The Motive8 team
We‘re a niche dynamic duo – combining strategic business analysis with compelling visualisation. We work as a tag-team – Rebecca is the strategic facilitator 'left brain', and Ken is the creative visualiser 'right brain'. Together we create powerful, meaningful, logical and fun pictures that paint thousands of words.
We're based in sunny, gorgeous Nelson, having relocated from Wellington in 2013. We travel regularly for client projects, up and down the country and offshore. We like to initially work face-to-face with clients whenever feasible, though also work well with good old phone calls and emails too, and use Skype/FaceTime remotely too. We've loved working onsite with with clients in Australia, Ireland and the Netherlands (international projects always welcome!), but have ongoing working relationships to continue working remotely with several awesome clients.
Rebecca - Principal / Strategic Director & Facilitator
Rebecca asks the gritty questions that get people talking, clarifying the story and refining ideas until everyone is on the same page and the key messages clear. With an innate ability to read between the lines, a session with Rebecca will always bring results.
While studying at Victoria University, Rebecca worked for Tecads, where she learned to help industrial companies win competitive tenders. She then spent five years overseas, working in investment management for JP Morgan in New York, and then Morgan Stanley in San Francisco.
Ken - Principal / Creative Director
Ken translates and everything thrown at him and draws it all into visual metaphors and imagery. Through an iterative process, these stimulate conversations further and onwards until the picture tells the necessary story and communicates everything it needs to.
Ken‘s visual communications and infographics focus began while working for Wellington‘s Evening Post newspaper in 1996, for which he won the Qantas Media Editorial Artist of the Year in 1999. He then accepted a position at the Singapore Straits Times as an Executive Infographics Artist.
The tragic events of 9/11 proved the catalyst for us both to return to New Zealand in 2001. We saw a great opportunity to combine our skills and offer New Zealand organisations a new way of clarifying and communicating their most important issues. Motive8 fully came to life in 2007, after 5 successful years of developing Big Pictures for clients of Tecads, New Zealand's leading industrial marketing advisors. Since then we've worked with dozens of government agencies, local government and the commercial private sector, across New Zealand, Australia and Europe.
As a company and family we sponsor the RNZFB Guide Dog Services, and have been 'puppy walking' for the Foundation for 15 years with many wonderful puppies coming through our home/office over the years, and travelling to client meetings (and napping under countless meeting tables).
On the personal side, we‘re proud parents of Jackson (14), Jessica (10), Maya (2) who are constant sources of delight, inspiration and challenge. Downtime is a rarity with the 3 kids being at such different stages, but there's plenty of inspiration and joy. Favourite family past times include building sandcastles, mountain biking, camping in our classic caravan, spending time in the bush and on riverbeds, all interspersed with as much travelling as possible!