Advising
Low-volume advisory for design leaders
I've spent 20 years building and scaling design teams — currently as VP of AI Design at Atlassian, and previously as VP of Marketing and Design at Replit, the first Head of Design at Webflow, and Head of Product Design at One Medical through its IPO. At each company I've grown teams, built operating cadence, and worked directly with founders and executives as the org scaled.
Design leaders at growth-stage companies often hit the same inflection point: the work is no longer just about better product quality. It becomes org design, executive influence, operating cadence, hiring, and helping the company understand what design is accountable for.
I keep this intentionally small: a few advisory relationships at a time, only where my experience maps closely to the leader's context. The goal is to help you build a design function with stronger taste, operational clarity, executive trust, and a meaningful role in company strategy.
Who it's for
- You lead design at a Series A–C company
- Your team is growing, but the operating model is still forming
- You're navigating executive partnership, hiring, quality, or team structure
- You want a practitioner-advisor, not generic leadership coaching
Advisory themes
- Design as a strategic function: earning trust and influence with founders, product, and engineering
- Operating rhythm: critique, reviews, rituals, and decision systems that raise the quality bar
- Team architecture: org design, senior hiring, leveling, and developing design leaders
- Product taste and craft: building a culture that can recognize and ship better work
- AI and the design function: adapting design leadership as software creation changes
How it works
- We start with the leadership challenge you are actively navigating
- Most engagements are monthly sessions with async support between meetings
- The work is practical and context-specific, not a fixed curriculum
- I take on only a handful of advisory relationships each year
- If I don't think I'm the right person to help, I'll say so directly
Related writing
- Design's Seat at the Cap Table on design leadership, advising, and strategic influence
- Design Engineering on the changing shape of design, software, and technical craft
- Keeping an advisory close on building durable advisory relationships
Apply
Share a little about your company, your team, and the leadership challenge you're navigating. I'll review it personally and follow up if I think I can be useful.
Submit an inquiryOpens in a new tab. I read every submission, but only follow up where there is a clear fit.