Design Leaders Community

🚀 Join Us for an Evening of Design Leadership & Innovation in NYC! 🚀 We’re excited to invite you to an unforgettable evening of networking, insights, and inspiration at Wongdoody’s breathtaking offices on the 79th floor of One World Trade Center, NYC! 🌆 Why Attend? This event will explore the evolving role of design leadership* and its impact on today’s fast-changing business landscape. You’ll have the opportunity to hear from industry leaders and engage in thought-provoking discussions that will help you stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of design. 💡 Meet Our Incredible Speakers 💡 We’re proud to feature: ✨ Ralf Gehrig (Global CXO, Wongdoody) – Our fabulous host ✨ Sandy Fershee (Design Exec, Audible) ✨ Karen Pascoe (Design Lead, Wells Fargo) ✨ Thomas Ordahl (Founder, OrdahlCo) ✨ Guthrie Dolin (Global Design Director, Ford) ✨ Leighsa King (Global Design, PepsiCo) 🎟 Event Details: 📅 Thursday, 5th December ⏰ 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM 📍 Wongdoody, One World Trade Center, NYC 🎟️ $70 per ticket (Includes food, drinks, and professional services) 🚨 Only 45 tickets available – Spaces are limited! Don’t miss your chance to connect with top design minds. Key Topics We'll Be Discussing: 🔹 How design leaders can reinforce the essential role of design in an increasingly product-centric and agile business environment 🔹 Are traditional design metrics still relevant in today’s rapidly evolving world? 🔹 New approaches to measuring design’s impact amid digital transformation 🔹 Aligning design strategies with broader business goals and ROI 🔹 How design leaders can position themselves as strategic partners in driving business growth Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn, connect, and elevate your approach to design leadership. 🌟 Tickets won’t be available for long. If you are an Executive Design Leader and you are responsible for the overarching strategic direction of design within your agency or organisation, please DM me and I will send you a link to register. Thanks, Rob. #DesignLeadership #NYCEvent #BusinessGrowth #Networking #DesignStrategy #Innovation #Wongdoody

An incredible opportunity for someone in the Design community! #JobOp #DesignJob #DesignDirector #JobsinDesign #DesignLeaders #DesignDirectors

Introducing William Barraclough, a global design leader known for building teams and creating impactful products and brands. With leadership experience at Evoke, William Hill, Tide, and Zoopla, William excels at leading multi-disciplinary teams across the full spectrum of design. William champions the philosophy that "the product is the brand, and the brand is the product," ensuring consistency and impact across all customer surfaces. He is deeply focused on fostering growth within design teams, establishing learning as a core tenet, and aligning creative excellence with a solid understanding of driving value and impact. Whether working with startups, scale-ups, or corporates, William is committed to empowering organisations and setting them up for long-term success through the power of great design. #InnovationLeader #DesignLeadership #DesignLeadersCommunity #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership #FoundingMember #DesignLeaders

🌟 What's Next for the Design Leaders Community 🌟 🚀 Enhancing Our Platform: We're crafting a more fluid and user-friendly experience within our community platform to ensure seamless interactions and engagement. 🤝 Expanding Our Executive Leadership Community: We have a steering and selection committee in place and a reference will be required to qualify for this tier. 🔝 New Leadership Tier: Introducing a broader-level Design Leadership tier, exclusively based on referrals, to bring more diverse expertise into our community. 💼 Introducing Our Exec-Level Strategic Consultancy: Clients will soon have access to top-tier executive design leaders from around the globe on a fractional basis. 🌍 In-Person Events: Mark your calendars! Our next event is in New York on December 5th following the success of our first-ever in-person London event. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements! 💼 Developing a Leadership level Job Board: We’re building a dedicated job board for our Design Leaders Community, connecting our members with exceptional opportunities. 🎓 Training & Development Platform: We're creating a space for members to share their knowledge and experience. Plus, we're partnering with one of the world's leading training and development providers. More details coming soon! 📚✨ This is just a glimpse of the exciting projects we have in the pipeline. Stay tuned for more updates! #DesignLeadership #CommunityBuilding #ExecutiveSearch #TrainingAndDevelopment #LeadershipEvents #DesignLeaders

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 Inspired by Robert Fabricant’s Fast Company piece, "The Great Design Freakout," we held a workshop to rethink the narratives shaping our industry. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Our perspectives influence our actions and shape our future. They affect our engagement with stakeholders and the trajectories we envision for design. 𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 Teresa Brazen, CPCC, ACC, our session aimed to: - Examine the design community’s self-perception. - Explore new, positive narratives. - Foster stronger member connections through shared insights. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: - Broaden Our Viewpoint: Understand cross-functional challenges to contextualise our issues better. - Cultivate Flow: Enhance creativity and productivity by fostering a state of flow. - Pace for Sustainability: Embrace a long-term mindset for resilience and adaptability. - Embrace the Ensemble: Shift from defending design to collaborative success. - Manage Our Perspective: Adopt a proactive, solution-oriented mindset. This transformative gathering reinvigorated our mission and broadened our perspective on design's potential. Coming together in a candid and enjoyable way highlighted the strength of our community. 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁: Check out Lindsey Mosby exploring a provocative analogy for the changing role/nature of design "You can't have the band without the Bass" https://lnkd.in/ef_fA4eY Stay connected for chances to join the movement and future opportunities!

We are coming to the last of our 150 Design Leaders to introduce you to. Today we are welcoming Anthony Pannozzo who spearheads a dynamic team of designers, strategists, and data scientists at Frog NA, a premier global creative consultancy under Capgemini Invent's umbrella. With a commitment to challenging conventions, they craft transformative human experiences that resonate deeply and drive tangible market impact. Collaborating closely with visionary leaders and entrepreneurs, Anthony applies a unique blend of creativity, strategy, design, and data to reinvent businesses, foster growth, and lead customer-centric transformations. Together, they strive to shape a regenerative future that prioritises sustainability and inclusivity, benefitting both businesses and society at large. Welcome to the community, Anthony. #InnovationLeader #DesignLeadership #DesignLeadersCommunity #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership #FoundingMember #DesignLeaders

Bethany Fenton is a product design leader with a passion for creating products, services, and experiences that resonate deeply with both businesses and individuals. As a key member of Getty Images' Senior Leadership team, Bethany has been instrumental in transforming the Product Design and Research team, fostering a culture of deeper customer understanding across the organisation. She leads a diverse group of 28 full-time and contract designers and researchers, driving initiatives that explore the transformative potential of AI and multimodal experiences. Bethany's leadership style emphasises strategic partnership, encouraging her team to apply rigour and rationale to all their choices. By redesigning the operating model to a pod structure, she has broken down silos, promoted career growth, and enabled a focus on solving significant customer problems. Bethany's innovative approach includes launching initiatives like the quarterly “Customer Power Hour” to share valuable customer insights company-wide, ensuring that customer perspectives are at the forefront of business decisions. Thrilled to have you join our community, Bethany. #InnovationLeader #DesignLeadership #DesignLeadersCommunity #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership #FoundingMember #DesignLeaders

Introducing David Dame ♿️ a technology industry veteran with over 30 years of experience. As the Senior Director of Product Accessibility for Windows and Devices at Microsoft, Dave is at the forefront of leading the strategy, design, and execution of inclusive products catering to users of all abilities. A certified Professional Scrum Trainer, Master, and Product Owner, as well as a Six Sigma Black Belt, he brings a wealth of expertise in process improvement, customer relationship management, and agile product management. Passionate about empowering people with disabilities, Dave has spearheaded the launch of innovative products like the Surface Adaptive Kit, Microsoft Adaptive Accessories, Surface pen grips, Inclusive trackpad, and the Inclusive Tech Lab. Beyond his impactful work, Dave is a sought-after professional speaker and thought leader on product management, accessibility, inclusive design, and cognitive diversity. With a firm belief that accessibility is both a social responsibility and a business opportunity, Dave brings a unique perspective to our Design Leaders Community. #AccessibilityAdvocate #InclusiveDesignLeader #InnovationLeader #DesignLeadership #DesignLeadersCommunity #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership #FoundingMember #DesignLeaders

Introducing Eric K., a seasoned design leader currently serving as the Vice President of Design at VRChat, where he oversees game and product design, research, brand development, and 3D art. With a wealth of experience in the gaming industry, Eric previously held the role of Vice President of Design at Roblox during its IPO and rapid growth phase, as well as serving as the Head of Design at Google Stadia, a pioneer in cloud gaming technology. Before his tenure at Roblox and Google, Eric was a founding designer at Scopely, contributing to its early success in the gaming market. Based in San Mateo, California, Eric brings a rich background in user experience design and leadership to his current role, leveraging his expertise to drive innovation and shape the future of immersive gaming experiences. #InnovationLeader #DesignLeadership #DesignLeadersCommunity #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership #FoundingMember #DesignLeaders

Fura Johannesdottir began her digital journey twenty years ago in Iceland before moving to New York City, where she studied at Parsons School of Design. While at Parsons, she explored the intersection of digital and physical realms, laying the foundation for her future endeavors. Following her graduation, she spent 12 years honing her skills at R/GA, working with prestigious clients like Nike, Volvo, Samsung, Walmart, and H&M. Her time at R/GA was marked by a steadfast dedication to quality, craftsmanship, and innovative ideas, which shaped her pride in being part of the R/GA community. After leaving R/GA, Fura joined Publicis Sapient, leading the experience expertise across global offices and focusing on digital business transformation. She played a key role in developing solutions that combined creativity, design, business strategies, and technology for clients such as RBS, Carrefour, Galeries Lafayette, Nissan, and Nestle. More recently, Fura took on the responsibility of supervising the global design team at Huge, advocating for a holistic approach to brand interactions that integrate various elements from digital platforms to physical products. Under her leadership, Huge was recognised as the agency of the year for digital innovation by Campaign US and has established itself as a top environment for nurturing creative talent. We are honoured to have Fura in our community. #InnovationLeader #DesignLeadership #DesignLeadersCommunity #Innovation #ThoughtLeadership #FoundingMember #DesignLeaders