Ella S.

Head of Design

London, England, United Kingdom9 yrs 3 mos experience

Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

Established UX research teams from scratch.
Led product strategy for new business ventures.
Delivered UX research training for over 20 professionals.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Fintech and Media UX Research and Product Strategy expert.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

User Experience ResearchProduct StrategyLeadershipUser Experience DesignProduct Management

Other Skills

User ResearchStakeholder ManagementTrainingCross-functional CollaborationBehavioral InsightsUX ResearchProduct DesignPublic SpeakingDesign ThinkingSketchInVisionMarvel AppPrototypingWorkshop DevelopmentFacilitation

About

I’m a product, design, and UX research leader 🦸‍♀️ turning complex problems into human-centered solutions ✨. From scrappy fintech start-ups to the UK’s largest media companies, I build teams, shape products, and make sure users come first. Highlights: -Built UX research teams from scratch 🛠️ — processes, frameworks, hiring, budgets. -Led product strategy for new ventures 🚀. -Ran research programs across fintech, banking & media 🔍 (including why trolls exist 🧌). -Deliver UX research training 🎓 for teams and individuals. Passionate about evidence-driven products 📊, better user experiences ❤️, and a little humor along the way 😄.

Experience

Natwest group

Head Of UX Research (Mettle)

Nov 2022 – Present · 3 yrs 4 mos · Hybrid

🧪Established the UX research team, including hiring, budgets, processes, and frameworks.
⭐️Designed and executed research programs that inform product strategy and design decisions across the company.
🔥Partnered closely with product, design, and engineering teams to ensure features are user-centered and insight-driven.
🙋‍♀️Focused on building a sustainable research practice that supports long-term growth and meaningful user impact.

User Experience DesignUser ResearchStakeholder ManagementLeadershipUser Experience ResearchProduct Strategy

Mettle

2 roles

Head Of UX Research

Promoted

Nov 2022 – Present · 3 yrs 4 mos

🧪 Built the research function from 0
💡 Trained 20+ Product Designers & Product Managers in UX Research

User ResearchTrainingUser Experience Research

UX Research Lead

Nov 2022 – Dec 2023 · 1 yr 1 mo

Reach plc

2 roles

Product Strategy Lead

Jan 2021 – Nov 2022 · 1 yr 10 mos

💪🏻Took ownership of product strategy for new business ventures, from napkin sketch to market testing.
💡Evaluated wild concepts, sized opportunities, and figured out which ones deserved investment (and which belonged quietly in a drawer).
✨Worked with cross-functional teams — editorial, design, tech, and commercial — to turn experiments into real products with real users.
💰Learned that building new things inside a big company is equal parts diplomacy, creativity, and stealth.

Product StrategyCross-functional Collaboration

UX Research Lead

Jan 2021 – Jun 2022 · 1 yr 5 mos

🐸Ran an in-depth research project on internet trolling, interviewing everyone from casual commenters to full-time flame-throwers.
🙅🏼‍♀️Helped product teams rethink how news platforms handle conversations, designing features to dial down the chaos without killing the debate.
👁️Brought behavioral insights straight into editorial and design sprints — translating human drama into better digital experiences.

User ResearchBehavioral InsightsUser Experience Research

Deutsche bank

User Experience Designer

Apr 2020 – Jan 2021 · 9 mos

🙈Deutsche Bank gave me an advanced degree in both wireframing and surviving corporate culture:
📚Designed internal tools for AML and KYC, making soul-crushing compliance workflows slightly less soul-crushing.
👀Led UX research with real users, turning their grumbles into cleaner, faster designs.
💁🏼‍♀️Spent quality time in meetings where the slides were endless and the coffee was mandatory — and somehow still shipped great tools.

User Experience DesignUX Research

Paybase

Head of Product, Design, and Whatever Else Needed Doing

Nov 2019 – Apr 2020 · 5 mos

At a tiny fintech start-up, I wore every hat that wasn’t bolted down:
✨Built products from sketch-to-ship, juggling product management and product design (and sometimes coffee runs).
🔥Kept our developers happy, unblocked, and slightly amused while we shipped features at startup speed.
⭐️Basically: if it involved turning ideas into real things, I was on it.

Product ManagementProduct Design

Arkera

Product & Design Person

Apr 2019 – Nov 2019 · 7 mos

🙋‍♀️At an early-stage fintech start-up, I was essentially the product department’s entire cast and crew:
🚀Sketched, specced, and shipped features while switching hats faster than an investment banker switching screens.
💰Ran UX research with hedge fund managers and bankers on their turf — turns out trading floors are loud, but feedback was louder.
🐈Herded developers like friendly cats, keeping projects moving and morale high.
💡Learned to translate “we need it yesterday” into an actual roadmap (and occasionally, miracles).

Product ManagementUX Research

Startupbootcamp

Ecosystem

May 2018 – Aug 2018 · 3 mos

Startupbootcamp is a global startup accelerator. Their London FinTech program helps early-stage companies in financial technology get mentorship, make connections with big industry players, and grow fast.
Helped grow and engage the fintech startup ecosystem through marketing, events, and community initiatives at Startupbootcamp.