MY WORK
A new internal creative agency & brand platform at Xero
Xero is a cloud-based business platform that exists to change the game for small business worldwide. They've twice been named Forbes' #1 most innovative growth company on earth.
Engagement:
Global Copy Director in a new 70-person internal creative agency (2015-16)
Key services and results:
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Led development of Xero’s first brand platform working with M&C Saatchi Australia
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Delivered above-the-line campaigns in all markets
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Implemented culture & systems for sustained global growth
Supporting the Abuse in Care Royal Commission
The Abuse in Care Inquiry is the largest investigation of its type ever undertaken globally, into 50+ years of systemic child abuse in state and faith-based institutions, and recommendations for puretumu torowhānui, holistic redress and reforms.
Engagement:
Principal Advisor (2023-24)
Key services and results:
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Leading the external communications strategy
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Production management / project delivery for the Inquiry’s final report, one of the most complex documents ever delivered in the NZ public sector
Unlocking the power of narrative in leadership
Storytelling for Leaders is about helping leaders and teams master the art of story, from strong foundations to practical application.
The best leaders shape powerful, vulnerable and ambitious living stories - but how?
From the ancient fundamentals of storytelling in human history and ritual, to insider case studies from cutting-edge startups and the worlds of film, tv, and video game development, we will take you on a journey of applied narrative mastery.
“This workshop is a fantastic experience! The sessions are not only fun and engaging but also packed with actionable insights that you can immediately apply in your leadership role.”
Andrew | Principal Advisor, NZ Public Sector
Starting up the future of work with Runn
Founded by a team from SilverStripe, Spark, Xero, and BMW, Runn is a Kiwi technology startup built around managing time and money in digital projects.
Engagement:
Head of Strategy (2019-20)
Key services and results:
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Helped shape strategic story, product positioning, investment case
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Raised capital and found product/market fit at Series A stage, setting up for sustained growth
"We now have clarity on the product vision, the type of company we want to build, and a framework to communicate that to the world!"
Nicole Tiefensee | co-founder of Runn
Growing the global leader in e-learning
Totara is a learning management provider with hundreds of enterprise customers including Samsung, Amazon, Toyota, US Department of Agriculture, UK National Health Service, Deloitte.
Engagement:
Lead Storyteller (2022-23)
Key services and results:
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Drove new strategic brand positioning working with Head of Brand and 2 x CEOs (Founder and successor)
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Delivered refreshed website, core sales deck, key messaging, go-to-market assets
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Immediate uplift in pipeline and conversion, subsequent company sale to leading European investor Tenzing
"As a high-end story specialist, Colin understands the challenge of developing strategic narratives that truly drive commercial outcomes. He brings a fantastically deep, insightful set of tools to solving for growth."
Mark Ash | CEO
Better citizen services
Somar Digital is New Zealand’s leading Citizen Experience Agency, helping government agencies and not-for-profit organisations offer social services to people through digital technology.
Engagement:
Board Chair (2017-22)
Key services and results:
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Guided CEO & leadership team through a 5 year business transformation gaining dozens of government & not-for-profit sector clients, NZ Fast 50 growth
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Strategic focus on transport journey planning
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CEO transition from Founder to successor
"…helped guide the company through significant growth and change in a complex environment…tremendous integrity and humanity."
Fiona Reid | COO of Somar Digital
Human-led narrative design for a $2.2 billion urban recovery
Canterbury's recovery from a devastating series of earthquakes in 2010-11 brought together communities, infrastructure providers, urban design, policy, and hundreds of agencies and stakeholder groups.
Engagement:
Senior / Principal Communications Advisor at Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (2012-15)
Key services and results:
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Led the successful reimagining of the $2.2 billion Christchurch Central Recovery Plan
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Led international investment messaging
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Helped develop the infrastructure master sequence (eventually became the NZ Infrastructure Commission)
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Crisis management & stakeholder engagement in a disaster zone
Flipping the global workplace conversation
Riders&elephants, led by Jeremy Dean, is bootstrapping a global ecosystem of leadership & culture practitioners around the Emotional Culture Deck product, used by 400,000+ people across 60+ countries and organizations including Canva, Airbnb, the United Nations, Air New Zealand, IBM, Xero, Netflix, Coca Cola, Amazon, and Mercedes Benz.
Engagement:
Executive advisor (2018-21, ongoing)
Key services and results:
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Strategic guidance on every aspect of ecosystem development, go-to-market, efficient scaling, and brand positioning from earliest stage to global success
"Working with Colin has been a true partnership."
Jeremy Dean | founder of riders&elephants
International growth in a delicious social enterprise
The Wellington Chocolate Factory creates social and economic value at every step from cocoa plantation to taste buds. I helped steer WCF through Year 1 of being the most successful artisan food startup in New Zealand's history.
Engagement:
Head of Strategy (2014-15)
Key services and results:
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Supported co-founders Rochelle Alagar & Gabe Davidson in generating outstanding revenue, debt-free balance sheet, and award-winning luxury brand
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World-first Wellington Chocolate Voyage crowdfunding initiative driving global recognition and sales
"There is no textbook for making something new. Colin understands this."
Rochelle Alagar | co-founder Wellington Chocolate Factory
Rapid value creation with
Trinsic Labs
Trinsic Labs is an innovation studio aimed at bringing together diverse teams to tackle compelling problems at speed.
Our newest project, early in development, is Tiny Haunted Bookshop. Please follow the link to get the latest and subscribe for updates.
Previous projects include:
Scribey - a powerful, user-friendly GUI application for transcribing audio and video files with no user limits.
Stakehouse - a digital tool for easy stakeholder engagement mapping, developed with public sector practitioners across New Zealand.
Divvy - a simple blockchain voting machine, a first step in exploring 'trust-less' governance in projects and organisations.
Key services and results:
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Innovation lab creation
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Rapid scoping, prototyping, testing and investment
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Ongoing process improvement and learning cadence
Project Tempest: an interactive story world
Lovecraftian horror on the New Zealand frontier. Project Tempest is about building a series of digital projects with creators from around the globe.
Key services and results:
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Story development
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Platform, publishing & community
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Finalist in the 2020 Australasian Horror Awards
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Shortlisted for the 2021 Shirley Jackson Award
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Podcast shortlisted for the 2022 Sir Julius Vogel Awards
"… hauntingly lyrical and delightfully strange .... highly original in tone, concept, and execution"
BookLife Prize | Publishers Weekly