I see design as an evolving process that constantly adapts to human needs. As Design Director with a background in digital transformation and cognitive science, I bridge the gap between innovation and people, creating experiences that are based on how we think, feel and make decisions.

This holistic mindset enabled me to lead a multidisciplinary team of 21 at Elsevier, conduct R&D on AI systems at Intel, and shape the service strategy for Cambridge University Libraries with Modern Human.

Whether in team dynamics or technology adoption, I’m particularly interested in how people make sense of complexity, how trust is built, and how technology supports judgment and decision making.

At Elsevier, I directed the portfolio of products for Academics and Researchers (ScienceDirect, Mendeley, Knovel, and Journal Branded Solutions), leading teams from East to West. Together, we introduced GenAI solutions across products, devising the innovation strategy behind them.

Before that, at Intel’s Open Source Tech Centre, I conducted discovery research for drones, AVs, and IoT ecosystems. The technology was there, my role was to bridge the gap between innovation and real world needs. With this in mind, I developed product recommendations that connected Intel’s solutions with practical applications, with the view to open source research to the community of makers, partnering with start ups to test early product market fit.

I listen a lot, and I am most effective when I can balance depth, precision, and intuition in my decision making. I measure success through business outcomes and team happiness, driving innovation with strategic clarity.

Latest professional experience

  • While I am completing my master degree in cognitive science at UCL I am advising small businesses and start ups in UK and Italy. I cover organisational design, AI adoption, trust formation and mapping. My dissertation is due in July and it’s about measuring trust in AI generated diagnosis.

  • I started as a Principal Designer for Mendeley and soon became a Design Manager, leading the strategy for our design system, Graphene. Later, as Design Director, I worked with my team, the VP of Engineering, and the VP of Product to shape the product strategy for ScienceDirect, Knovel, Mendeley, and Journal Branded Solutions. Together, we defined design and research contributions. We also developed a GenAI and innovation strategy for each product in the portfolio, aligning with the scientific community’s needs, creating solutions that fit into our customers’ workflows.

  • As Senior UX Designer and Manager at Intel, I created proof of concept experiences to explore how emerging technologies could meet real world needs. This involved technical experimentation, including 3D printing and Arduino prototyping, customer research, market analysis, journey mapping, and service design. We collaborated with startups, offering subsidised access to Intel’s technology and guiding prototype development based on our insights.

  • As Creative Director, I was part of a small group of designers with amazing superpowers. We designed the Cambridge University Libraries service strategy and helped the United Nations redesign their online platform to preserve protected areas across the world. My role included leading user research, conducting surveys, ethnographic research, and research meta-analysis. I was also responsible for the creative work, and final designs.

  • I helped the BBC rethink its branding strategy for the BBC Masterbrand, assessing the digital ecosystem of services to strengthen the Masterbrand presence to create a more cohesive brand experience.

  • As Creative Director at Thomson Reuters, I helped traders and financial professionals navigate complex data through Eikon (LSEG Data & Analytics), the company’s flagship trading platform. I led a team of eight designers, driving user research and defining the platform’s design language to improve clarity, usability, and performance.