Ross Smith really enjoys getting a paycheck to “play” with software for 25 years now, over 20 at Microsoft. In September, 2014, he was nominated and accepted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. He is one of the authors of “The Practical Guide to Defect Prevention” and holds six patents. 42projects has aspired to promote cultural change, “bring buzz and laughter to the hallways”. He is a member of the leadership council for the Anita Borg Institute. He was also part of the organizing committee for TEDxSeattle, and has recently been working closely with iUrbanTeen.org and Spreeha.
In addition to his passion for creative techniques to improve the quality of the experience of using software, he’s explored organizational trust, enterprise gamification, management innovation, diversity and the future of education through games and with the Skype in the Classroom program. In December 2011, he was invited to the White House for a discussion on women in STEM. He was the keynote speaker for the American Road and Transportation Builder’s Transovation event in Fall 2014. The work of his teams have been mentioned in Forbes, The Economist, the Wall Street Journal, PSFK, the American Journal of Play, Harvard Business Review, and the London School of Business. He is a blogger for the Society for Human Resource Management's SHRM Blog and regularly posts on management innovation. He is most excited by the current work on Skype Translator.
Chris Burroughs is 30 year veteran in the software industry. Chris has managed teams of a variety of sizes and has undertaking challenges across a wide range of areas Chris is fascinated by human potential and believes that we all have greatness in us and that as a leader his passion is to help others find this greatness.
It’s wintertime in the U.S. and as we look towards the coming spring equinox, we are reminded of the warmth, optimism, and the replenishment that the coming months will bring. A similar feeling of warmth and growth happens when we spend time with our friends and families. We have a sense of inclusion, a sense of support and growth, of new beginnings. We are supported and encouraged to be our whole selves and to grow.
