BIMA100 Voices: Chris Davey
Every year, BIMA celebrates 100 of the people who are leading the industry right now. We’re not talking about work and projects – we’re talking about the leaders, pioneers, entrepreneurs and changemakers – the people we look up to. In the BIMA100 Voices series, LBB is publishing enlightening conversations with these inspiring people.
Chris Davey is head of creative at Whitespace, an Isobar Company. Here, he talks about finding a route for his talents and the excitement he sees in finding new ways to work and collaborate post-Covid. And he shares his enthusiasm for Daydream Believers, an online resource bank for educators.
Tell us about your career path – what led you here?
My career path was more like a meandering river! I never felt like I had a really well-defined career path until my late 20s. Before this I had worked in various small design agencies across the [English] midlands. I had freelanced, worked in factories, done temp work and lived in Canada and Australia. Just before my 30th birthday I walked into Whitespace and was offered a job on the spot. I have been there ever since going from Flash developer to designer, senior designer, digital design director, creative director and now head of creative.
Who has been your greatest inspiration/mentor to date and why?
I would say my mum! She believed in me when I was not doing well at school and helped me understand that because I was not that academically bright, I still had great talents I could use for other things which ultimately lead me to where I am today. My other greatest inspiration is my team. They inspire me every day to look to push myself to make sure that I can give them everything they need to develop themselves and have a great environment to learn and develop in.
What gets you out of bed in the morning? What do you love about what you do?
My kids literally get me out of bed in the morning at 5.30am! Jokes aside, it is the hugely diverse and different range of projects I get to work on. Nothing is ever the same.
Workwise, what’s exciting you most right now?
I think the new ways of working we all find ourselves now in. Covid has made us all re-appraise how we work and collaborate. I am excited to see how this pans out and how our clients and other businesses look to adapt to the now normal. I think there is a lot of new ground to cover here, and I expect to see some great innovation and creative work coming to the fore.
In your career to date, what has given you the biggest sense of pride?
I would say all the work I am doing with the Daydream Believers programme which is a free, ready to use, online resource bank for educators that utilises creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving techniques applicable across the curriculum.
If you haven’t seen it, you need to!
What difference has being part of the BIMA100 made – or what difference do you hope it might make?
I hope that being part of the BIMA100 inspires others to want to effect change in our schools and to place creativity at the heart of the education curriculum so that young people can develop their creativity, problem solving and critical thinking!
