Who the hell is Anthony McEneaney?
The people we work with are the secret to everything we do, and we’d like to introduce you to them. Meet Anthony, a growth executive from London who just might be Arsenal’s biggest fan.
Who are you and what do you do?
Hi! I’m Anthony, a growth executive here at DB. I work within the growth department, supporting all of our growth needs and helping explore new and exciting areas for our future.
What’s your story?
I am born and raised in London, living here my whole life. My passions in life are sports and design. My Dad has had a huge impact on these areas, as he works in architecture and led me down the path of being a huge Arsenal fan. This passion for sports meant that after finishing school, I undertook a BA in that field.
After three years of my bachelor’s degree, I felt that this was not an area that I wanted a career in, so I decided to go for a masters degree in business management. The idea being that this would provide me with the platform to understand business and help prepare me for my career. During my masters, I was able to combine my passion for design and learn about marketing. I really loved learning about how organisations were able to use great design to market themselves and their products.
Upon finishing my masters degree, I joined a research organisation, in their new business and marketing department. I was a marketing executive, helping the company achieve their sales goals and create awareness for their product. I was lucky to enjoy two years in this role before the pandemic came along and changed everything for everyone.
Thankfully, I was able to join DixonBaxi in October 2020, which has helped me develop in multiple ways. I love that we are always in beta, and looking forwards towards the future.
What are you working on right now?
Currently, I am working on diversifying our portfolio. The plan for 2022 is all about expanding into new areas. The market is constantly changing and with the development of technology, new industries are popping up all over the place. It’s really exciting to explore these new spaces and see if we are able to make our mark there.
“Good design is all about making a difference. ”
Describe your working style in 3 words.
Too Many Tabs – I have all my tabs open at once, spread across my desktop. It’s incredibly messy to some, but I like being able to jump across and have everything I need just there.
Tell us about some of your interests – what are you into?
I am a real sports lover. My favourite sport is football, but I am just as interested in rugby, cricket and tennis. I was fortunate to play these sports throughout my childhood and now enjoy the fact that I am lucky enough to regularly attend major sporting events. My parents being from England and Ireland has meant that there has always been sporting rivalry in the house! I spend way too much time and money following Arsenal Football Club. Whether it’s hopping on the tube to home games or 5-hour bus journeys to away games, it’s an unhealthy obsession of mine. I am also really interested in trying new cuisines. Something I adopted during the lockdown was to cook more and explore which turned into a mini hobby of mine.
Do you think design can change the world? How?
I do believe that. My dad is an architect by trade, so I have grown up with design. I have seen him start from a sketch, to a drawing, to an elevation plan to actually building the design in real life. His point of view is always that you could just follow what everyone else is doing, or you can design something that actually makes a difference. Whatever area of design you operate in, it has the ability to make an actual, real-life difference, which I think is pretty cool.
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
To improve the amount of opportunities available to everyone. Being born and raised in London I have been extremely fortunate to have benefited from multiple opportunities. If we could change this, I think the world would be a better place.
What’s the last song you listened to?
Black Betty – Ram Jam (A 14-year-old Anthony used to play this on repeat on Guitar Hero. Something the world really missed out on).
Why do you do what you do? What motivates you?
I am fortunate to have been brought up in a hardworking household. I am motivated to work hard and develop my skills due to that grounding. Being motivated to continue to work hard, even when times are tough, is one of the most important lessons I learnt growing up and I continue to adopt this to this day.
What’s your definition of good design?
Good design is all about making a difference. Designers have the ability to imagine the future and bring that into the present. What I admire about the best designers is starting with that blank canvas and building something. And not letting the pile of ripped up previous versions get in their way of creating something special.
