Danny Smith

Consultant

Armakuni

Pole Star EAM

Chief Operations Officer

Oyster®

Consultant - Remote Workplace Design & People Ops

Delocate (acquired by Oyster)

Principal Consultant

RED Academy

VP Technology

Global Curriculum Director, Technology

Lead Instructor

Ada. National College for Digital Skills

Curriculum Designer & Lecturer

CharlieHR

Senior Software Engineer

Sparta Global

I wore *a lot* of hats as we grew from a 3-employee startup to 80+ folks

All Sorts

Royal Air Force Air Cadets

Adjutant, Central Training Team, HQ RAFAC

COO & Consultant | Creating high-performance remote organisations 👨‍💻🌍

I work with leaders to intentionally design remote organisations & ways of working, laying the foundations for rapid scaling, long-term organisational health, and a globally distributed workforce.

I spent 2021 at Oyster, scaling their fully-remote (globally distributed) company from 14 to 500 people (and a $1bn valuation). Which was absolutely wild.

I work mostly at the intersection of system design, human behaviour, remote work & operations. I'm convinced that knowledge work has no borders and the "remote work revolution" has the power to make the world a fairer and more equal place for everyone. Globally distributed companies are the future.  And the remote workplace should be diverse, safe & supportive for all.

I talk about "Organisational Health" a lot because healthy orgs feel calm when ploughing through unknown waters at 1000mph and can operate on the edge of chaos without being chaotic: much better for our people, and our business. Since systemic health problems have a disproportionately large effect on distributed remote teams (and quickly compound with scale), I'm on a mission to help folks be more intentional about how they design & transform remote-first orgs.

➡️ Read more on this → https://danny.is/writing/organisational-health

I love meeting new folks, so hit me up if you wanna chat 🙂☎️

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Wanna learn about remote best practices? 👇

· Oyster Reef → https://oysterhr.notion.site/Welcome-to-The-Reef-Oyster-s-Open-Source-Employee-Guide-fc482e3f107c4afd8c85ed217f1d0c1d
· Some tiny remote working tips → https://danny.is/remote

If you've read this far you *might* be interested to know...

· I've a sporadic sideline in personal coaching and team facilitation.
· I used to be a software engineer, but realised I have a much bigger impact when I help others do their thing better. And now that's my thing. (I still code, but just for fun.)
· Before that I was a blues musician. I still perform and jam lots: music has this weird ability to transcend language and cultural barriers.
· I'm a generalist. Obviously. Sorry not sorry.


In the past, my desire to "make work better for everyone" saw me doing:

· Education → curriculum design, learning design, teaching etc.
· Engineering process → DevOps, architecture etc
· Agile coaching & delivery process (SAFe still gives me nightmares).
· Design systems before they were hip.

UK Space Agency

Excited and honoured to be part of the Mentoring Team for this Accelerator Programme. Helping founders find their ideal path to scaling, whilst drawing on my engineering and environmental roots. I think we can seek to reverse our impact on this planet and explore others. It isn't 'either/or'— it's about embracing 'both’ together.

Mentor - Accelerator Programme

jamespotten.com

Helping founders and creators of consultancies, service providers and technology businesses achieve scale through our knowledge sharing network of impactful leaders.
Also run the WiserWednesday podcast, delivering mindset shifting insights from entrepreneurs who have trodden the scaling path

Growth Advisor

Trueleads

Using social selling, primarily LinkedIn, I helped build interconnected systems to support both our internal team and enterprise clients. We were guided by a shared mission to approach lead generation differently, focusing on building Trust and Relationships through genuine Understanding and Engagement with our audience.

Whitworth Society

Helping to nurture ambition and excellence in graduate apprentices and for the enhancement of engineering & society. The society provides a number of scholarships each year to a diverse range of talented applicants to ease their financial burden of further studies.

President

Deki

Deki is a wonderful person-to-person microfinance charity, lending to entrepreneurs in Africa. We believe in 'a world of opportunity, not poverty'. These six words should light a fire in every one of us!

I engaged with Deki and the inspiring team as I believe it has a genuine positive impact, giving people a hand up, not a hand out. 

In 2013 I lent my first £50 to Mr Banda (48) from Malawi. He runs a grocery shop, and used the money to expand his original product range of just bananas. He now sells salts, sugars & other fruit.  The loan also helps the quality of life for those around him (his four children and wife) and he repaid it within nine months so I could lend 100% of it to the next entrepreneur.

If you can spare five minutes, take a look at deki.org.uk. I find there is something extremely powerful in the gift of giving.

Chair

I helped launch the new school into the European market with an amazing team of creators, who demonstrate so much hustle and passion for our student learning journeys & experience. I regularly ran panel events on topics such as digital careers, blockchain or diversity & inclusion with up to one hundred people audiences. I also developed and delivered personal and professional development to the students, to help them realise the importance of team skills & collaboration (especially across different disciplines).

Partner & MD, RED Europe

The Curve (@The Crowd)

The Curve aimed to be the 'TripAdvisor for energy management' with a goal to disrupt the corporate energy market through a knowledge sharing platform. It was a pleasure working with the sustainably led innovators at The Crowd. This project was ahead of its time and would now be even more relevant with volatile energy prices.

Strategic Advisor

ecosurety

I had twelve fantastic years learning to scale an environmental consultancy. In that time, I held a number of positions as we grew to 50 employees, £12m turnover and over 1000 clients, thanks to a brilliant team with shared vision, values & passion to make a difference. 

My two biggest realisations were the power of a shared strategy developed within the team (and repeatedly returning to it to keep it on track) and the monumental difference it makes to culture by asking yourself 'how do I make today more enjoyable than yesterday for my team'.

I'm most proud of our structured graduate programme, which provided over 15 talented individuals a fast-track career in sustainability during the economic downturn.

Managing Director

The Student Windsurfing Association

We set up the Student Windsurfing Association as a not-for-profit company to network university clubs. It now organises the largest windsurfing event in the UK, and at its core is a fair format of one-design racing (everyone on the same kit). I had to bankroll £3k for the first event on my credit card...thankfully I got it back! Many students get to cut their entrepreneurial teeth making these events a success each year. It's where I did much of my learning about intrinsic motivation, leading non-paid yet highly inspired teams.

Managing Director and Co-founder

Honeywell

I completed an apprenticeship with Honeywell during which time I was fortunate enough to work in Los Angeles and Melbourne. 

Following my masters degree I also worked in Paris and Munich. My final role was as a Programme Manager for $50 Million project to design, manufacture and deliver prototype oxygen breathing system. I feel grateful to have worked with such knowledgeable colleagues and great managers.

I was given the opportunity to join a small start-up company, which after much deliberation I chose to take. Honeywell had been a great company for me to begin my career and I am grateful for the experience I obtained during my time there.

Various roles - from Apprentice to Programme Manager

With a background in engineering and a passion for understanding complex systems, I have dedicated my career to enhancing organisational effectiveness. I successfully grew an environmental company from a three-person startup to a £12 million enterprise with 50 employees, gaining firsthand experience in the challenges of scaling businesses.

My journey includes being the first to windsurf from England to France and competing with the British Youth Windsurfing Team, where early coaching instilled the value of self-reflection and continuous improvement. These experiences have shaped my approach to leadership and team development.

I have developed programs that align operational efficiency with people-centric practices, empowering leaders to unlock their potential. Passionate about the intersection of people and technology, I leverage AI and automation to drive productivity while maintaining team alignment. My goal is to equip organisations with the tools and mindset needed to thrive independently.

I am committed to making a meaningful impact, dedicating daily time to assist leaders in realising their future potential. Currently, I am finalising the second draft of my book on scaling businesses, aiming to share insights and strategies with a broader audience.

Why not book in a quick intro call meet.jamespotten.com 

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