I'm a seasoned design leader with a passion for creating engaging human-centred experiences. With over a decade of experience in design and research, I specialise in guiding my teams to navigate and solve complex business problems through design thinking.
My experience
Over the last decade, I've designed for household names in a diverse array of sectors, including eCommerce, financial services, fashion, healthcare, and telecommunications. After studying Fashion Marketing I found myself working as a marketing exec and graphic designer in e-commerce, which later led me to a role as a UX designer. As a naturally curious problem-solver, I immediately fell in love with UX as a field and quickly worked to learn the craft. I partnered with strategists and User Researchers to bolster my skillset which helped me on the path to Design Leadership.
Ten years later, I've led Design and Research teams at start-ups, household names, financial institutions and more. I’m currently working at Cashplus Bank on their rebrand to Zempler Bank, across both Marketing and Product Design.
Before that, I grew and led the Design function at River Island, and the UX function at Cera Care. I've also led UX and research for two significant channels at MoneySuperMarket, where I focused on making our products delightful and accessible, while driving stakeholder engagement.
Before my leadership tenure began, I had the pleasure of working for Co-op alongside the Government Digital Service (GDS) founding team, and for design agencies where I led design and research projects for companies like Mastercard, Vodafone, BBC and McLaren.
My skills
In every organisation I’ve been part of, I’ve obsessed over becoming the true voice of the customer, and championed the value of real user-research. I still love getting hands-on with design problems and research projects, and uncovering insights. Throughout my career, I've developed a rich skill set that includes but is not limited to:
- UX and service design methods
- Qualitative research
- Stakeholder management
- Team development and mentorship across differing levels of seniority
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Problem-solving
- Communication
- Accessibility
In every role I've held, I've used these skills to create captivating digital experiences, solve complex business problems, and most importantly, build and nurture high-performing teams.
My leadership style
I take great pride in my team's culture. I strongly believe in the power of collaboration and fostering strong relationships within my team and stakeholders in order to best reach a common goal, and have used this as one of my strongest tools throughout my career. I'm passionate about mentoring and personal development, and strive to create an environment that encourages growth, innovation, and the sharing of ideas. I have a toolkit that I have developed which helps my teams self-reflect, identify their strengths, and develop their craft.
I love building and growing teams, ensuring they have the right tools to do their job. My focus when hiring - whether for a new role or a replacement - is to ensure that soft skills and cultural fit are as important as hard skills in order to build a high-performing established team. This means the team can be trusted to do their best work and build positive relationships.