The Team

Crispin is a software developer living in Perth, Western Australia. Passionate about making technology accessible to everyone, he created Backgammon Buddy so that people of all ages can enjoy one of the world's oldest games, instantly and for free, without downloads, accounts or complicated setup.

Crispin's love of programming began at age eight, when he and his brother received a TI-99/4A home computer for Christmas. Hooked on game development, he went on to create more than a dozen games and explore numerous programming languages. His talent for mathematics was recognised in 1992, when he won a prize in the Senior Division of the Australian Mathematics Competition, placing him among the top 0.3% of candidates.

His varied career has taken him from tutoring physics at Curtin University to network administration at Christ Church Grammar School, one of Perth's leading boys' schools, and then a number of software engineering roles.

Crispin enjoys creating software that people love to use. Alongside his professional work, he has developed several open-source tools, including Spire, a tool for remotely provisioning and managing machines.

When he's not programming or improving Backgammon Buddy, Crispin enjoys tackling home improvement projects and spending time with his wife Kaz and their three children.

Kaz Wellington is the Co-Founder of Backgammon Buddy, an online platform making one of the world's oldest games more accessible to a new generation of players. A relatively recent convert to backgammon herself, Kaz has become hooked on its curious combination of luck, logic and strategy. She has also written for the World Backgammon Federation, profiling some of the world's top players.

Kaz has spent much of her career bringing together technology, education and community. While working with the Fogarty Foundation, she helped grow CoderDojo WA, a network of free programming clubs for children that won the WA Premier's Award for Science Engagement. Her work also took her around the world as a Westpac Social Change Fellow, exploring innovative approaches to digital education at organisations including Google, MIT and the Raspberry Pi Foundation.

Named one of the 100 most influential women in games by MCV Pacific, Kaz has also exhibited at the Perth Games Festival on several occasions.

Away from the backgammon board, Kaz is raising three young children in the Perth hills, where she enjoys bushwalking, films, arts and culture, and a good cup of rooibos tea.