Our People
Dr Ben Guy, Managing Director
Dr Ben Guy is an advocate for quality public space to improve the richness of society. Through his studies and work he has found that simple visual tools can help people create better design and planning, faster. People know good when they see it, innately. Ben's mission is to have people truly see what they are creating, as early as possible.
Ben has created a toolset and workflow to enable people to work, plan and create with easy, natural and intuitive tools. His love of great places, and how they bring people together, see him form the company Urban Circus - named after English unique, complex places like Oxford Circus.
Ben's doctorate in urban planning, called Spatial Urbanism, focussed on simplifying local planning methods to visual, spatial solutions. Ben has a Bachelor of Science from Adelaide University in physics and environmental psychology with a postgraduate town planning degree from James Cook University (Cairns, Queensland).
Samantha Goddard, Director
Sam in her role as Business Director and shareholder is responsible for structure, systems, compliance and strategic vision. She ensures the smooth running and sustainability of the business, and is the driving force behind the legal and Quality Assurance system as well as steering its financial rigour through the GFC.
Samantha is actively involved in charitable works. She sits on the Board of the West End Community House. She is involved with the Starlight Foundation. She was actively involved in community business recovery through Disaster Recovery Centres after the Brisbane floods.
Samantha holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the University of East Anglia.
James Barrow, Services Manager
James is in the position of Services Manager at Urban Circus. With a degree in the Built Environment, James makes sure clients specifications and timelines are met. James loves and understands detail and design. He is also great with people and listens to their wants and needs. Mr Barrow will interpret specifications, objectives and visions into clear instructions for the production team.
James has a wonderful understanding and passion for ensuring everyone is clear on the direction and brief. With over 10 years in experience in the industry, you can be sure everything will be covered. Expectations will be clear, checked and then reviewed to ensure the output precisely meets your requirements. James listens and then pushes for the best quality and rigour possible within the budget and timeline.
Matthew Walker, Production Manager
Mr Walker is an experienced project manager and has been integral in the management of projects throughout Australia and now internationally. Matthew is valued by our clients and our team in his personable approach to complex technical and delivery issues.
Matthew sits in the position of Production Manager and he makes the whole team tick. He has authority over the largest contingent of UC staff who are all focussed on delivering quality work on time. Matt is the man who understands the flow and connection of information between systems. He knows technology and is a great people leader. He has successfully delivered visualisation outputs for major projects easily exceeding $10bn value in the last 2 years under extreme circumstances, including numerous bids.
Matthew has worked in the computer and simulation industry since 2003. He has a degree in Computer Science from the University of Queensland. Matthew enjoys travel and simply loves cool technology.
Ryan Veenstra, Software Manager
Ryan is the man who invents systems, tools and innovations. Ryan has been a key in the continual evolution and transformation of our industry leading software and solutions. He creates processes, systems and software tools that makes our incredible speeds and workflows possible.
Ryan leads the software coding team where he designs and innovates new technologies and products. He also supports the production team by creating new tools and methods, or getting in there to help on new innovations.
Ryan holds a bachelor of Bachelor of Creative Industries and Bachelor of Information Technology from Queensland University of Technology. He has been with UC since 2006. Ryan also has considerable skill in car disassembly and repair, including a complete rebuild of a blue 1976 Celica.
