TWG Year in Review 2015

As our thirteenth year of business draws to a close, we are stronger than ever in our belief that software is the most powerful tool we have to create impact.

2015 has been a year in which we have truly defined our ambitions as a company: To work with the most innovative teams in the world, to build software products that solve practical problems and create value, and to be known not just as a great Canadian agency but as a great agency that began its journey in Canada.

Clients and Projects

Our commitment to delivering excellence and creating measurable success has given us the opportunity to support ever more substantial aspects of our partners’ businesses in 2015.

• We teamed up with TSN to design and develop Favela United, a multi-award winning, critically acclaimed piece of interactive longform about Brazilian street soccer. We also built a custom CMS called UNITED, dedicated to longform content, to support their future editorial initiatives. The UNITED platform was used in the recently launched Fueling Women Champions interactive website. It is part of the #ChampionHER movement which encourages women and girls to reach their goals through sport. This piece features professional golfer Brooke Henderson and Team Canada hockey player Natalie Spooner.
• The Globe and Mail came to us when they wanted to be one of the first to market with an Apple Watch app. Apple Watch owners can now keep up with the most important news from The Globe with a simple turn of the wrist.
• The RBC Wealth Management design and front-end development team co-located with us in our studio for 42 days to establish a shared vision for how mobile technology could improve the client-advisor relationship.
• High-growth tech companies joining forces with TWG to deliver on their product roadmap was a recurring theme for the year. We’re proud to now count Nanoleaf, Kik, FreshBooks, WealthSimple, Meta and more amongst our clients.

Team Growth & Studio Expansion

Over the past 12 months we’ve substantially deepened our capabilities across mobile, web and emerging technologies. Key senior hires in 2015 to help us manage our growth include Alisha Patel, Director of Finance, and Alison Gibbins, Director of Marketing.

To accommodate all of our new teammates, TWG is expanding and taking over another substantial slice of 425 Adelaide Street West. Our studio already occupies the third floor of our digs at King and Spadina, and work is already underway to take over an additional piece of the 4th floor and the entire 5th floor. The plans include dedicated event space, more conference and meeting areas and some new quiet work zones.

Diversity at TWG

Tackling some of our diversity challenges head-on was a major objective for us this year. With a particular focus on gender equity, we partnered with TechGirls Canada with the goal of implementing, testing and documenting different strategies to improve workplace diversity.

We still have a long way to go, and no intention of stopping now. But, since kicking off the initiative we have changed the ratio at TWG from a woeful (but industry-reflective) 16% female to a better 21%. Our partnership with TGC concludes in March, 2016, when we will be publishing the complete results of our experiments. Sign up for our newsletter to receive the TGC x TWG Diversity Whitepaper

Community Initiatives

Our commitment to leading and supporting initiatives that drive the technology and startup ecosystem forward remained a cornerstone of our community activities in 2015. In addition to our continued involvement with events like ProductTO and Techstars’ startup pre-acceleration program Startup Next, here’s a few other things we got up to this year:

• TWG teamed up with VC-backed accelerator Highline to found Designer Adventure Club, a seasonal event series for people who like making things.
• We helped Opera.ca and Canada’s Performing Arts Alliance design and deliver a five week program to help performing artists think like entrepreneurs. TWG was awarded the Toronto Arts and Business Award for this initiative.
• Our drive towards diversity saw an increased focus on initiatives that helped address this challenge. We’ve been hosting and instructing Ladies Learning Code workshops in our studio in addition to providing space to amazing groups like Rails Girls and Girl Talk.

Looking Ahead to 2016

We’re already looking forward to the challenges and opportunities 2016 will bring. As we continue to build on the breadth and depth of our services, as well as the skills and reputation of our team, we will continue to win the trust of our partners. Keeping our values of problem solving, reliability, craftsmanship and collaboration close to heart, we are ready to pursue our mission of working with the world’s most innovative teams and deliver value to their businesses as leaders in software.

Thank you to all of our clients, partners, teammates and friends. Happy holidays, and we look forward to collaborating with you again in 2016.

Thinking about partnering with TWG in 2016? Please connect with Adrienne, our Business Development Associate, for a friendly chat about your goals and how we can help.