New Zealander of the Year: 2023 Innovator of the Year Emily Blythe battling airport fog with drones

Thursday, 30 March 2023

Emily Blythe was named a finalist for Innovator of the Year at the 2023 New Zealander of the Year Awards.

Pyper Vision CEO Emily Blythe is “humbled and thrilled” to be named Innovator of the Year Te Pou Whakairo o te Tau at the 2023 New Zealander of the Year Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa Awards.

The 27-year-old Cantabrian grew up in a family “steeped in the aviation industry”. Her father is a pilot and her mother works in air traffic control, while her great-grandfather was on one of the world’s first flights in the 1910s in the UK.

Blythe was taught by her grandfather to fly at age 12. Aviation, she told Stuff, is in her blood.

And now she is combining that passion with a lifelong love of meteorology – tackling a $12b problem of airport fog with her Christchurch startup Pyper Vision.

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Emily Blythe founder and chief executive of Christchurch-based Pyper Vision was named innovator of the year for 2023.

Blythe was up against fellow innovators Vaughan Fergusson and Robbie Van Dam for the award at the annual ceremony on Thursday night, and said it was, “pretty phenomenal for me to be named alongside two people who have inspired my own journey”.

“To even be named alongside such game changers and innovators is a real boost. I … hope that any success for me would translate to growth for Pyper Vision as we set out to create safe visibility at airports, starting with Aotearoa.”

Blythe started Pyper Vision in 2016, but the idea of tackling airport visibility through innovation first came about in high school.

“I was challenged to solve a problem I was interested in. I chose fog. That led to me first pitching my concept to the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme. With the best of intentions, they suggested I pick something easier,” she said.

But, instead, the fledgling idea evolved into award-winning innovation, which involves flying a drone (or Remotely Piloted Aircraft) and releasing the company’s specially developed powder to absorb the moisture and clear the runway of fog.

“To see an idea that has been formulating in my head since I was a child through to a fully fledged company is a dream come true,” she said.

Blythe attended the gala event at Auckland’s Cordis with members of her team, investors, friends and family and said she had received great support throughout her entrepreneurial journey and having some of those people with her on Thursday night was, “really special”.

To young innovators inspired by Blythe’s win, she said it important to, “always be curious and follow your passion”.

“Determination is key, as is the support from those around you. Keep seeking that inspired feeling, and surround yourself with people who have similar values and you can learn from.”