Mentally Friendly Acquires Digital Eskimo And Rebrands As Future Friendly

Purpose-driven design agency, Digital Eskimo, has been acquired by digital product agency, Mentally Friendly, and will relaunch as Future Friendly, with a new model to help business, government and not-for-profit organisations prepare for the future.

Future Friendly will see four of Sydney’s leading creative entrepreneurs; David Gravina (pictured above left – CEO, founder, Digital Eskimo now purpose director, Future Friendly), Jamie Madden (founder, Circul8 now MD, Future Friendly), Nick Gower (pictured right) and Jon Christensen (founders, Mentally Friendly), work together to drive transformational change in business, government and values-based organisations.

The new agency has already secured significant new clients, working with Relationships Australia to create a digital mental health platform, and negotiation specialists ENS International – adding to Future Friendly’s existing portfolio of industry leading clients, which includes IAG, Green Building Council of Australia, the Royal Flying Doctors, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, UTS, Western Sydney University, and Flow Systems.

Established in 2001, Future Friendly (formerly Digital Eskimo) has a portfolio of pioneering work that spans over 15 years and includes projects with some of Australia’s most respected social impact, environmental, education and financial brands.

These include the Bendigo Bank, Australian Conservation Foundation, Amnesty International, Children’s Cancer Institute, University of NSW, Starlight Foundation, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Westpac, WWF and Telstra.

Co-founder of Mentally Friendly, Nick Gower, said, “We have created a team clearly focused on the future, with a strong sense of ethics, human centered design principles and leading service design expertise. We’re looking forward to helping Australian organisations prepare to navigate their way through the next five to 10 years of digital disruption.”

Jamie Madden, an award winning creative, recently joined the team to take on the role of managing director of Future Friendly.

Madden said, “I’m excited to join a team with such a powerful shared vision and skillset. Together, we are equipped to tackle the big problems facing organisations and deliver products, services and platforms to solve these problems.

“We have developed a highly collaborative co-design process and combined it with lean build and deployment models from the digital startup world. As a result, we are able to create products and services that are fit-for-market within tighter timelines”

Purpose director of Future Friendly, David Gravina, said purpose-driven organisations have gone from the fringe to the mainstream in recent years.

“Across both the NGO and private sector, the most successful organisations are no longer the ones with the biggest ad spend or most capable C-suite, but those with the most resonant purpose,” said Gravina.

“Digitally enabled products and services – built upon the foundations of a higher purpose that transcends profit and growth – are driving radical change in the way we transport, feed, power and organise our world. Organisations can either drive this change in their sector or be disrupted by those who do.”

Future Friendly is ready to engage organisations with purpose to work towards organisational and sector-wide transformation. To get in touch, please contact hello@wearefuturefriendly.com.

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