And now, for some Beyond news…
Matt Iliffe, co-founder and new CEO of Beyond, shares his thoughts on helping businesses leap forward and the agency's future.
After 10 years at the helm of Beyond, my friend and business partner Nick Rappolt is stepping down to start a new adventure. Nick has been a colossal CEO, growing Beyond from a small scrappy startup agency to what it is today, always living the belief that a strong culture and set of values builds a great business. When we started Beyond 10 years ago, I don’t think either of us believed Beyond would be where it is today and that is in a large part down to Nick’s relentless drive and partnership.
In May 2019, I took some time out to reboot and refresh. I’ve spent the past 18 months spending time with my family, travelling and helping my kids with their kart racing - a family passion.
Over the past six months, I’ve been exploring what the future holds for me. Ultimately, I love solving complex problems and that designer’s fire to make a difference still burns inside. It’s that passion, curiosity and wanting to make a difference that has led me to rejoin my team mates at Beyond.
Today, Nick steps down and I’m stepping into his shoes as CEO of Beyond. They are big shoes to fill, but after running an agency for 12 years prior to starting Beyond, being a co-founder and partner at Beyond, and a year out, I feel energised and ready to go as CEO.
I’m excited to rejoin at this moment in time. At no point in time in my life has the world so drastically changed. Not only has our approach to work changed through the pandemic, but the rapid pace of change has accelerated the need for new innovative services and world class customer experience.
Meeting new and unmet needs and focusing on the customer experience is a fertile land of opportunity for every business. As a design and technology agency, we help businesses create and build world class products for the digital age. Beyond is perfectly placed to help businesses leap forward.
Brands are now being defined not just by their products but also by the customer experience. It’s an area within which Beyond has strength and depth. We objectively assess the quality of interactions with your customers. We help you learn from customer data, the market and competitors. We can help create new products and services, or design and implement improvements to existing digital touch points, to drive up adoption and serve your customers better.
For many, a digital product or service sits at the core of the business, led by internal product, design and engineering teams, yet transformation happens too slowly or needs additional perspective and thinking. At Beyond, we help turbocharge internal teams to accelerate product outcomes. We provide the expertise to rapidly address product challenges. We work in partnership with senior leaders to drive your product strategy and move the business forward at pace.
Nick hands over at a great point in time, Beyond is producing the best work it’s ever produced and our teams are the strongest they have ever been. Nick leaves a solid legacy, one that we are determined to build on. Nick will now be joining our advisory board, a group that advises and steers Beyond, so he’ll be never too far away. To our clients, I’m excited to work with you. To our staff, I’m excited to be back to collaborate on a new future!
Nick, thank you and best of luck with your new venture(s).
