Sep 2023 – Apr 2024 · 7 mos · Dubai, United Arab Emirates · Remote

• Created the Sankofa Display font. I was commissioned as part of a project to add African fonts from African designers on Google Fonts.
• Sankofa display supports 933 languages with a set of over 1000 glyphs.

Nov 2022 – Present · 3 yrs 6 mos · Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

• I lead the design and experience function, driving product and service innovation across ADIB’s digital ecosystem to deliver seamless, human-centered journeys for retail, SME, and wealth customers. My role spans design strategy, team leadership, service design, and design system implementation, ensuring consistent experiences across all touchpoints.
• Key Achievements:
• Boosted digital growth: Finance bookings via ADIB Mobile reached 31% of total PF & Yusr volumes, with Digital E2E driving 90%+ YoY growth
• Accelerated onboarding: Digital NTB account openings surpassed 72% of total new accounts
• Scaled design function: Expanded team to 6 specialists across UX, research, and design ops
• Elevated efficiency: Implemented enterprise design system, reducing design-to-dev time by 40% and standardizing experiences across 5 digital platforms
• C-suite impact: Positioned design as a strategic partner, influencing product roadmaps and innovation initiatives
• Focus Areas:
• Design Strategy & Service Design: Shaping end-to-end journeys across products and services
• Leadership & Mentorship: Building high-performing, cross-functional design teams
• Innovation & Research: Leveraging data, user research, and emerging tech to inform decisions
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partnering with product, engineering, and business to deliver impactful experiences

Aug 2021 – Nov 2022 · 1 yr 3 mos · United Arab Emirates · Hybrid

• Hired to lead the product design team in launching the bank and positioning it as a market- leading, disruptive super app. I managed a team of 11 product designers, initiated the adoption of a Design System, and developed a Design Ops framework to drive the bank's digital maturity and operational effectiveness.
• Key Accomplishments
• Digital Bank CASA Launch: Successfully launched the CASA product journey for the digital bank, enhancing customer onboarding and account management experiences.
• Credit Card Journey Implementation: Rolled out the credit card product journey, streamlining the application process and improving user satisfaction.
• Insurance Product Journey Development: Introduced and optimized the insurance product journey, integrating key features for a seamless user experience.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Worked closely with business teams to translate requirements into actionable product deliverables, ensuring alignment and timely execution.
• Design System Efficiency: Increased product development efficiency by implementing a design system, reducing product inconsistencies and accelerating the delivery process.
• Leadership Responsibilities
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of 11 product designers, driving the maturity and scaling of the design practice within the business.
• Innovation Lab Setup: Establish and oversee an innovation lab for usability research, advancing design insights and practices.
• Design System Adoption: Initiate and lead the adoption of the Design System to ensure consistency and efficiency across all design projects.
• DesignOps Framework Development: Develop and implement the DesignOps framework to streamline design processes and enhance operational effectiveness.

Feb 2021 – Aug 2021 · 6 mos · Dubai, United Arab Emirates · Remote

• In my role, I translated client requirements into actionable design deliverables, while leading a team of product designers through both the discovery and delivery phases to create effective designs and solutions.
• Key Accomplishments
• User-Centered Product Creation: Lead the creation of digital products from a user’s perspective, utilizing human-centered methodologies such as building personas, empathy models, and user journeys.
• Client and Business Interaction: Interact with clients and business leads to understand requirements, challenges, and ambitions, ensuring alignment with product goals.
• Internal Team Facilitation: Facilitate internal team communication, bridging the gap between visual design and development to ensure cohesive project execution.
• Design Governance: Own overall design governance, overseeing the adherence to design standards and practices throughout the project lifecycle.

Dec 2019 – Jan 2021 · 1 yr 1 mo

• In my role as Design System Lead at Emirates NBD, I oversaw the implementation of the design system across Emirates NBD, Emirates Islamic, Liv, and Smart Banking platforms, as well as the ATM transformation initiative.
• Key Accomplishments
• Development Time Reduction: Achieved a 70% reduction in development time for Emirates Islamic Bank’s online banking platforms by implementing a scalable and modular design system, leveraging a single code base for both Emirates NBD and Emirates Islamic to accelerate development and reduce maintenance costs.
• Usability Audit: Conducted an audit to enhance the usability and development of the E20 Digital Business Bank mobile application, improving user experience and functionality.
• Design System Maturity: Advanced the maturity of Emirates NBD’s design system to support the successful roll-out of multiple initiatives, including CRM Transformation, Compliance 360, ATM Transformation, and EI Smart Miles.

Aug 2019 – Dec 2019 · 4 mos

• Create user flows, wireframes, storyboards, scenarios, and prototypes to effectively communicate interaction and design ideas.
• Define the user model and user interface for new and existing Emirates NBD products and features.
• Conduct design testing with users to gather feedback and create interaction changes.
• Participate in the creation of experience design strategies.

Jul 2018 – Feb 2019 · 7 mos

• Worked closely with the Executive Creative Director, Strategists, Creative Directors, and the broader creative team to guide the technical execution of projects from research, UI/UX, development, and technical perspective.

Nov 2017 – Jul 2018 · 8 mos

Mar 2017 – Oct 2017 · 7 mos · Johannesburg Area, South Africa · On-site

• I managed the full lifecycle of design projects for Standard Bank and other clients, handling everything from user experience and interface design to art direction and conceptualizing digital campaigns, ensuring that each project was tailored to meet specific business needs.

May 2016 – Mar 2017 · 10 mos

Jul 2015 – May 2016 · 10 mos

• Design for digital

Jul 2013 – Dec 2014 · 1 yr 5 mos

• Lecturer for 2 year Diploma in Graphic design. Courses I take include Graphic Design, 3D and final year thesis supervisor.
• www.ziva.org

Oct 2009 – Jan 2017 · 7 yrs 3 mos · South Africa

• Worked with Christian Changamire to establish the brand globally and market our upcoming product.
• This entailed doing the product visuals, web development as well as creatively directing the entire brand's direction as a whole.

Feb 2008 – Aug 2013 · 5 yrs 6 mos · Zimbabwe

• Director and Lead Designer of a boutique design house based in Zimbabwe. Since incorporating in 2008 we amassed over 200 clients and made a reputation as one of the most formidable design companies in Zimbabwe.