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Company

Funded as a start-up operation by Creative Technologies, CI had three distinct product lines – musical instrument peripherals for personal computers (including a self-teach piano, and a drum kit), computer toys (hardware driven novelty screen-save devices), and computer games.

Creative Insights acquired PMC, and in addition to my running the day to day operation of CI UK, I took over from Joe Ybarra, from whom I enjoyed tremendous support, as Vice-President of Game Development, with responsibility for the game development operation in Cupertino as well.

• Game software development activities in both the UK and US offices, a total of 30 personnel

• Usual business unit financial planning and operational duties

• Demonstrating CI’s entire upcoming product range to potential European distributors

• Sitting on the corporate Executive steering committee

• Planning game business unit strategy in collaboration with Joe Ybarra, and my senior staff

• Liaising with the CEO and other Executive staff as to corporate issues

Achievements

• Appointed to the corporate Executive steering committee

  Upon the sale of the PMC business to Creative Insights (CI), PMC was renamed as Creative Insights Europe, and I was appointed Managing Director. Within three months of my appointment, I had made sufficient impact to have been appointed to the executive steering committee of the US parent company.

• Planning game business unit strategy

  Joe Ybarra, an American game industry veteran, who had responsibility for CI’s product development strategy, collaborated with me to formulate the business plan that CI would follow for the games business unit, and which was executed by his and my staff.

• Taking over the management of the US game division

  Within six months of being acquired by CI, the CEO, Ed Esber, promoted me to vice-president of CI’s game business unit, which gave me responsibility for the game development in California as well as back in England. I was able to achieve this by working between the offices in England and California, made possible by on-line communications and good infrastructure.

• Under spent against overall budget by 11%

• Implemented a performance related bonus scheme

• Negotiated a management buy-back of the UK business unit

Reason For Leaving

Within one year, it had become apparent to me that CI was experiencing difficulties in its non-games business units, and this put at risk the future cash-flow for the whole enterprise. Again realizing an opportunity, I approached the CI board with a proposal to buy-back what had formerly been the PMC business unit, now Creative Insights Europe. After much negotiation, the deal was agreed, and CI Europe was renamed Crush!

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CI was an ambitious organization with an impressive product line-up.  I believe if it had better funding it would have been hugely successful.   I enjoyed the privilege of working from both the US and UK offices