Bone taps next-gen leaders to cement evolution into standalone digital experience agency
Independent digital studio Bone has unveiled a new leadership lineup to drive the next phase of its growth, formally cementing its shift from quiet technology partner to a digital experience agency with strategic clout.
The appointments include Haylee Couchman as Head of Delivery, Daniel Diaz as UX/UI Lead, Jack Lochore as General Manager, and Theun de Bruijn as Head of Development, collectively forming a next-gen leadership team with strong ideas, fast reflexes, and deep technical nous.
“We’ve always punched above our weight in terms of output, but these appointments give us the internal firepower to shape bigger, more complex work, and own our seat at the table,” said Simon Hipgrave, Bone’s Co-Founder and Managing Director. “They’re smart, curious, and collaborative. Exactly the kind of people you want on the tools and in the room.”
It marks the completion of Bone’s multi-year transformation – from a go-to ‘black-label’ dev house to a proudly client-facing, creatively embedded partner to brands and agencies alike.
“With the new team in place, we’re not just building websites, we’re building the kind of agency we’d want to work with”, he added.
Haylee Couchman, formerly a Senior Product Manager at AKQA Amsterdam, brings deep product strategy experience across global and EMEA markets. Known for owning complex projects and leading cross-functional teams, she’s played pivotal roles in shaping products, building roadmaps, launching multi-platform experiences, and translating vision into execution for commerce heavy weights like KFC Global (Yum! Brands), Alexander McQueen, Toyota Motor Europe & The Coca-Cola Company.
Daniel Diaz brings years of hands-on technical experience across custom builds and scalable architectures, most recently BTC Markets, Zerocap & Pearson, where he led technical UI and UX.
Meanwhile, Theun de Bruijn, former Director of Technology at Today, brings significant creative technology experience working across projects ranging from Google, H&M & Spotify, to WorkSafe Victoria and collaborations with artists like Gorillaz. All with an eye for elegant, performant code and a collaborative approach to engineering that’s already elevating the team’s capabilities.
The hires follow a string of wins for Bone across healthcare, not-for-profit, and arts and culture sectors including recent launches for Kanda & Nursing Australia, The Human Rights Law Centre and Pallion Group – as well as continued partnerships with brand agencies and creative teams seeking a tech partner who gets design, digital strategy, and people. The revamped team enhances partnerships, bringing strategic clarity, technical depth, and delivery rigour that amplifies creative.
Lochore, who joined in mid-2024 as General Manager, spearheaded the hiring process. With a track record in transforming digital agencies, building and leading agile teams across the creative-tech divide.
“We’re building a place where design, digital strategy, and development can genuinely collaborate, not just hand stuff over the fence,” adds Jack Lochore. “This new team helps us lead those conversations from day one.”
Bone now employs 13 full-time staff, with plans to grow its client base and team in 2025 across digital product builds, platform development, and custom CMS implementations, while crafting compelling storytelling-driven and experience-led digital
Pictured (L-R): Theun de Bruin, Daniel Diaz, Jack Lochore, Haylee Couchman
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