A digital ecosystem trusted to deliver year after year.

Designing, building and evolving a multi-site digital presence for a philanthropic investment company and its flagship event.

A multi-site digital ecosystem for one of Australia's most distinctive investment and philanthropic platforms. From its main conference site, bespoke virtual event platform, ASX-listed fund presence, and comprehensive impact hub. A digital presence designed to perform reliably, year after year, under high visibility and tight timelines.

The Mission • 

The Mission • 

The Mission

How do you build a digital platform trusted to carry some of the most important investment ideas in Australia; year after year, without fail?

The Sohn Hearts & Minds Conference required a premium public-facing site, a bespoke virtual event platform with live and on-demand content, and annual design refreshes reflecting each year's creative identity, alongside supporting digital presences for its ASX-listed fund and broader philanthropic impact.

A flagship event demands infrastructure that performs flawlessly under pressure, every single time.

The Challenge • 

The Challenge • 

The Challenge

A high-profile event with zero tolerance for failure:

  • Secure, magic-link access to ticketed and gated content
  • Integration between Humanitix, Webflow and HubSpot
  • Strict annual branding shifts requiring rapid implementation

What was at stake:

  • Reliable uptime during peak demand and high public visibility
  • Multiple interconnected properties that had to work as one
  • A client and audience with high expectations, every year

THE PROCESS • 

THE PROCESS • 

THE PROCESS

Defining the brand and first modern web presence

  • Designed and developed the first modern Sohn Hearts & Minds website (circa 2018), establishing a digital brand foundation.

Multi-site migration to Webflow

  • Rebuilt and migrated three core properties: the conference site, Hearts & Minds Investments (ASX: HM1), and Hearts & Minds Group.

Annual identity refresh system

  • Designed and implemented a CMS-driven Theme Engine to apply each year's brand toolkit without structural rebuilds.

The virtual conference platform

  • Designed and developed a virtual conference application on AWS, integrating Humanitix ticketing, Webflow CMS and HubSpot to manage login, time-gated content and tracking.

The "Booklet" microsite

  • Each year, created a bespoke animated microsite summarising conference content and impact with editorial layouts and 3D-inspired visuals.

The Outcome • 

The Outcome • 

The Outcome

MY ROLE • MY ROLE • MY ROLE • MY ROLE • MY ROLE

Digital partner and creative technologist across brand evolution, site architecture and platform engineering.

Delivered an evolving web presence since 2018. Annual brand toolkit refreshes via a component-based theme system. Maintaining a virtual conference platform across an integrated system architecture. Enabled client team to self-manage content through no-code tooling. Provided ongoing support, updates and refinements across their digital ecosystem.

Capabilities • Capabilities • Capabilities

UI Design

Animation Systems

Responsive Design

Design Systems

Interaction Design

Creative Direction

Projection Mapping

Prototyping

Service Strategy

USER research

interviews

story mapping

acceptance criteria

information architecture

feasibility mapping

rapid prototyping

product definition

Webflow Websites

React.js

Next.js

AWS

Integrated Systems

WebGL

Javascript Animation

Interactive 3D

Bespoke Installations

Creative Direction

Data Migration

Feasibility Mapping

Information Architecture

Integrated Systems

Service Strategy

Design Systems

Interaction Design

Rapid Prototyping

Responsive Design

UI Design

Website Design

Application Development

AWS

React.js

Webflow

WebGL

Website Development

Sustaining this ecosystem over nine+ years required long-term thinking, technical range and the discipline to deliver under pressure every time.

Ticketing, CRM and investor platforms connected into a seamless, secure content experience.

Integration & Access Control

Design & Brand Systems

Annual identity refreshes and editorial microsites delivered at pace without rebuilding from scratch.

A multi-site ecosystem built to perform reliably under high visibility and time-sensitive demand.

Platform & Infrastructure

Shaping ideas into validated product direction. I help teams get from ambiguity to actionable clarity, whether shaping a new concept or refining an existing one

Strategy
& HCD

Design & Interaction

Where aesthetics meet behaviour. I care about UI that works beautifully and feels alive.

Turning design into living, functioning experiences. I work end-to-end or alongside engineering teams, depending on what's needed.

Delivery &
Development

Maggie O'Neill

Hearts & Minds Investments

Chief Operating Officer

"Hearts & Minds has partnered with Cael for almost a decade and he has played a key role in shaping our digital presence across three distinct websites. He brings strong technical expertise and a proactive approach, consistently delivering innovative web solutions. He deeply understands our business and is highly responsive to evolving strategic needs and feels like a true extension of our team."

Case Studies • Case Studies • Case Studies

Client Links • Client Links • Client Links

Case Study: PRF

Hearts & Minds Group

2025 Conference Booklet

Sohn Hearts & Minds

Hearts & Minds Investments

Case Study: Loupe