Today marks an exciting new chapter in Made Open's journey.
After more than 20 years of exceptional leadership as our CEO, Robert Woolf is stepping down and transitioning into a new strategic role at Made Open. Starting today, he'll focus solely on helping our clients bring their strategies to life and driving positive change in communities.
As I step into the role of CEO, I'd like to share what this means for Made Open and our future vision. But first, here's a bit about me and my journey at Made Open.
My journey
For the past 15 years, Made Open has been my professional home. I joined fresh from completing my Product Design degree, and I've had the privilege of growing with the company as we evolved from a service design agency into a technology company focused on community innovation. Our community platform has been my life's work, and I couldn't be more proud of what we've built together.
Continuing our mission
Made Open was founded on a simple yet powerful idea: communities thrive when people can easily share knowledge, time and skills. However, our journey into technology happened almost by accident, driven by a passion for solving complex societal challenges. This mission remains at our core and, as CEO, I’m committed to strengthening it even further.
Our values
As we enter this new chapter, I want to emphasise that the fundamental values that have made Made Open successful will continue to guide us:
- Collaborators, not contractors:
We're your trusted technology partner, taking on your challenges as our own. - Mission first, business second:
Our social impact drives everything we do. - Simple, accessible design:
We create technology that truly serves people. - Human first:
While we embrace innovation, human connection remains at our heart.
Looking forward
Over the next six months, we’ll be shaping our 5-year strategy to further empower communities to connect, collaborate and support one another. Our focus will be on strengthening the tools and resources that help people share skills, time and knowledge - fostering vibrant, self-sustaining communities.
We’ll be investing in user testing, expanding our platform’s capabilities and creating new ways to support the individuals and organisations driving positive change.
Thank you
I feel incredibly privileged to work alongside such a talented and passionate team, as well as with our inspiring clients and partners. Your dedication to driving social impact is what makes Made Open special and I’m grateful for every collaboration that has shaped our journey.
A special thank you to Robert and Kathryn - your leadership, vision and unwavering commitment have built the foundations of everything we stand for; and I’m certainly very grateful to have your continued support and mentorship as we move forward. I look forward to carrying on the passion, dedication and values that have made Made Open what it is today.
As we step into this new chapter, I look forward to working together to build a stronger, more connected future. Here’s to the next stage of our journey!
Get in touch
I value personal connections and will be reaching out to clients for one-on-one conversations in the coming weeks. If you're interested in Made Open or need support for your community initiatives, let’s talk!