TOPTAL DESIGN BLOG
Who's at the Helm? – Dissecting the Qualities of Design Leadership
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Previously designed, consulted, and lead teams for
Current adventures
operations manager
At Canva, I'm working at the Creators team driving the international expansion of the program. I set global and local targets, monitor markets, coordinate global launches, and overall untangle people and processes to enable growth.
PRODUCT
DESIGNER
I have 15 years of experience as a designer. Through Toptal, I work with clients that require a strong Design direction for highly complex products in FinTech, HealthTech and software that improves day-to-day workflows.
DESIGN
MENTOR
Since 2016, I help career-changers at Designlab learn Product Design and land their first job. My 120+ mentees have landed jobs at places like Squarespace, Accenture, Indeed, Bloomberg, Cisco, or HSBC.
I'm also HAVING FUN
⛵️ Sailing in the Mediterranean
💞 Enjoying time with family
🚐 Traveling around with our RV
🐶 Enjoying the outdoors with our rescue dog
🏡 Decorating our newly-bought home
+ member of
Leadership Style
STRONG DIRECTION
With an MBA under my belt, I’m not afraid to contribute to the strategy of the company. Once aligned, I translate the business goals into design objectives to guide my team through a strong vision. Recently, I drove up the NPS score of a core product from 30 to 91 in under 7 months and contributed to closing a $17 million deal. I’m also naturally comfortable under complexity, bringing order to chaotic situations.
PEOPLE-first
I like to know my team individually: their goals, strengths, what they love, what frustrates them. That allows me to match the right people with the right projects. In one of my roles, I designed and implemented a rotation program to drive motivation and retention. I’ve also implemented career ladders, hiring processes, performance management at scale for 400+ mentors, and established processes and rituals, too.
BEYOND THE COCOON
Let’s face it: Designers can be a bit special. With our creativity and our unique processes, we can be like the weird cousin in a family reunion. That’s why I champion my team beyond our comfort zone. I go out of the way to build relationships with all the departments, and ensure that the company leverages the power of design.
giving back
There’s no doubt that a leader should have influence ouside the organisation. Even though you won’t see me on public events or fancy talks, I spend at least 10 hours per week giving back to the design community by leading a Design Education non-profit (Designed.org) and mentoring designers. I also write articles and I’m currently writing a book.
DESIGN PORTFOLIO
Sara as a Designer
I’ve been a designer since Macromedia Dreamweaver was cool. I love the craft, so it’s hard for me to stay fully hands-off. I typically work on FinTech and highly complex products that need a lot of Information Architecture work, and scalable guidelines. As a Designer, I see myself as a mediator between the user, the business, and the technical constraints.
