My story
With a furniture and industrial designer for a father, I learned early on how the intricate weaving of form with function can be a beautiful thing. This sparked a passion which led me to study design, where in 2004 I graduated with a Bachelor of Design majoring in Visual Communication.
Early roles gave me the chance to explore different mediums. I coded games, taught at Whitecliff School of Design, produced claymation TV ads, worked on over 40 NZ music videos, and collaborated to produce an online magazine featuring fashion, music, art, and culture. I enjoyed this time with its juxtaposition of detail and syntax with creativity and exploration.
Moving on to work with MTV and other Viacom brands over the course of 3 years helped me to hone my skills in editing, post production, partying, and working with teams. Tight deadlines and demanding clients also helped to instil a robust working style, focusing on what’s important, communicating clearly, and going hell-for-leather while remaining calm (at least on the outside).
Taking these skills I set up and successfully ran a production company - Jet Black Cartel. The company was born to service the ongoing creative requirements for Viacom in the local market. Alongside Viacom’s brands I also developed relationships with brands including TV3, Air New Zealand, and many more. Here I learned the value of hiring talented staff, the realities of running a business, and the pride in a job well done (especially when you have your reputation on the line).
After a lot of serious consideration I then made the call to return to a more hands-on role and shifted from running a company, back to being in a creative position. Building from freelance projects creating bespoke content and campaigns, I made the move to 2degrees where I set up and ran an internal design team. Here I negotiated with agencies, printers and suppliers, created brand guidelines, refined customer experiences, and used as much data as I wanted on my mobile. I developed an efficient, creative, and hungry design team who never missed a deadline.
After 5 years of blue with 2degrees I then shifted to Yellow. As a brand in transformation, my role was to help reshape perceptions, educate, and invigorate the brand through better design. Within my first 6 months I helped to land the brand with the application of new guidelines throughout the business, and was involved in the launch of a new Ecommerce platform which revolutionized their online customer experience.
I then moved to Wellington, where Kev the kiwi greeted me at Trade Me. What a place! Slides, harbour views, and the chance to support the second hand economy through smart design. Within my role as Design Practice Lead I empowered Designers through process, tools, guidance, and strategy.
I then moved to ANZ where I built a diverse and high-performing Product Design team. The focus for me was within the GoMoney app, and with internal teams shaping initiatives that improved strategic and operational performance. I was most proud of the work done to improve accessibility, creating a more digitally inclusive ecosystem.
Nothing sounds sexier than ‘cloud based accounting software’ so I couldn’t resist the pull towards my new home at Xero. Here I focused on making life better for small businesses around the world by delivering insight-driven experiences empowering Accountants and Bookkeepers. I worked with my team to build confidence and curiosity through best-practice design thinking, and connected them within the business to create collaborative environments. My role balanced management and support of the design team, with strategic direction and partnerships within Xero.
Seeing potential, and loving a challenge, I then moved to VeVe. Our mission is to be the place where the world collects, and with a focus on quality and the collector experience, the potential for good design to influence better user and business outcomes is enormous. Many of the world's leading and most interesting brands, artists and creatives trust VeVe to bring their most valuable intellectual property to new audiences including Disney, Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel, DC Comics, Warner Bros, Dreamworks, MGM, Universal and more. My role is responsible for defining future design strategy that brings teams together to achieve this mission. Collaborating with Product and Engineering teams I’m delivering a roadmap supported by strategic pillars and principles that clearly articulate purpose and direction.
I’m excited about the potential which good design has to improve lives and am looking forward to whatever the next chapter brings.