Jo Archibald is our IT Systems and Solutions Manager and has been an integral part of our laboratory for 33 years. There’s not many systems Jo doesn’t have a hand in and she has touched the lives of many staff, clients and suppliers in her time with the laboratory. After over three decades in the business, Jo is retiring and is working her last day on September 12.
Jo started her career at Wallaceville (Upper Hutt) in the MPI Central Animal Health Laboratories in August 1992 and since that time has witnessed and transitioned through several changes to the business. With the change from MPI to AgriQuality, this included a move to the Palmerston North AgriQuality laboratory in 2000 which in turn became Gribbles Veterinary Pathology and now Awanui Veterinary.
Jo has really enjoyed all her years with our team in a variety of positions – while starting out as technician and then team leader of AgriQuality Serology, she has had roles as Business Development Manager, which involved clinic visits throughout the lower North Island, and at various times over the years has been the Palmerston North Laboratory Manager.
She is particularly proud of the work she has achieved in her most recent position as the IT Systems and Support Manager (2017 – 2025). This has involved Jo working with our IT programmers to create many added benefits for Awanui Veterinary and Awanui Scientific clients, and an easier life for staff in our network of laboratories.
Jo has interacted with many veterinary clinic staff (who may remember her as Jo Drake) for some of the client facing projects that she has been involved in which have included:
> BVD Portal for ordering of milk collections along with BVD cumulative reporting of the results
> Facial eczema portal for monitoring of facial eczema spore counts from around the country
> Trace element cumulative reporting and the addition of regional trends shown visually on the graphs
> eResults programme
> Lab Integration programme for the reporting of in-clinic analyser results from clinics
> Rebate programme with monthly reports for the large client groups
> Honey testing portal for Ecrotek clients
> FECRT automated reports for checking drench resistance
> Ezyvet integration
> OOMs integration for Bovigam testing
> Food portal integration for some of our Meat and Bone Meal clients.
Internally, as well as putting her hand up to provide additional hands-on support to the team as required, Jo has been part of several improvements to our laboratory information system (CCLAS) which in turn has improved efficiencies within our network. These have included:
· The automated import of website based consumables orders and Fond Farewells invoicing into CCLAS
· The histology block and slide labelling programme to enable digital pathology
· Interfacing the serology plate readers and molecular Quant Studio processes with CCLAS
· Interfacing our biochemistry and haematology analysers with CCLAS
· Implementation of electronic invoicing (remember the good old days of stuffing invoices into envelopes and sending out via mail?).
Jo’s knowledge, expertise, in-depth knowledge of our business and especially CCLAS will be greatly missed. She has had the good fortune to have spent a couple of months training her replacement, Anagha Juvekar to confidently take over the role when Jo retires.
Jo is ready to enjoy her retirement years and plans lots of travel with husband Ross and spending time with the grandchildren.
We thank you Jo for your contributions over the years and wish you all the best for the adventures your retirement will bring.