The people accountable for your outcomes.
A leadership team with over 25 years of combined experience in managed IT, cyber security and business technology, backed by engineers who know your environment.
Leadership
Meet the leadership team
Australian accountability, global support. One leadership team answerable for your technology, security and service.
Michael Coward
CEO
Michael leads Essential Tech’s vision and strategy, making sure our people, services and partnerships are set up to protect what our clients have built and help them build what’s next.
He works closely with key clients as an executive sponsor, keeping a direct line between their leadership team and ours, and stepping in personally when it matters most. With experience across engineering, architecture, construction, finance and accounting, he understands how technology decisions affect the whole business.
Michael champions innovation in security, automation and AI, and focuses on building a leadership team that delivers consistently, so clients receive the same high standard of service as Essential Tech grows.
Nidhi Patel
General Manager
Nidhi turns strategy into disciplined execution across operations, service delivery, people and commercial performance.
With more than 10 years of leadership experience across managed technology, professional services and multi-site organisations, she builds clear accountability and operating rhythms that help businesses scale.
Her practical, client-first approach combines operational discipline with a strong understanding of technology, cyber security, governance, AI and automation.
Brendan Felstead
Sales Director
Brendan leads our sales and account management team, helping organisations find the right mix of technology, security and services for where their business is heading.
He works with clients from the first conversation through to regular business reviews, making sure every recommendation is realistic to deliver and clearly linked to the outcomes that matter. With experience across IT and information management, he has helped hundreds of organisations, from small businesses to government-owned entities, design and implement end-to-end solutions.
Brendan also manages our vendor and partner relationships, so clients benefit from proven technology, and he believes long-term relationships always matter more than a quick win.
Simon Edmed
Service Manager
Simon leads our service desk and project delivery teams, making sure clients receive consistent, high-quality support every day and projects are delivered on time, on scope and on budget.
With more than a decade in IT, he leads engineers across every level of support, with a focus on fast triage, clear communication and fixing the root cause so issues don’t keep coming back. When something needs escalating, Simon steps in personally to resolve it and keep clients informed.
He also makes sure our engineers stay trained and certified on the technologies clients rely on, from security and cloud to automation and AI, and that new services are introduced without disruption.
Our values
How we work with you
Respectful
We value your time, your people and your clients.
Supportive
We’re on your side when things go wrong and when you’re planning what’s next.
Friendly
Plain English and real people, not jargon.
Engaged
We take the time to understand your business and goals.
Proactive
We fix issues before they stop work and bring ideas before you ask.
Talk to us
Let's talk about your organisation
Tell us what’s on your mind and we’ll arrange a time with the right person on our team.