Gareth Forshaw

Gareth Forshaw has a diverse work experience spanning over several industries. Gareth began their career as a Copywriter at Space Imaging Investments, where they wrote copy for emails, websites, and coordinated with the graphics team. Gareth then worked as a Marketing Accounts Manager at the same company, managing online marketing campaigns. Gareth then transitioned into the field of e-learning as an Instructional Writer at Laragh Courseware, where they developed IT and business e-learning content.

Gareth then moved on to Postilion, a financial software development company, where they worked as a Technical Writer, disseminating technical information into accessible literature. After that, they joined Psitek as a Technical Writer, developing documentation for hardware and software products and services.

Gareth then worked at VOSS as a Technical Writer, where they formulated the documentation strategy and grew the technical documentation to meet changing customer requirements. Gareth later became the Technical Writing Team Leader at VOSS, focusing on embedding consistent processes into the technical writing life cycle and developing standards and guidelines for technical documentation.

Gareth then joined Fundamo, a Visa Company, where they worked as a Technical Writer, Scrum Master, and Knowledge and Learning Manager. Gareth produced customer-facing technical documentation, led a development team through agile methodology, and orchestrated learning initiatives for internal stakeholders and external customers.

At Visa, Gareth served as a Senior Technical Writer, producing technical documentation for both technical and non-technical audiences, and as a Programme Manager, leading a modernization program to replace the publishing technology stack.

Gareth then moved on to Avalara, where they initially joined as a UX Writer before becoming a UX Manager. In these roles, they focused on delivering a customer-centric experience and coordinating with stakeholders to drive the best customer experience possible.

Most recently, Gareth joined Hootsuite as a Senior Manager of User Education, empowering the User Education team to maximize customers' social maturity and effectiveness by producing clear, concise, and useful content. Gareth is currently working at Checkout.com as a Senior Manager of Technical and UX Writing, responsible for building and ensuring the quality, discoverability, and accuracy of documentation content.

Gareth Forshaw's education history includes several degrees and certifications. In 1995, they completed their Matric degree at SACS. Gareth then attended the University of Cape Town from 2000 to 2002, earning a BSc. degree in Environmental Science and Archaeology. In 2003, Gareth pursued further studies at the University of Cape Town, obtaining a BSc. Honors degree in Environmental Science with a focus on GIS. In 2008, they attended the University of South Africa and completed a program in Project Management, specializing in Software Development. Gareth returned to the University of Cape Town from 2011 to 2014, earning an MSc. degree in Information Technology (MIT).

Furthermore, Gareth Forshaw has obtained several certifications. In 2010, they became an ISTQB-ISEB Certified Tester Foundation Level and also completed an Intermediate Certificate in Software Testing from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. In 2014, Gareth achieved the ICAgile Certified Professional designation. Gareth obtained various Scrum certifications, including Professional Scrum Master (PSM 1) in 2015, Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) in 2015, Certified SAFe® 4 Scrum Master in 2019, and Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO I) in 2019. Additionally, Gareth acquired the Professional Agile Leadership (PAL I) certification from Scrum.org in 2019. Gareth also holds the Visa Payments Everywhere: Certified Payments Professional certification from Visa since 2018. Gareth has further updated their expertise with certifications such as Hootsuite Platform Certification and Social Selling Certification in 2021, as well as UX Research: Journey Mapping in 2022. Finally, they obtained certifications in Strategic Thinking and User Experience (UX) for Non-Designers from LinkedIn in 2021 and attended courses in Inbound from HubSpot Academy and Guy Kawasaki on How to Rock Social Media from LinkedIn in 2022.