Meet Emma, our COO
Hi, I’m Emma, the Chief Operating Officer of Spiral Software.
Almost five years ago, when I first logged into the world of Spiral, medical research was in a different era. It was hard to forget, as the world began working at pace to find treatments and interventions to counteract the effects of SARS-CoV-2—or COVID-19.
It’s difficult to call it an exciting time, given the loss of life that surrounded it. But it was! Spiral began working at pace alongside some of the world’s brightest minds in the infectious disease community, and our team started designing and building one of the most complex clinical trials in the world—REMAP-CAP.
As Spiral’s Founder, Audrey, pushed through unprecedented health challenges and innovation boundaries, I ran alongside her—lightening the load and building trust with our other groundbreaking clients. It was quite the ride—and we’re still going!
“I knew I was in the right place. The work we were doing had so much meaning, and was not only changing people’s lives for the better, but saving them!”
As a lead project manager at the time, I began working alongside my peers to help our clients design the world’s largest novel clinical trial for staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections—SNAP. This trial was designed to address multiple questions in parallel, including which initial antibiotics are most effective, whether adjunctive therapy is beneficial, and whether intravenous antibiotic therapy can be safely switched to oral therapy.
Some days, I feel like we’re making history—and perhaps I should let that feeling sink in more often—because we are! This study now includes sites in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, and Israel. And, to date, more than 100 children have been randomised into the SNAP platform. It doesn’t get much better than knowing you’re working to improve the health of a young child does it?
"There’s nothing quite like the feeling of releasing a new feature, designing a new function, or—better still—seeing the findings published from a study you helped build from the very beginning. It’s an incredible experience."
As Spiral has grown, I’ve had the opportunity to grow alongside it. In my role as Chief Operating Officer, I help lead our team, develop their skills, and support them in achieving both our clients' goals and their own. I bring my skills and experience to a team of amazing people who are working hard to make a difference in the world.
“That’s what gets me up in the morning and motivates me to keep asking: How can I help? What’s next? How can we do better?"
Improving health outcomes and reimagining research tools requires input from every member of our team—each carefully selected for their skills, experience, attitude, adaptability, and drive to do the work. No two days are the same around here, keeping my mind constantly curious and engaged. That curiosity and pace are essential in this environment. Things change quickly, and some days, you have to move fast to keep up.
“Our team is made up of smart, passionate individuals on a mission to craft a world-class product that changes and saves lives globally.”
When I was recently asked, 'Why is Spiral the most incredible product in the world?' I thought—Product? It’s the most incredible company in the world. We are ever-evolving, ever-growing, and ever-improving.