As a SaaS platform dedicated to building critical connections between communities and their representatives - we're people, people. That's why when 2020 was busy redefining the future of work, we were busy redesigning the nature of ours.
Acknowledging our privilege in providing a service that is now in more demand than ever - we took to the professionally laden streets of LinkedIn to heed our newfound responsibility. The objective? Compile a team dedicated to the evolution of EngagementHQ; from a born-in-practice platform to a purpose-built product.
Beyond the titles and number of years on resumes, we were on the hunt for humans who shared our passion for social responsibility, were confident navigating uncharted waters and who would champion the development of brand new product areas: UX, Engineering, Product Management, and Marketing.
Meet the recruits
Ian Tinsley | Head of Engineering
As Head of Engineering, Ian brings three decades of experience in software development and team management with him. Driving the digital and cultural transformations of Westfield, the Lux Group, Loop+, and most recently, My Plan Manager.
Ian is not only an incredible business leader; he prioritizes and finds deep satisfaction in growing the people in his teams, believing that a culture of trust and accountability is the primary driver of high-performing teams.
"Often in transformations, a key focus is breaking down the constraints of pre-existing controls, bureaucracy, and silos - that's not the problem at Bang the Table. Here, my focus is really on encouraging close collaboration between the product and engineering teams, while establishing the processes, culture, engineering expertise, and cross-continental collaboration to enable rapid, iterative product development" said Ian.
Manita Johnston | UX Lead
Manita is passionate about designing software for people. She was an Art Director at Yahoo smack bang in the middle of the dot com era, led the team at Clemenger into their digital renaissance, and has spearheaded design functions in SaaS companies for more than eleven years.
A multi-award winner, experienced researcher, tester and designer, system advocate, and natural facilitator Manita brings with her a wealth of knowledge on large-scale systems and novel UI paradigms.
"I get excited about solving problems, ingesting them, analysing them from new perspectives and designing enjoyable, easy to use solutions. For engagementHQ, my team, and I are laser-focused on our users and designing consistent, clear and friendly interfaces."
Si Chen | Product Manager
Work is a whole lot better when you love what you do, and Si certainly fits that bill. Moving from China to Australia in 2017 to head up the Chinese Access Program for Thoughtworks before taking up residency at realestate.com.au as (REA) as Product Manager to the Asia markets Si is a multilingual, multitalented powerhouse heading up the Plan & Create product pillar for engagementHQ.
A graduate from Harvard business school, a classically trained violinist and an innovative and experienced strategist - Si is not only used to wearing many hats, she sincerely enjoys it.
"Bang the Table is unlike traditional organisations who primarily prioritise financial profitability, their purpose is inseparable from their product. I'm so excited to combine technology and innovation to make the world a better place and join the team who hold inclusiveness and the human experience at their core."
Fabio Vella | Product Manager
A philanthropist with an aptitude for design, Fabio came to us by way of the startup world. A man used to moving at the speed of light, who strives for solutions and advocates for agile, Fabio cares deeply about iterative research, strategy, design and problem-solving.
Practised at working in tech environments with Gender Equality and Social Inclusion at their heart, he believes that embedding purpose delivers value. Not one to let a mission statement sit stagnant, he's hit the ground running, improving our users' insights and reporting.
"We learn a lot by doing, not everything we do works, and that's okay. When it comes to Product Management or anything really, it's about getting in the game, getting dirty, getting experimental. In EngagementHQ, we're building on solid foundations, we have generous clients who are happy to provide their time and insights, so, there's no better place to start!"
Tess O'Brien | Product Marketing Manager
And lastly, there's me 👋 — your newly appointed product marketeer determined to create fun and informative product communications.
Always odd to fluff your own feathers, so I'll keep it short and sweet. I get excited about tech and the idea of telling stories in a way that is meaningful and valuable to the reader, Google Cloud, Servian and MindArc have featured my work.
I've been a speaker and a moderator for discussions on engagement and retention at Shopify Plus and Deakin University, and I can't wait to frequent your inbox, keeping you up to date on all the fantastic work we're doing here on EngagementHQ, we're just getting started.
See you in the browser!