It all started in a garage.
Dr Phillip Zada, Founder and Managing Director, started Z Ware in 2011 after years of working in the software industry and witnessing customers being treated as commodities by software and IT consultants. And like any good start-up story, it all began out of Phill’s garage in Melbourne. Phill soon realised that building trusted, transparent partnerships with clients would allow him to deliver outcomes that solved a problem and exceeded expectations. This is what we strive for with each of our partners, today.
We have grown and evolved over the years into a software company who specialise in digital design, user experience, full stack engineering and custom software development and consulting.
Basically… we design, build and create bespoke, custom, one-of-a-kind software platforms. We take our knowledge and what we have learnt through broad engagements, and we build based on our partner’s needs, your needs. If you have a problem to solve, some magic to create or need some extra resourcing and support for your inhouse IT/development teams, we are your people. We are a team of highly motivated, passionate individuals who are dedicated to ensuring our partners are geared up with the best solution for their business.
In addition to building cool stuff, we also offer training and education.
Our business is based on a foundation of five key values:
TRUST – As a highly independent workplace, we trust our team to make their own judgements over rules and incentives and base decisions on the long term rather than short term.
INTEGRITY – The confidence to admit mistakes freely and openly and consider what is best for Z Ware and our partners.
COMMUNICATION – Open, calm, candid, helpful, collaborative and timely communication amongst the team.
COURAGE – The courage to challenge prevailing assumptions and suggest alternate approaches.
PASSION – A passionate person will inspire others, is tenacious, optimistic, confident, and openly humble.
To stay up to date with Z Ware and make sure you don’t miss out on events, join our Meetup group.
Meet our team













Phillip Zada
Founder and Managing Director
VIC
After entering the software and professional services industry in 2004 and witnessing a growing trend of customers being treated as commodities, Phill believed it could and should be done differently. Stepping out on his own in 2011 and working out of his garage with a second-hand laptop, Z Ware was born.
His favourite part about owning his own business is that it means he can do what he loves to do every day.
Outside of the Z Ware world Phill enjoys spending time with his family, fishing and learning new tech.

Ashlea Moroney
Marketing and Communications Manager
VIC
Ashlea joined Z Ware with over 15 years experience across financial services, IT and utilities.
She is particularly passionate about branding and building the profile of the business through PR, events, digital marketing and communications.
In her role at Z Ware, Ashlea is responsible for the development of the Marketing strategy and overseeing its execution. She is a stickler for meeting deadlines, being on time and the use of manners.
Outside of her role, Ashlea is a mum of 1, enjoys brunching on the weekends, gets up early to go to the gym, loves a spreadsheet, hates the task of putting petrol in the car and has never read or watched Harry Potter.

Nikhil Malani
Solutions Architect/Product Manager
VIC
His favourite part about working at Z Ware is the problem-solving aspect that comes with managing a team, as well as being able to interact with the broader team and witness the extraordinary skill sets we have on offer.
Whilst his life is busy with two young kids and a puppy, his hobbies include reading, seeing live music, yoga and rock climbing. Nikhil is also our seasoned traveller having visited 35 countries and spent 6 months backpacking across western Europe.

Anna Zada
Service Delivery Manager
VIC
One of the original founders, Anna is dedicated to providing a robust tailored experience for Z Ware support partners backfilling and logistical needs. For over 10 years, Anna has headed the Z Ware Service Delivery with a passion to surpass expectations and go above and beyond for each engaged partner. For over 10 years, Anna has run the Service Delivery of Z Ware with a passion to surpass expectations and go above and beyond for each engaged partner.
Outside of work, Anna enjoys spending time with her family.

Maricel Garcia
Financial Officer
Maricel joined Z Ware after working as an outsourced accountant for 19 years. It is thanks to the flexible working environment offered by Z Ware that we are fortunate enough to have Maricel and her expertise as part of the team.
Maricel’s favourite quote, “With great power comes great responsibility” couldn’t be more relevant as she is a busy mum to three boys, after also growing up in a household full of boys! Her favourite hobbies are playing volleyball, going to the spa and salon and getting stuck into a good TV series on Netflix.

Kiara Bingham
Marketing and Communications Officer
VIC
Her role focuses on digital marketing including managing our social media and website, whilst also working closely with Ashlea to implement our Marketing strategy through PR, events and communications.
Outside of work, Kiara has a passion and love for plants, and spends a lot of her time making terrariums to sell at craft markets and online.

Brett Sargeant
Software Developer
NSW
As a self-confessed nerd, he loves anything to do with computers, which is why he loves being a programmer.
He loves the culture at Z Ware and working with a team that is focused on creating high-quality work.
His hobbies include going to music festivals, playing Dungeons and Dragons and (spending too much time on) video games. His claim to fame is when he appeared on the kids after school TV show, Totally Wild.

Samim Ahmed
Software Developer
VIC
His role at Z Ware involves developing end-to-end web apps and cross platform solutions with the product development team using Angular and .NET. He also manages third party vendors for a seamless integration into existing systems, along with maximising employee performance by creating tailored training materials.
His favourite hobbies are swimming and tennis. Samim enjoys watching movies, however, after watching Interstellar 10 times, he still doesn’t get it!

Ali Shojaeipour
AI and ML Engineer
NSW
He joined Z Ware after Phill became aware of the research Ali was undertaking for his PhD. He was invited to join Z Ware to continue working on his research and, as a team, work together to bring the research and development to life.
Ali is always keen to expand his knowledge and explore new things while collaborating with others in the world of AI. He is interested in working on AI projects that will improve the quality of human life but is particularly interested in the field of image processing.
His hobbies include playing basketball, hiking, watching movies and camping.

Anu Nagesh
Software Developer
VIC
Anu joined the Z Ware team in 2018 and has seen the business evolve, weather a pandemic and come out the other side to grow once again. She loves that her job encourages her to consistently learn new tech, and in an industry such as ours, this is imperative for both individual as well as business success. Anu prides herself on staying up to date with industry expectations.
Outside of Z Ware, Anu is a proud mum to her son whom she loves spending time with whether it be going on day trips to a farm, fruit picking, or shopping. She loves dancing and watching Netflix to relax.
Her favourite quote is, “Managers in software must write great software or it is like being a cavalry captain who can’t ride a horse“- Elon Musk.

Maisam Bakhshi
Software Developer
VIC
Maisam brings extensive experience in the tech industry across web and UI development, form development and application engineering.
What he loves most about working at Z Ware is being part of a supportive team that encourages him to succeed and continuously improve, as well as fostering a great work-life balance.
His hobbies include playing & watching soccer and hiking. Maisam is also fluent in (a very modest!) four languages- English, Hazaragi, Dari and Urdu.

Erin Tewes
Software Developer
ACT
Outside of work, Erin is a competitive Bridge player and has even won gold representing NSW and ACT in the National Championships! In 2022 she represented the Open Team.
In her spare time, she enjoys playing musical instruments such as the cello and piano. She also plays the mandocello in the Canberra Mandolin Orchestra.

Rebekah Higgins
Senior Software Developer
QLD
Her favourite part of her job is the thrill of seeing something that she is building come to life right in front of her eyes, as well the family-friendly culture at Z Ware.
She believes that the team you work with is what makes a good project and she loves that she gets to work with exceptional people every day.
Outside of work she is a martial arts instructor for a Korean act called Hapkido, and she taught herself to paint by watching Bob Ross!

Mohsen Parhiz
Senior Software Developer
VIC
His favourite part about his role is working with new technology and being able to share and gain knowledge from his team members. He also loves the feeling of running a bug-free web application and seeing its output.
Outside of work he enjoys watching movies, reading books, playing soccer, chess and solving Rubik’s cubes.

Jason Curby
Senior Software Developer
He was raised on computers in the 90’s and is a self-confessed nerd with his early love of tech born out of learning to code basic video games and interactive websites.
Outside of work, he enjoys swimming, rock climbing and is currently studying for his OSCP certification thanks to a passion in cybersecurity.

Duncan Hunter
Principal Software Engineer
NSW
Within his role, he loves that he gets to build design systems with web components, while working with a great team.
His favourite hobby is rock climbing, and prior to joining the tech world, he was a dietician.

Gabriella Duarte
UX/UI Designer
NSW
She is knowledgeable in multiple design programs that allow her to be great at her job.
She loves working on unique projects as it allows her to be creative and explore new solutions. She believes that all projects are versatile, nothing is the same that being a designer allows her to unleash her creativity in a way that helps others.
Her hobbies include photography, gym, travel, fashion design and being a foodie!
An interesting fact about herself is that she speaks 4 languages and was born overseas.

Maria Esteban
Customer Relationship Manager
SA
Outside of work, Maria has completed a bee keeping course and has plans to get her own hive. She also loves food and wine and even owned her own vineyard once upon a time.

Jennifer Reyes
Senior Test Manager
NSW
Her favourite part about her job is catching severity 1 and 2 issues and seeing a successful project deployed in production.
Jennifer enjoys working at Z Ware because of the passion that we all have in terms of delivering quality solutions, as well as the family vibe that she felt from day one!
Outside of Z Ware, her personal hobbies include making balloon decorations, watching travel vlogs and completing Spartan races! She loves Indian food and is a mother of 2.