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Tom Minchin
Deputy Director - IT Services. Customer Experience, Unified Comms, Networks, Collaboration, Desktops and Cyber Security Services
Professional Background
Tom Minchin is a seasoned executive in the fields of information technology and project management, highlighted by a robust background in technical design and procurement and implementation. His extensive career at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) positions him as a leader in IT system integration, cyber security, networking, unified communications, and collaboration. With a commitment to advancing technology within organizations, Tom has overseen multiple significant projects, helping to navigate the complexities of IT infrastructure and cloud service implementation.
In his role as Deputy Director of IT Services at CSIRO, Tom has demonstrated remarkable expertise in managing and delivering IT services that meet the ever-evolving needs of the organization. He has previously held several key positions at CSIRO, including Executive Manager of Networks, Collaboration, Desktops and Cyber Security Services, and Cyber Security and Networks Operations Manager. His history with CSIRO showcases his ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and streamline operations to foster innovation in technological integration.
Beyond his work in science and technology, Tom Minchin has also been a part of various organizations, exhibiting a versatility that spans across different sectors within IT services. His contributions have been instrumental in spearheading initiatives that enhance the organization's cyber security posture and network reliability, ensuring that critical research activities are supported by robust technological frameworks.
Education and Achievements
Tom’s educational background includes notable achievements at distinct institutions that have laid the foundation for his professional growth. He pursued his studies at the Australian National University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science, specializing in Environmental Science. This comprehensive education has provided him with a unique perspective when addressing challenges in both the environmental and technological arenas.
Further education was completed at Agsm @ Unsw Business School, where Tom studied management. His attendance at Radford College and Xaverian High School underscores his deep commitment to academic excellence from an early age.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field, Tom Minchin was awarded the prestigious CSIRO Health Safety and Environment Achievement Medal in 2020. This accolade highlights his commitment to promoting best practices in health, safety, and environmental standards within the IT sector, emphasizing his leadership and advocacy for safety in technology-driven environments.
Tom's rich educational background combined with his exceptional achievements position him as a knowledgeable leader and expert in the IT space, benefiting both his organization and the wider community.
Achievements
During his dynamic career, Tom Minchin has achieved several milestones that underscore his proficiency in the IT landscape. His work led to the successful implementation of various projects aimed at enhancing system integrations and security at CSIRO. As the Cyber Security and Networks Operations Manager, his innovative strategies have contributed to bolstering the organization's resilience against potential security threats.
Moreover, Tom's tenure as Cyber Security and Networks Engineer and Network Operations Engineer provided him with a deep understanding of the intricacies involved in maintaining and enhancing sophisticated IT networks. His prior role as Systems Manager at the Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist (ERIN) allowed him to integrate his environmental knowledge with technology, showcasing his ability to blend different domains effectively.
Throughout his career, Tom has embraced the evolving nature of technology and has played a pivotal role in advocating for unified communications and collaboration within IT services. His efforts have not only led to improved operational efficiencies but have also exemplified how technology can drive research initiatives, enabling CSIRO to maintain its position as a leader in scientific innovation.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Clay's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.