Meet the Delegates: Cross Creative

With over 20 years in hospitality and retail management, Anne has first-hand experience of the strain
HR bureaucracy puts on small business resources. After two years in Tech Operations management,
she founded MinuteHR to give small businesses this time back. MinuteHR’s mission: to give small
businesses more time focus on their customers, people and business growth with a low cost,
user-friendly, digital HR admin solution.

My favourite quote/saying is…
“You don’t build a business – you build people –
and then people build your business” – Zig Ziglar.

I got into digital because…
I wanted to understand how developing
digital/software products could improve efficiency in everyday life, both for individuals and
businesses. Retraining and joining the tech industry, these past three years have been a steep
learning curve, but tremendously enjoyable.

Something people would be surprised to learn about me is…
Art is my escape. I
produce paintings, prints and collages. A couple of years ago I had a quick stop over in Vienna; I
made a B-line to the Belvedere museum and finally got the chance to see Klimt’s The Kiss up-close…
breathtaking.

Brian has worked with pioneering companies including DMA Design, Rockstar Games and Digital Bridges,
as well as numerous start-ups across the digital technology and creative sectors. A serial
entrepreneur, Brian is the founder and director of the Scottish Games Network, the co-founder and
CEO of Jukebox Labs and the Commercial Director of CodeClan. Brian is also a part-time lecturer on
interactive media at Edinburgh Napier University.

If I could give any piece of career advice it would be…
Don’t be afraid to
change – the plan, the strategy or your career. Don’t get trapped in a situation where you feel you
have no control. Change it.

I applied for Cross Creative because…
Cross Creative is a genuinely world-class
programme which will help me to understand more, achieve more, become a more effective leader – and
ride the digital technology wave into a bright, shining future – in cyberspace!

The best thing I’ve ever seen is…
My darling children (turning into total
geeks, just like their Dad, despite their very best efforts)

Streamba is focused on optimising supply chains globally within the energy sector. They build supply
chain management products, and drive process improvement and aid decision making through their
intelligent supply chain platform VOR. As Senior Technical Lead, James works closely with customers
to ensure Streamba’s solutions are continually delivering value. This involves identifying areas of
improvement within the customer’s processes, and then managing the teams who take full ownership of
designing, building, and maintaining the solutions.

I applied for Cross Creative because…
I’d heard from past participants that Cross
Creative was genuinely a life changing experience for both them and their businesses so it was a no
brainer. It’s a chance to further develop my business skills, meet people in all walks of the
digital sector and take what I learn to help scale our company to the next level.

If I could give any piece of career advice it would be…
Know when to take a
break! It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind, miss important things and not be at your
best.
And stop being so conservative! Don’t limit your ambitions, keep challenging yourself –
anything is possible!

My top desert island disc would be…
Midnight Organ fight by Frightened Rabbit.
I’ve been listening to this album non stop for the last 10 years.

After gaining more than ten years’ experience in broadcast television (BBC / North One / Maverick TV)
and advertising (McCann) Jemma founded Tanami in 2013. After four years in business, Tanami was
acquired by integrated marketing and media group Cello Signal, which includes The Leith Agency,
Stripe and Signal. Tanami produces work nationally and internationally, from television adverts to
social content, 360-degree videos to aerial photography and all in between. Jemma also sits on the
board of The Leith Agency.

My favourite quote/saying is…
If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll
always get what you’ve always got!

I applied for Cross Creative because…
The thought of sharing delicious poutine
with a fresh bunch of like-minded techy folk hugely appealed.

If I could give one piece of advice to myself at 15 it would be…
Stop worrying –
particularly about things that are incredibly unlikely to happen or outwith your control. Sleep is
much better for you.

Effini is a data science consultancy, which is focused on using data to drive businesses forward. Jo
herself has a been on a varied data journey, starting with a PhD in Astrophysics, followed by a
period as a software developer and finally spending 15 in years in data analytics within Financial
Services, before setting up Effini. Jo is an active advocate of both data and diversity, holding
board positions with The Datalab and Scotland Women in Technology.

The best part of my job is…
Being my own boss and getting to choose to do work
that really excites me

My goal for 2019 is…
To recruit my first employee (and be able to pay them)

If I could give any piece of career advice it would be…
Never do a job that makes
you unhappy

Martin is an award-winning designer with over 18 years in the industry. He has worked on a wide
selection of disciplines – from branding and copywriting to art direction and strategy – over a
variety of industry sectors, for clients such as The Walt Disney Company, 2018 European
Championships, Celebrity Cruises, 2015 World Gymnastics Championships, and Burn Stewart Distillers.

I got into digital because…
it was unavoidable! ! I started my career in a
different landscape than where we are now, one where – amazingly – digital wasn’t all-consuming like
it is now. To *not* be into digital would be madness.

My goal for 2019 is…
implementing all of what I learn from Cross Creative into
as many aspects of my working life as I can. Beyond that, it’s starting running again!

If I could give any piece of career advice it would be…
put as much of yourself
as you can into everything you do. Enthusiasm and ambition in the long run will get your further
than just ‘talent’.

Scott has been a key member of the team at Tag Games since graduating from Abertay University in 2009
– initially as a game programmer and subsequently as a team lead. Scott led the programming team on
both Moshi Monsters and Angry Birds Action and used his experience of graphics and API programming
to create Tag’s multi-platform game engine ChilliSource. In 2018 Scott was appointed as CTO with the
aim of using his rare mixture of technical expertise and people skills to help shape and influence
the future of Tag Games in terms of technology, process and culture.

My favourite quote is…
“Perfect is the enemy of progress”

If I could give any piece of career advice it would be…
Never assume anything,
always evaluate what’s best for your business or situation and measure the outcomes. That’s how you
improve.

My top Desert Island Disc would be…
Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid Maad City

Tom is a UK based artist, designer and developer. He co-founded Biome Collective to support and
encourage diverse thinking in the digital sector, and to collaborate with others across a range of
disciplines through creative, shared and integrated processes.

I got into digital because…
For me, “digital” represents a very conceptual
space with almost infinite potential for creative, cultural, educational and social development. We
have always extended our understanding of ourselves and the universe through technology, and the
dynamic nature of the digital era allows for the reconfiguration, development and communication of
ideas in amazing new ways.

If I could give one piece of advice to myself at 15 it would be…
Don’t bother
to compare yourself with others.

Someone I admire is…
I admire people who stand up and challenge the status quo. At the moment,
the #metoo movement is having an incredible effect by highlighting the appalling abuse that has gone
hidden and unchallenged for so long. I admire the individual and collective determination of
movements like that.