About Us
Our Mission
ThirdShift is a small company with a big mission.
Our goal is to create a more equal world, and to raise the next generation to be free of gender stereotypes and their harmful impacts on us all.
We aim to make the invisible visible – actively addressing the gender data gaps and inequalities that still exist at work and home.
We use research, technology, data, psychology and neuro-hacking techniques to create practical & helpful solutions that keep people at the heart of everything we do.
Where it all began
The idea for ThirdShift came about from Catherine’s experience of trying to build gender balanced teams in tech businesses and struggling to find enough good female talent. Despite trying lots of proven steps to attract female candidates, they still couldn’t get to 50%.
At the same time she saw her friends with successful careers struggling to continue to do what they wanted professionally after having children. Aware of how many women end up working part time, taking more junior and lower paid roles, or unable to pursue promotion, it was clear there was a deeper problem.
This problem has its roots at home, particularly for parents, so that’s where she wanted to start.
Meet the Team
Catherine McArthur
Founder & CEO
Catherine started her career in Australia, working in politics. After moving to London in 2011 she worked in public policy, implementing environmental schemes. In 2014 she made the leap into tech to help build a startup called Cogmotive, and worked in growth stage and enterprise tech businesses after a successful exit in 2016.
After years of working to build diverse teams and to address gender inequality in the workplace, Catherine wanted to go beyond small incremental steps towards gender equality.
She wanted to solve the downstream problems that makes it harder for women to put themselves out there to begin with, particularly after they have children.
Rafal Straburzynski
Co-Founder & CTO
Rafal has been working as a software developer for almost 20 years, and is a father of two children. His claim to fame is having once appeared on Polish Dragon’s Den.
He ran his own company for 12 years, including building an education platform for prisoners that was rolled out in 37 prisons across Poland. Since relocating to the UK in 2013, he has worked in tech startups including Cogmotive where he met Catherine.
As a professional and a parent, work-life balance has always been a priority for Rafal, and as part of his MBA he wrote a dissertation about the four day work week. He aspires to build a company that respects each person’s life outside of work, while still having a vibrant and engaging work culture.
Ready To Get Started With ThirdShift?
Find out about how you can save time, reduce your workload & free yourself from the mental load with ThirdShift. Take the ThirdShift Quiz to get started understanding your household work, and start having better conversations about how to find the balance in your home.