Daniel Faris

CEO

daniel@locusresearch.com
+64 7 577 1650

An expert at balancing competing priorities, and identifying the right pathway for success, Daniel brings his deep appreciation for human-centred design to the practical and commercial realities of research and development.

Prior to being raised in Auckland City, Daniel spent his formative years in an agricultural town south of the city centre. This early connection to the land has stayed with Daniel, informing a drive for pragmatisim and authenticity in his work and home life.

Always interested in the integration across disciplines, Daniel graduated with a BA (History) and BCom (Digital Commerce) from the University of Auckland. Following this he completed a nine-month intensive residential internship focusing on philosophy, politics, and economics.

Since graduation, he has spent 10 years of his career working in dynamic, innovation led companies spanning novel IT products, branding, e-commerce, Service Design and product development. He works passionately to integrate the practical outputs of innovation with the three-dimensional nature of a human experience.

Prior to joining Locus Research, Daniel worked with  New Zealand’s leading Service Design agency, overseeing key client relationships and the delivery of significant design-driven projects.

As a senior project manager, he has driven complex, multi-disciplinary projects from strategy through to delivery. He thrives on the challenge of managing projects across multiple industries, disciplines, and outputs. He is a star at juggling Locus’s resources to best meet the needs of each client.

Daniel joined the Locus team in 2015 as Programme Director, with oversight of the full pipeline of work. He quickly picked up responsibility for seeing innovative products become a reality, on time and on budget. In 2016, he transitioned to the role of General Manager, helping steer the Locus ship and its highly competent crew through to commercial success.

EXPERTISE

Programme Direction
Planning & Project Management
Commercialisation
Design Research
Business Development
eCommerce

FUN FACTS

Is a walking encyclopedia

Stuns the office millennials with his folksy wisdom

Fond of a coffee or two. Or three. Or four. Depends how easily the kids went to sleep the night before

CULTURE

When not working he spends his time keeping up with his highly energetic children.

In another life he would have been a philosopher or politician. Same thing, really…

In a previous role as Brand Manager for Cure Kids NZ, his team secured the All Blacks and the NZRU as key sponsors, and worked to see record breaking giving on Red Nose Day that year, reaching over $1.2million.