I've spent 20+ years in digital design - starting with the craft, falling in love with the systems, and eventually realising that the most impactful thing a designer can do is build the conditions for other designers to do their best work.
At Intuit, I spent my first years as lead web designer - running experiments, testing hypotheses, and moving the metrics that mattered. That work was recognised globally and it also earned me something more valuable: a reputation as someone you could depend on.
When I moved into the Australia/APAC Design Manager role, that reputation translated quickly. Three months in, a Marketing Director told me my team was his secret weapon - and then backed it with budget. We grew from a team of 3 designers to 9, restructured around an in-house agency model, and delivered at a quality that global teams started repurposing our work for their own markets.
That's the moment I understood what design leadership is really about. It's not managing people. It's building something worth investing in.
How I lead
I lead with clarity, because ambiguity is expensive. I stay hands-on, because distance erodes credibility. I invest in people deliberately, because teams that feel supported outperform teams that are simply managed.
Invested in growth
It's one of the most consistently rewarding things I do, and it keeps me connected to the challenges facing the next generation of design leaders.
I've also recently completed the Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership at MIT Sloan - a deliberate investment in becoming a more rounded, commercially grounded leader.
MIT Sloan | '26
Leading Organizations for High-Velocity Performance
University of Sydney | '23
Team managers and leaders
ADPList.org | since '22
Design mentoring: 2700 minutes
IDEO U | '24
Leading for creativity
Interaction Design Foundation | '25
AI for designers
General Assembly | '18
User experience design
Outside of work
I live in Western Sydney with my wife Rachel and our two kids - Noah, who is four and has strong opinions about everything, and Hazel, who is two and doing her best to keep up with him. They're the reason I think seriously about the kind of leader I want to be and the example I set for them. Empathy runs in both directions.
