Today’s post is a Q&A with Tim Riches, the recently-appointed Managing Director Australia at Designworks.
You have a long history in the branding and communications field. Why choose Designworks?
What attracted me most was the breadth and depth of design capability put together with the ambition to be a partner to clients as they make transformational change. This combination positions Designworks uniquely in Australia, it seems to me – with the ability to define and deliver a whole experience in a user-centric way that builds a business.
Plus the culture is very engaging – both down to earth and demanding – two vital ingredients in doing great work. All together, I think there’s an opportunity to be part of a progressive firm to bring genuine design thinking to life in the Australian market.
What skills and experience do you have that you think will be particularly relevant to Designworks staff and clients?
My background brings a balance of analytical and creative thinking, having run a consumer research + strategy firm (The Leading Edge) as well as a brand consultancy (FutureBrand). In addition to running businesses, my expertise is in the brand strategy field, with lots of exposure in sectors such as financial services, professional services, retail, sports, tourism, universities and property/development.
At FutureBrand in particular, I also worked closely with sister companies in other fields like advertising, PR and experiential marketing. I’ve also had quite a bit to do with architects over the years – so I have a well rounded understanding of how to work with other types of agencies, which will come in useful in developing opportunities within the broader STW network.
Throughout my career I’ve been involved in international projects, and living for a couple of years in Singapore and working in many Asian markets also significantly expanded my perspective. I’ve worked on a bank in the Philippines, an airline in Korea and tourism destinations in Malaysia – this kind of experience really opens your eyes to the cultural backdrop against which brands sit.
You’ve moved into a newly created national role at Designworks. Why is a national focus needed now and what will be your main focus for the next six months?
Where we are now, we need to have a national Australian view of the business and the market and build a high level of cooperation and collaboration between our office teams. At Designworks, we often talk about the biggest ideas on the biggest stages, and Australia is a bigger stage than Melbourne or Sydney. The reality for Designworks as a whole is that Australia is a key growth potential market, and we have a distinctive offer that helps our clients realise their ambitions in a different way to other agencies – so getting the Designworks story out into the market as fuel for growth is really important. The company is very committed to this market, so it’s an exciting time.
You have a strong involvement with the broader industry; why do you believe this is important?
In our industry, it’s all about context. Getting involved outside your day job is important to improving your understanding of the broader world in which we operate, and to challenge your own view of who you are and what you do by getting some “outside-in” perspective. My broader industry involvement has included being a judge of the Effies and the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards – such a great experience to give you a sense of how different types of agencies tackle diverse marketing problems, especially across different countries and cultures. I’ve also given expert evidence in litigation relating to brands as assets – that was an interesting exercise in distilling core marketing and branding concepts down to something clear and robust. No small challenge! Finally, university involvement is very important. I’ve been an Adjunct Professor at Swinburne in Melbourne, advising on course development and providing feedback on evolving industry needs. This gives you a sense of what matters to the next generation of talent, which is obviously important, as well as the satisfaction of sharing your own experiences. And it’s really the academics that are the blue sky thinkers in our space – it’s a good balance to have some of these conversations to stop you falling off the fence into a 100% commercial world view.
You’ve said you are committed to the cause of Design Thinking; what do you mean by that?
I define it as applying structured, creative problem-solving to business or social challenges. At Designworks, we have an opportunity to balance a purely user-driven view, which runs the risk of competitive homogeneity, with a brand-driven one, which runs the risk of being just an introspective “brand expression”. I believe what we bring to a client relationship over time helps them be better at change, and enable them to ultimately do things that actually work.
Follow Designworks on Twitter: @designworking. The illustration is from their recent 100 Days of Yellow project celebrating the DW spirit.