Matthew formally joined the TwentyTwo tribe in 2017 but he has been a key part of the team for many years!
Matt is a part of our Strategy team, and our enabling-technology expert, but also lends his hand when the team needs support across a number of areas.
I recently sat down Matthew to learn a little bit more about his background and skills, and why he loves working at TwentyTwo.
What gets you excited?
“I like understanding things. This morning when I woke up I was reading about blockchain . I always want to know how everything works, I can’t help myself, I just have to know. We’ve been working on a job here at TwentyTwo for a client – and somehow I got involved with making sure the lifts in this new building were configured correctly! They use some pretty exciting new technology, so I was reading up on how they work yesterday. Things like that fascinate me. I can’t accept that something just works, I need to understand how and why.”
How did you arrive at TwentyTwo, what’s your work story?
“My first job was following my passion and hobby, sailing. I ran a sailing academy in Evans Bay, Wellington for secondary school sailing. That was great fun!
From here I set up a company with three friends selling plastic bags. Sounds crazy, but it was a winner. The new air travel rule of carrying your liquids in a clear plastic bag was about to come into effect. It was about six months earlier when I saw something about it on the news and the idea was born with a couple of friends of mine. We developed and produced a bag in Hong Kong that could fit the maximum contents volume within the size parameters the rules outlined. We had some pretty significant travel organisations in NZ buying our bags. It was very short lived obviously, we were a stop gap solution, but it was fun while it lasted.
From here I worked for Rob Morrison, a well-known Wellington business-person on various projects for two years. Putting presentations together, researching anything and everything, problem solving, finding solutions. He would invest in some really exciting small scale NZ companies with big potential, and I would get involved with all sorts of exciting projects with them.
I’ve also started, owned, ran and sold a couple of IT companies. I started with small scale technology repairs and then it grew to looking after SME’s as their outsourced IT support. My family has always been involved with technology, so it’s always come really natural to me. That’s how I first became involved with TwentyTwo. I started helping Dean (Managing Director) and Sunder(Business Operations Manager) with the IT issues for the business and became a key part of the team on an outsourced basis. Last year an opportunity came up to join the TwentyTwo tribe full time in a different capacity – so I jumped at it – and here I am!”
Matt’s got a great attitude and customer service ethic. He did some amazing things for us transitioning our IT and systems to a full cloud solution. He’s a great problem solver and he is very bright! So, we saw a lot of potential in him that was untapped. Since joining the team he has brought a new skill set and a level of enthusiasm that is contagious! And he’s lots of fun! Sunder Croucher, Business Operations Manager
What excites you about TwentyTwo?
“Helping people solve problems. Learning what people do, how workplaces run, what their problems are and how we can help to solve them and increase productivity.
I’m passionate about the opportunity workplace and related technology provides to help activate organisational strategy and how we can create effective solutions that enable individuals, teams and organisations to be more efficient and engaged.
I’m really excited about workplace analysis and workplace planning. Duncan (Practice Lead: Strategy and Director at TwentyTwo) has some really exciting thoughts on workplace planning, what really works, how we need to listen and understand the processes of the work environment and its people. I’m really excited to learn more from him and use my eclectic mix of skills to add value to our clients.”
Any big goals for 2018?
“Buy a house with my partner Jemima and I’m also working on a cool project on TwentyTwo’s behalf with some technology students at Victoria University. They’re developing a tool that will help better measure occupants use of staff (among other things – can’t say too much at the moment …). This is an exciting piece of technology that we will be able to use to analyse workplace environments. We’re still early on in the design, but watch this space.
I’m also part way through a BCom at VUW that I’m trying to complete!”
In your view what’s the biggest workplace challenge for 2018?
“There are a few things, but in terms of technology it’s the huge unknown around digital disruption. What is it, what will it bring. This month we’re hearing a lot about AI and blockchain. With a lot of these things, the reality of how they’ll be applied to everyday life is still a long way off. I think Dean’s recent blog on AI and the workplace really highlights well some of the implications AI is having on the commercial property sector.”
Finally, you call Wellington home, what do you love about it?
“I was born in Wellington, I love it here. I’ve got a sail boat, so I love the harbour and the wind! I’ve spent some time overseas living in Germany as a school aged kid. It was amazing, changed my perspective on life, even as a young kid, but Wellington is home.”
