Meet the team: Ross

Hi Ross, please tell me a little about yourself.

I’m Production Manager at Steadfast Collective. The role involves coordinating a team of developers to ensure a wide range of projects meet deadlines and are on budget. There’s also a lot of client communication required daily.

I’m based in Glasgow after recently moving back from China, where I worked in renewable energy and subsequently travel education. I also make up one-half of the Scottish/Glaswegian contingent at Steadfast.

How did you get started in project management?

It’s been quite a journey both professionally and geographically to where I am now, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a natural inclination for getting into the weeds of discussions surrounding processes and collaborating with others to get things done in the most efficient way possible while aiming to maintain a high-quality deliverable. This led to working in more and more project management roles throughout my employment, starting with running events through to working at sustainability consultancies.

Productivity topics are never far from my mind. I strongly believe that a successful workflow and working environment is one where everything is running smoothly without inefficiencies and bottlenecks disrupting processes.

What keeps you in the industry drew you to this industry in particular?

I was looking for a slight career change from my previous role, and after some reflection, realised this is one of a few industries that excites me. There’s always something to learn, especially with the advent of web3 technologies, and I’ve lost count of the number of rabbit holes I’ve ended up down reading about new technologies and innovation more generally.

What would be a dream project?

I joined Steadfast Collective because the idea of building applications for communities resonates strongly. Communities can be taken for granted, but they’re essential for people to feel belonging in what they do. A dream project for me at this stage of my Steadfast journey would be helping build something that allows a group of people to connect and have a platform that creates value for them and allows them to get lost in their passion. Doing this for projects with a clear impact on sustainability/climate change or important societal issues would make things even more rewarding.

Outside the studio, what do you enjoy doing?

Exercise, food, music, reading (in no particular order). Since the pandemic, I’ve been more reserved about getting back into group sports, so my top picks are currently cycling and climbing. I’ll never tire of exploring new places on the bike, and now that I’m in an area of Glasgow that’s relatively new to me, the bike helps me discover such places much faster. The kitchen is where I spend the rest of my time away from the home office. Experimenting with different foods and flavours brings me real joy, and if I can ferment whatever ingredients are in use, it turns out delicious, even better!

How have your last few months at Steadfast Collective been?

I’ve worked at Steadfast for nearly eight months. It’s been great getting to know the team (especially at the in-person All Hands), and in this short time, there is clear proof of the incredible culture that was talked about during the interview process and onboarding. I feel fully settled now, and the proposition of bringing new ideas to the table to build on that culture is really exciting.