, riding bikes and all the wonderful things that go with being a parent. Mike also loves surfing, reading and has a drive to learn new things.