Leadership that lasts

Attributes and conversations about UX and Product Design leadership often centre on scale and efficiency: growing headcount, enabling company growth, introducing streamlined practices and systems, refining operating models, and driving transformation. Across 25+ years of leading design in startups, agencies, enterprises, and government, I’ve done all of that. I’ve taken on those roles believing I could create meaningful, lasting impact — leaving each organisation stronger than when I joined. But in environments shaped by restructures, mergers and acquisitions, pivots, and strategy resets, many of those visible markers of leadership prove to be fragile and short-lived.

Over time, I’ve come to realise that only one aspect of leadership truly endures beyond tenure. In this talk, I’ll reflect on both the successes and missteps from my journey as a design leader and share what I believe is the one ingredient that outlasts growth strategies, frameworks, and org charts — and what leaders should focus on if they want their impact to genuinely travel beyond them.