Leadership and practice building

Helping people do their best work

I believe good design leadership is about creating clarity, building trust and giving people the support they need to grow. I stay close enough to the work to understand the challenges while making space for others to develop their own confidence and judgement.

Practice growth

From a two-person team to a multidisciplinary design practice

When I joined Elixirr, the design team consisted of two designers, including me. Over the following eight years, the capability expanded organically and through the acquisition and integration of other businesses, growing to approximately 20 designers with a broader mix of product, research and service-design expertise.

As I progressed from Creative Designer to Senior Designer and then Lead Digital Designer, my contribution evolved from individual project delivery into practice leadership. I became a trusted point of contact for designers and consultants, supporting recruitment, onboarding, mentoring, delivery oversight, proposals and shared ways of working.

How I support teams

Creating a supportive environment

I make time for one-to-one conversations, thoughtful feedback and practical guidance. I’ve supported product designers, researchers, service designers, new starters and emerging leads, adapting my approach to what each person needs rather than expecting everyone to work in the same way.

Bringing people together

As the practice has grown, I’ve helped build connections between designers joining through recruitment, organic growth and acquired teams. I encourage knowledge sharing, collaborative reviews and honest conversations so that people can learn from one another and feel part of the wider team.

Making good work easier to deliver

I’ve introduced Figma standards, documentation templates, onboarding resources, wireframe libraries and design-system guidance. These foundations help teams spend less time recreating basic structures and more time thinking about users, problems and outcomes.

Balancing quality with delivery

I care deeply about craft, but I also understand deadlines, budgets and technical constraints. My role is often to help teams find the best path forward: protecting the quality of the experience while keeping the work practical, collaborative and achievable.

Client leadership

Building relationships that grow beyond one project

I enjoy working directly with clients and becoming someone they can rely on. This means listening carefully, explaining design decisions clearly and being honest about risks, trade-offs and what the team needs to succeed.

I also support proposals, workshops, scoping and resource planning. My contributions have helped secure new work, extend engagements and retain client relationships. For me, commercial awareness is not separate from design—it is part of understanding how good work creates lasting value.

Leadership in practice

Helped scale the Dunnhumby engagement from two to six designers across several product areas.
Supported recruitment and selection across product design, research and service design.
Helped retain team members by making their contribution visible and responding early to delivery and role risks.
Led an external design team through Wesleyan’s migration and redesign programme.
Became a trusted design adviser across multiple phases of BSI’s digital transformation.
Introduced shared standards and reusable resources to improve consistency, onboarding and collaboration.

Looking for a design leader who still cares about the details?

I’m interested in opportunities where I can support talented people, shape meaningful work and help design become a stronger part of the organisation.

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