Dr Panos Patros is an experienced software engineer, researcher, and former academic with more than 18 years’ experience spanning software development, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and executive leadership. He currently serves as Principal Software Engineer at Serato, leading teams delivering products for global customers, and is Chair of Engineering New Zealand’s IT Engineers Technical Group. Previously, Panos served as Vice President of Engineering at Raygun and as Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of the Department of Software Engineering at the University of Waikato.

Born to a Greek family and with strong ties to the Iranian-Kiwi community through his wife’s Canadian-Iranian background, Panos brings an international and multicultural perspective to ACT’s vision for New Zealand. With an engineering mindset focused on practical outcomes, meritocracy, and first principles, he is passionate about reducing bureaucracy, promoting innovation, and building a freer, tech-focused economy.