Ugly Laird. Who Are We?

I've always loved nerdy pursuits, history, video games, painting miniatures, and most of all, tabletop role-playing games. These days, with two young kids in tow, my adventures are mostly out of the house, chasing them around real Scottish castles instead of exploring imaginary ones.

I'm based in the heart of Scotland with my wife, a dog, a cat, and two young kids, though we originally hail from Sydney, Australia. (Well, technically the dog and the kids were born here.) I genuinely moved to Scotland for the weather, although no one ever seems to believe me.

My whole career and education has been in tech, and in many ways, I'm living out my childhood dream of being an inventor… just with fewer jetpacks than I expected. I've worked across a range of industries, from TV to cybersecurity, with a good mix of agency life along the way.

No matter the sector, my real passion has always been product management: helping to amplify the work of the incredible people building the real magic. Over time, I've come to believe that great products aren't just the result of brilliant ideas — they're born from strong company philosophy, healthy culture, and excellent communication. That's what I'm aiming to build every day.

I live in the north east of Scotland with my family. I love learning more about our history, reading, drawing, running, playing RPGs, cooking, bread-baking, and bird photography. And more, but those are the headlines. Not that I get much time for them nowadays with kids. But that is fine; exploring the world through the eyes of a child is incredible (if exhausting at times).

I've worked across a broad range of industries, with much of my career spent in project management. I have also worked in the hospitality sector, as well as a variety of other roles in various sectors. I was also in the army.

My career has taught me much, but one thing I have often seen is that internal comms are a massive challenge, often requiring teams of professionals to ensure things work to some extent. A regular comment I make when trying to sound profound at work is, "communication is key." And it is true.

And that is something James and I thought we could perhaps help with. And so here we are with Ugly Laird and the Aberyarn product.