Kat Robinson is Global CEO of Miroma Project Factory, with previous roles including Managing Director APAC, WayTo Blue and CMO at Roller.
Who is your digital hero?
A woman called Jennifer Wilson (pictured left). She took a risk on me when handing over the reins of her beloved agency. Miroma Project Factory (MPF). Previously The Project Factory, we’re a digital creative and development agency, founded in Sydney, Australia in 2007. I joined in 2017 and continued the global expansion. In 2021, the company formally changed its name to Miroma Project Factory.
What did she do to win hero status in your eyes?
She put the legacy of the business, the role of CEO and the work that MPF does ahead of her personal wishes. It takes a pretty amazing person to do that. Still to this day she works with us and our partners, she is a fantastic sounding board and often my friend; when we all just need a good rant.
She also happens to be one of the great Creative/Digital Strategist visionaries that Australia has – she can immerse herself in almost any topic and understand how it comes into play in a commercial setting.
How has her heroism helped drive digital?
Jennifer helped lead the team to build out of one the very first examples of what Meta’s big goal is. The agency initially focussed on virtual worlds for a range of clients including Telstra, ABC and Accenture US. Their work was some of the early metaverse work and they specialized in blending live action in a virtual environment.
The company’s early work was often on the ‘bleeding edge’ of technology, hacking devices and new systems to find new ways to allow people to interact with content. This included hacking the interface to the Microsoft Kinect in 2010 and hooking this up with a 3D created virtual object to allow mid-air hand gestures to manipulate and control virtual objects.
What is the biggest challenge in digital we need another hero to solve?
I don’t believe this is solved by a person but a mass movement the industry can shift together: I recently went to a workshop held by a platform provider who labeled the misrepresentation of females in digital as ‘the industry’s problem, not the platforms’. I think we all need to embrace some uncomfortable conversation and changes in our own ‘homes‘ to drive meaningful change around diversity and inclusion.
What is your most heroic personal achievement so far in digital?
I was asked “what are you going to do for the second half of your career?” over a glass of wine on my recent LA trip. It struck me and shifted my perspective, suddenly I have a whole new journey in front of me. The best is yet to come.
