When I joined Avanade’s Experience Design practice, the team was in a difficult place — disengaged,
resistant to change, and not firing. That was the first challenge I had to solve before I could do
anything else. So I did what I always do: I started with the people. I got to know each person,
understood what they needed, what they were worried about, and what they were actually capable of.
Within months the dynamic had completely shifted. The team became highly engaged, motivated, and
eventually became some of my strongest advocates. When people feel genuinely valued, they show up
differently.
Once the team was in a good place, we got to work. Over 4.5 years I led the Experience Design
practice across some of Avanade’s most important client engagements — financial services, energy,
government, and enterprise AI. I grew into a Strategy & Experience Design Lead role, but I never
stopped being close to the work. That was a deliberate choice. You can’t set the bar for quality from
a distance.
What I’m proudest of isn’t any single project — it’s how the team operated. Multiple people told me
they’d never felt more supported, more challenged, or more like their careers actually mattered to
someone above them. I mentored people at every level, from graduates finding their feet to experienced
designers who needed someone to push them further. I created an environment where honest feedback was
normal, where ideas rose on merit, and where people felt safe enough to try things that might not
work.
On the client side, I was known for landing relationships and growing them. I had a way of translating
complex design thinking into something executives could connect with and act on — and that opened doors
for the whole team.
