Design Meets Business

Hosted by Christian Vasile

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Jan 2026

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About the show

Design Meets Business is a podcast that inspires designers to think beyond pixels. On this show you'll hear design leaders from all over the world talk about their stories, lessons they've learned during their careers, and how you can use Design to make a bigger impact in your organisation.

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41 recent

January 14, 2026Episode 111 hr 4 min

The Accountability Ladder, Learning to Lead by Leading Yourself, and Why Wisdom Matters More Than Intelligence, with Steve "Buzz" Pearce (ex-Skype, Microsoft, SkyScanner, TravelPerk, Monday.com)

Steve "Buzz" Pearce is a design leader with 25 years of experience spanning companies like Skype, Microsoft, SkyScanner, TravelPerk, and Monday.com. Since his early days, Steve has chosen to focus on doing great work, learning from amazing people, and being challenged, rather than always seeking promotions. On the last episode of this season we chat about the progression from tools to craft to invention, the accountability ladder framework that changed how he leads, why you need to play the victim less and take ownership more, and his leadership style of leading like a shepherd—guiding people to greener pastures whilst protecting and nurturing the team. Timestamps: 02:16 – Steve's career arc 07:08 – Proving competence before getting promoted 11:16 – The framework: tools, craft, invention, and influence 20:44 – Balancing micromanagement with giving space 32:16 – Building people up, not crushing them 34:50 – Giving permission to be honest and role modelling feedback 39:50 – The mental flip: business, team, then yourself 40:26 – What to let go of when moving into leadership 54:44 – The accountability ladder 59:06 – Leading like a shepherd 01:00:32 – End of show questions Connect with Steve LinkedIn Selected links from the episode Leading with Questions , by Michael Marquardt The Accountability Ladder Hatch Conference Lisbon 2026

January 7, 2026Episode 1046 min

From Bad Management to Great Leadership, The Pendulum Swing Back to Craft, and Making Boring Projects Exciting, with Cap Watkins (ex-Amazon, Etsy, BuzzFeed, Lattice)

Cap Watkins was most recently VP of Product Design at Lattice, and previously he's held design leadership roles at Amazon, Etsy, BuzzFeed, and Primary.com. Cap started his management career as an experiment after experiencing bad management himself, deciding to do the opposite of everything he'd hated from previous managers. On today's show we chat about the basics of great management, why design lost its craft over the past decade, how senior ICs influence without authority, and how to make any project exciting enough to build your reputation. Timestamps: 02:16 – Cap's intro 06:46 – Management basics: transparency, showing up, and treating people like adults 09:24 – Should you try management or stay on the IC track? 12:08 – How to avoid being a bad manager when you're starting out 19:24 – Building divisive opinions and culture through transparency 20:26 – How senior ICs influence without formal authority 25:40 – How design lost its craft and became too strategic 28:28 – The hiring crisis: from 1 in 10 to 1 in 100 pass rates 36:40 – Making boring projects exciting 44:14 – End of show questions Connect with Cap LinkedIn Selected links from the episode Managing Humans , by Rands Turn The Ship Around , by Lt. David Marquet The Making of a Manager , by Julie Zhou

December 10, 2025Episode 91 hr 12 min

Staying Useful as a Designer, Making Good Trouble, and How AI is Reshaping Design, with Matt Davey (CXO at 1Password)

Matt Davey is Chief Experience Officer at 1Password, where he's been for over 13 years, starting as a part-time contractor and growing alongside the company through multiple chapters of change. On today's show we chat about staying at one company for such a long time and what that means, the importance of self-awareness in recognising when your role has changed, why a healthy tension in a product team is important, how to make 'Good Trouble,' and how AI is reshaping Design. Timestamps: 02:14 – Matt's journey at 1Password and growing with the company 04:42 – Recognising chapter changes at work 08:30 – The loneliness of design leadership and talking to peers 11:22 – Doing what you want to be doing and giving away responsibilities 17:48 – Storytelling and getting buy-in from execs 29:36 – Building products without much data 38:06 – Good trouble and healthy tension 54:06 – How AI is changing Design 01:07:32 – End of show questions Connect with Matt Website Selected links from the episode Making Good Trouble What you can expect to work on as a 1Password intern 1Password Careers

December 3, 2025Episode 81 hr 10 min

Building a Culture That Sustains Craft, AI's Role in Creativity, and Why Good Debates Make Better Design, with Jennifer Darmour (VP Design at Oracle Health)

Jennifer Darmour is VP of Design at Oracle Health, where she's reimagining the healthcare experience. Jennifer has developed a distinct point of view on design through three pillars: beauty, meaning, and wellness. On today's show we chat about building culture that sustains craft, why good debates lead to better design, how AI is reshaping creativity, and what designers should double down on. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 02:40 – Jennifer's journey from journalism to design 08:26 – The three pillars: beauty, meaning, and wellness 14:22 – Building culture that sustains craft 28:16 – Why good debates and healthy conflict matter in design 42:34 – Leading design in complex healthcare systems 56:18 – AI's role in creativity and what it will never be good at 01:04:12 – Presenting work and getting meaningful feedback 01:06:44 – End of show questions Connect with Jennifer LinkedIn Website Selected links from the episode How to argue using the RISA framework

November 26, 2025Episode 754 min

Designing for Infinity, The Meaning of Craft in the Age of AI, and the Power of Curiosity, with Rachel Been (Expedia SVP of Design)

Rachel Been is Expedia's SVP of Design. Previously, she was one of the designers who laid the foundations for Google's Material Design, and has worked across products at Airbnb, Google Home, and Nest. Starting her career as a photojournalist, Rachel brings a unique perspective to product design, grounded in curiosity and craft. On today's show we chat about designing for infinite expressiveness, the tension between craft and efficiency, the power of curiosity over specialisation, and what AI should and shouldn't be able to do. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 02:22 – Rachel's journey from photojournalism to design 05:42 – The power of curiosity and being a generalist 09:16 – Designing for infinity and infinite expressiveness 18:34 – The tension between craft and efficiency in design 28:22 – Material Design's impact and evolution 35:48 – AI-powered search and building AI products at Expedia 42:16 – The future of search and conversational interfaces 48:24 – End of show questions Connect with Rachel LinkedIn Selected links from the episode Expedia in ChatGPT Carly Ayres' essay on the great design reset.

November 19, 2025Episode 61 hr 1 min

Design Systems, AI Tools for Designers, and The Future of Interfaces, with Jehad Affoneh (Chief Design Officer at Toast)

Jehad Affoneh is Chief Design Officer at Toast, where he leads design across product, platform, and culture. Previously, he held design leadership roles at VMware and other complex B2B companies. Starting his career as an engineer, Jehad brings a unique perspective to design, viewing it fundamentally as problem solving. On today's show we chat about the transition from engineering to design, the value of being multilingual across disciplines, organisational design, and how AI is transforming the way teams build products. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 02:08 – Jehad's journey from engineering to design leadership 05:32 – Being multilingual across disciplines and bridging gaps 09:48 – Organisational design and how teams should be structured 20:16 – The role of design systems and platforms at scale 31:44 – Leading design in complex B2B environments 42:22 – How AI is changing product building and design tools 52:18 – The future of AI agents and conversational interfaces 58:02 – End of show questions Connect with Jehad LinkedIn

November 12, 2025Episode 51 hr 7 min

Building Trust, Creating Clarity, and Making an Impact, with Vuokko Aro (Monzo Chief Design Officer)

Vuokko Aro is Chief Design Officer at Monzo, where she has led the design function for nearly a decade through hypergrowth from startup to one of the UK's most loved fintech brands. She oversees a team of over 100 people across product design, brand design, and user research. On today's show we chat about scaling design teams, building trust through transparency, the value of constraints, and how to focus on strengths rather than weaknesses as you grow in your career. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 02:26 – Vuokko's journey into design and joining Monzo 06:16 – Building in the open and transparency as a core value 11:42 – Scaling design whilst maintaining craft and quality 23:12 – Building design culture and protecting craft at scale 37:44 – Managing stakeholders and navigating disagreement 48:36 – Transitioning from IC to leadership and learning to let go 55:48 – Career development and focusing on strengths 01:03:22 – End of show questions Connect with Vuokko LinkedIn Selected links from the episode The Monzo Book of Money

November 5, 2025Episode 41 hr 16 min

Andrea Mangini on Leading Through Craft and Growing Through Discomfort (ex Shopify, Netflix, Autodesk, Adobe)

Andrea Mangini is a design and creative leader whose career spans some of the most design-driven companies in the world — from Adobe and Autodesk to Netflix and Shopify. She’s led teams that built the tools and experiences shaping how people create, design, and build. Andrea’s work focuses on design craft, leadership, and helping teams find courage in the uncomfortable parts of growth. She believes great design comes from curiosity, collaboration, and a willingness to keep learning, even when the path isn’t clear. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro and Andrea’s career arc 06:45 – Taking risks and embracing discomfort 13:20 – Reframing imposter syndrome 18:40 – Balancing stability and growth 24:50 – The importance of collaboration, improvisation, and jamming with others 31:10 – Designing at the speed of conversation 38:20 – Learning to let go: not every problem needs to be solved 46:40 – Balancing collaboration with impact 48:10 – Leading craft at scale 54:00 – Reflections on growth, curiosity, and keeping design human 72:38 – End of show questions Connect with Andrea LinkedIn Selected links from the episode Midjourney 11Labs KREA

October 29, 2025Episode 354 min

Designing for Billions, Finding Joy in the Work, and Conviction in Design, with Josh Swattridge (Microsoft; ex-Google, Booking.com, ZOE)

Josh is a super designer who believes the best ideas come from collaboration and play. Over his career, he’s worked across agencies and tech companies such as Google, ZOE, and Booking.com, helping teams find energy and originality in their process rather than following rigid methods. His approach to design blends experimentation, curiosity, and a love for building things together. Today, he sets the foundations for AI in Healthcare at Microsoft. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro and about Josh 05:10 – How early experiences shaped his approach to creativity and experimentation 10:25 – Breaking away from process 16:30 – Jamming and working together 23:00 – Iteration, failure, and confidence through experimentation 29:40 – Designing for emotion and joy 36:00 – Building psychological safety and low-ego collaboration 42:20 – How design culture shapes product outcomes 48:00 – Creativity outside of work and where inspiration comes from 50:00 – AI as a design partner and what human context still matters Connect with Josh LinkedIn Instagram

October 22, 2025Episode 258 min

Taste, Craft, and Design in the Age of AI, with Avi Ashkenazi (ex Samsung & Shopify, now at Deel)

Avi Ashkenazi is a design leader who’s spent his career moving between hardware, software, and strategy—always focused on how teams turn ideas into real products. He’s led design at global companies and helped build teams that work across both physical and digital experiences. Today, Avi leads design at Deel, where he’s shaping how millions of people get hired, paid, and supported around the world. His work is about creating simple, human experiences in complex systems and helping designers stay curious while scaling their impact. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 05:10 – Lessons from working across hardware, software, and physical spaces 09:20 – How curiosity and iteration shaped his approach to design leadership 13:40 – Building design teams that collaborate across disciplines 17:55 – The role of storytelling and empathy in influencing business outcomes 22:30 – Designing for trust and simplicity 27:45 – How Deel approaches product design 33:10 – Balancing craft with speed 38:20 – What good design leadership looks like in distributed teams 43:00 – Reflections on curiosity, growth, and keeping design human 55:34 – End of show questions Connect with Avi LinkedIn Selected links from the episode Shape Up , by Ryan Singer Multipliers , by Liz Wiseman Tools Avi mentioned NotebookLM Genway AI Bagel AI Whisk AI Weavy AI Mobbin