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Own the Moment: with productivity gurus Platform 55
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To celebrate the launch of the all-new AI-enhanced Galaxy S25, S25 Ultra, S25 Edge and S25+, we invited award-winning entrepreneurs – Platform 55 founders Michelle O’Keefe and Tracy Gunn – to show us how the game-changing features of the new Samsung Galaxy S25 series of devices can radically enhance and empower your day-to-day.
“We believe no one should have to choose between a fulfilling career and family life,” states Tracy Gunn. “We founded Platform 55 to provide the service and support we needed when we were both returning to work after having a family, but could not find it for ourselves,” adds Michelle O’Keefe.
Both working mothers, Michelle had a successful media career and was promoted to MD of a digital agency 24 hours before her daughter arrived. She found the experience of returning to a senior role with a new team, new targets, new commute and new baby extremely challenging. “It made me realise that society is not set up to support women in senior roles balancing motherhood. I noticed my peers were not progressing when they became parents, and I wanted to do something about it.”
Tracy’s background was in Leadership Development. “After my second maternity leave, I seriously considered stepping away from my career. I was exhausted, guilty and feeling like I was doing a crap job at everything, that’s when I decided to put my experience as an Executive Coach to good use and make sure that no-one else would feel the way I felt. For those who wanted to have a career and family life, I knew I could help them to find balance and thrive professionally and personally.”
Necessity is the mother of invention
Today, Platform 55 offers invaluable support, and builds systems to enable businesses, big and small, to build fair, high-performing cultures by supporting employees through every life stage. “We wanted to make sure there was a practical solution for companies, leaders and individuals to implement and really drive change.”
“We all want the same thing, but dated policies, legacy leadership teams and dated social norms are holding us back. We all have a role to play in driving change, and we have been so lucky to work with companies and leaders that are also on a mission to create fair and future-ready workforces,” says Michelle.
Dynamic and flexible
“We’re a small team with big plans. It’s important for us to be able to be agile and move fast. Many of us on the team also have caring responsibilities, so we make sure we walk the talk, hence being efficient, and maximising our productivity, without working longer hours is not only important to us, it’s part of our brand,” states Michelle.
“Having the right mobile tech and digital devices to support our everyday needs is crucial for our business,” agrees Tracy. “We have clients and meetings dotted all over the country, so we need to be as flexible and dynamic as possible. That’s why we found the new AI-powered features of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series so game-changing for us.”
PA in your pocket
“When you’re running your own business, with a household of kids and sports commitments, it can be all-consuming. I need a second pair of hands or a PA, but I don’t have one. I found it really handy that I can take care of numerous tasks across different apps with a single voice command. I can just ask my phone to find a highly rated coffee shop nearby and text the location to the client you are planning to meet. It’s such a help, meaning you can get these small bits of admin ticked off the list faster – leaving you time to look after the more important stuff,” says Michelle.
“While the Voice-to-Text function is a really efficient way to quickly capture thoughts and share them with the team, or as a follow-up to a client meeting – saving us huge amounts of time typing out notes. It also means our messages feel more human and authentic, which is an important part of our Platform55 brand.”
Creative solutions
“We are also a very creative team, with visually-led client presentations that we are constantly tweaking and updating – this is where the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the S Pen came in so handy,” says Tracy. “It’s brilliant for making changes whilst on the move, especially on a train, or in the back of a taxi.
“We also record a lot of videos for our clients to share internally, and for our own social media channels, so the enhanced video quality and AI-enhanced Auto Trim Video Editing functionality is so helpful, assisting you to edit video footage in minutes rather than hours. The Enhanced 50mp Camera is really great quality too, and the quick zoom feature allows us to capture things even from a distance.
“We also love that you don’t have to search across the web for the information you need. While using your phone, you can launch Circle to Search with Google from any app by long-pressing the home button. Once you’ve done that, simply circle whatever you want to search on screen with your finger or your S Pen, and let the S25 take over from there. When you’re trying to find the perfect dress for that event next week, this function is a lifesaver!”
Photography by Dan Dunne
Own the moment – with the all-new AI-powered Galaxy S25 series (Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, Galaxy S25 Edge, and Galaxy S25 Ultra). The Samsung S25 family elevates the way you work, create, stay healthy and play. A sleek, premium design wrapped in a strong aluminium frame with an immersive screen, sophisticated camera and now slimmed down for a more comfortable grip, this is a phone that makes an impact.
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