Dan Crane

I've had the pleasure of working with Dan on-and-off for almost 15 years. His capacity to stay—seemingly effortlessly—on the pulse of technology, as well as foresee technology's social and economic impacts, has made him the best person throughout my career to think big with and look ahead in time with. Dan's ability to apply this knowledge and foresight to business problems and strategy has always quickly solidified him as thought leader and amongst his peers, one of incredible philosophical and bottom line benefit. As a people leader, Dan is remarkably rational, diplomatic and emotionally intelligent. He is a leader I hope to work with again in the future.

In my role as GM - Online Strategy & Services at Tatts Group, I had the pleasure of reporting directly to Dan, and working closely with him every day. Dan is a level headed leader with an extraordinary eye for emerging markets, particularly in the digital space. He is a passionate technologist, with a strong awareness of cutting edge technologies and how they can be best applied to deliver innovative new experiences to his customers. Dan is able to strike a balance between technology and commercial/product strategy that is extremely valuable in our increasingly digital world, and he is a capable champion for projects that might otherwise be considered challenging or difficult. His ability to maintain close and amiable relationships with his staff and stakeholders is also an extremely valuable asset.

Dan's the type of guy you meet at computer club and instantly go "I want to hang out with him more" as he's fascination with not just the latest tech trends but then how they apply to the context of the day is exceptionally insightful. I counted on Dan not just as my manager but also a friend & professional peer - and will continue to do so - and found that he was able to challenge me often on my ideas & approach to problems. Dan has a lot of layers to his approach to leadership and doesn't miss details no matter how many times I watched folks attempt to slip past him. He's not quick to punish but at the same time he'll not take laziness or incompetence as an acceptable approach to work being asked to perform. I also watched Dan under pressure and that is when you really see the leaderships come out strongly, as not only did he stand at his post when I'd argue many would have quit, he was able to shape and augment the panic or stress in a way that altered its course towards resolutions and/or peace within the ranks. I've worked with a lot of strong leaders and i'd work with Dan again, in fact I hope to again.