Perth mining industry software entrepreneur Norman Pater founded Costing & Logistics Systems, now Scope Systems, in 1994 after moving from South Africa. Its strategy was supplying and supporting quality enterprise systems for the mining and contracting industries. He handed over the management reins at Scope Systems in 2008 but has remained a director until February 2020.
He was also a director of Melbourne-based IT group Pronto until 2012, a decade after he backed Pronto’s management team in an MBO, from which he emerged as the major shareholder.
Prior to his migration to Australia, Mr Peter was a founding director and shareholder of the Ohio Group, which listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 1987 and was a dominant supplier of logistics and accounting systems in South Africa.
Mr Pater's interest in technology includes artificial intelligence. He is listed as an advisor to Adaptive AI Inc (a2i2), formed in 2001 with the express goal of developing and commercializing an effective general intelligence software engine. The a2i2 enterprise was founded and run by Peter Voss, Mr Pater's business partner in South Africa.
Mr Pater is engaged with numerous organisations linked to the environmental movement.
