Here’s the bit about why we exist
Whale Hello There!
We believe that people learn best from people, from doing, from making mistakes, from feedback and from questioning.
This equates to 'experience', which most people agree we learn from. But it takes a long time.
We believe that time can be hugely cut down by mimicking experiential learning in intensive micro-workshops led by an expert practitioner.
Skiller Whale was created to be something very different:
Learning that is core to how an engineering team operates, not a fringe add-on or an after-thought.
Learning that aligns with team-level priorities and changes what the team is capable of.
And we’re called Skiller Whale because … well, our love of puns knows no bounds.
Discover Manifesto
LEADERSHIP:
Hywel (Co-FOUNDER)
Hywel has led a wide range of dev teams for the past decade (including two VC-backed start-ups), and is a published curriculum author. He wrote his first program in C aged 9, and is currently building an 8-bit computer. He also plays saxophone for a funk band.
Dave (CO-FOUNDER)
Dave has managed data and software teams and projects for the last decade, for the Ferrari F1 team, and in edtech startups. When he’s not indulging a lifelong obsession with jazz piano, he’s also learning how to raise two small humans.
Hayley (CO-FOUNDER)
Hayley has been the first commercial/marketing lead for 2 edtech start-ups, after running her own professional training company for 7 years. In her spare time, she's currently teaching herself pottery, oil painting and maths.
Fred (Head of Platform)
Fred has led the software teams of many successful startups, and has spoken at Ruby on Rails conferences across 6 countries and 3 continents. His 12th birthday present was a C compiler. In 2012 he received a Ruby Hero award for services to the community. In his spare time, Fred runs very long distances and is mastering the art of sourdough bread.
Meri Williams (Advisor)
Meri is a published author, international speaker and experienced technology leader. Currently CTO at Pleo, she has led teams in Procter & Gamble, the Government Digital Service and Monzo, amongst others. A published author and international speaker, she is the chair of The Lead Developer conference which now runs in many cities across the world including London, New York, San Francisco and Berlin.
Meri and her wife Elly sponsor scholarships to help more girls start STEM careers in her hometown of Stellenbosch, South Africa. In her spare time she enjoys building complex Lego, board & video gaming, snorkelling and underwater photography.
Meri and her wife Elly sponsor scholarships to help more girls start STEM careers in her hometown of Stellenbosch, South Africa. In her spare time she enjoys building complex Lego, board & video gaming, snorkelling and underwater photography.
What’s Important to Us (And What’s Not):
Read about our company values here.
We strive to be intelligent, playful learners, like our Orca, Ada (yes, we love a Lovelace reference).
These principles define who we are, not only as a company providing a product, but also as a group of people working together.
We strive to be intelligent, playful learners, like our Orca, Ada (yes, we love a Lovelace reference).
These principles define who we are, not only as a company providing a product, but also as a group of people working together.
Our culture:
We believe that diversity makes us stronger and are dedicated to building a company that represents society as a whole. We value marginalised people’s safety over privileged people’s comfort.
We value honest and open communication, and we believe that in order to foster an environment that enables this, it’s important that our team feel included, recognised and like they can bring their full selves to work.
The Team:
Hywel (Co-FOUNDER & CEO)
Hywel has led a wide range of dev teams for the past decade (including two VC-backed start-ups), and is published curriculum author. He wrote his first program in C aged 9, and is currently building an 8-bit computer. He also plays saxophone for a funk band.
Dave (CO-FOUNDER & CTO)
Dave has managed data science teams and projects since 2012, for the Ferrari F1 team, and edtech startup, BridgeU. When he's not indulging a lifelong obsession with jazz piano, he's also learning how to raise a small human.
Hayley (CO-FOUNDER & CRO)
Hayley has been the first commercial/marketing lead for 2 edtech start-ups, after running her own professional training company for 7 years. In her spare time, she's currently teaching herself pottery, oil painting and maths.
Neill
Neill has been designing and building software for almost 20 years, and has written a university course in web application development. Based in Chamonix, he’s most likely to be found up a mountain on a bicycle or snowboard, but when he’s not, he’s learning how to rebuild parts of his house.
Fred
Fred has led tech teams for 15 years, including as ‘Chief Wizard’ (!) at Texperts, and CTO at Dressipi. An open source contributor, Fred was named ‘Ruby Hero’ in 2012. In his spare time he enjoys parkruns, wind turbines and hanging out with his cat, Luna.
Lea
Born in Austria, raised in New Zealand, educated in London and Boston, Lea eventually settled in Mexico. Having participated in hackathons for companies like Lego, Hubspot and Nestle, she built the commercial operation of a travel-tech startup. In her spare time, Lea loves spinning classes, running, and tacos.
Careers at Skiller Whale:
We're dedicated to building a diverse company that represents society, and we believe that diversity makes us stronger. It's also important to us that our team can bring their full selves to work, and be included and recognised.
Join our team