Work

Better products, Stronger teams

I work with product and design teams to bring clarity, direction and momentum to digital experiences. Whether you need strategic input, a design partner, or someone to help your team scale its capability – I bring 20+ years of hands-on leadership across agencies, startups and enterprise.

From vision to impact

Strategic UX consulting to help you uncover what matters, align your direction, and create digital experiences that deliver – for users and the business.

  • Uncover insight & improve design

    See what’s working, what’s not – and what to do next.

    Through research, heuristic reviews and expert audits, I help teams quickly understand experience gaps and design opportunities. No fluff – just practical, evidence-led feedback you can act on.

    Services include:

    • Expert UX & heuristic reviews
    • Customer interviews
    • Competitor & industry analysis
    • Experience mapping
    • Product & service evaluations
  • Shape strategy & direction

    Align your vision to user needs and business goals.

    I help teams define experience principles, journey strategies and long-term product direction – all grounded in customer insight and organisational context.

    Services include:

    • Product & experience visioning
    • North Star definition
    • Customer journeys & service blueprints
    • Prioritisation & roadmap input
    • Stakeholder facilitation
  • Build capability & confidence

    Support your people, not just your process.

    I work closely with design teams, leaders and cross-functional groups to grow capability, improve collaboration, and reduce friction across the delivery lifecycle.

    Services include:

    • Design team coaching
    • 1:1 mentoring (designers & leaders)
    • Design ops & process consulting
    • Culture, critique & feedback support
    • Leadership advisory

Leadership Style & Approach

Great design outcomes start with strong teams. I bring a collaborative, supportive leadership style grounded in empathy, strategy, and experimentation. My focus is on helping people thrive – not micromanaging them. I believe in clarity over chaos, autonomy over approval gates, and practical process over perfection theatre.

What I value

  • Team Curation & Culture-building
  • Strategic oversight & business alignment
  • Lightweight process improvement
  • Coaching with empathy and impact
  • Strong relationships and clear communication

I also bring hands-on design expertise across UX, UI, front-end and storytelling – shaped by two decades as a freelancer, founder, and in-house design leader.

Work history

  1. Telstra

    Head of Digital User Experience (Sales)

    June 2022 – Present

    Leading a team of 30+ designers, driving digital sales experiences across the consumer and small business channels. My team focuses on creating seamless experiences for telstra.com.au, our call centre agent interfaces, design systems and accessibility initiatives.

  2. Telstra

    Experience Design Lead (Contract)

    Aug 2020 – June 2022

    I led a cross-functional design team, delivering digital sales and service experiences for Telstra’s entry into the energy retail market.

  3. Origin Energy

    Experience Design Director

    Feb 2018 – July 2020

    Helped to build and lead the Experience Design practice from the ground up, transforming Origin’s customer service digital experiences.

  4. Thirst Studios

    Founder

    February 2008 – May 2018

    Founded one of Australia’s pioneering User Experience design agencies with a focus on purposeful, socially responsible solutions across the Health, Government and Education sectors.

  5. Ingena

    Lead Usability Consultant

    September 2005 - August 2007

    Managed a small team of designers, leading experience design and digital transformation projects before the term ‘UX’ existed, for the likes of Telstra, National Australia Bank and Australia Post.

  6. Madman

    Senior Web Designer

    February 2004 - May 2005

    An enjoyable role designing various web and Flash projects for a number of cinematic releases during my first year after migrating to Australia.

  7. Benjamin Tollady Design

    Freelance Designer

    2001 - 2003

    Freelance research and design work in London for a number of clients including Marks & Spencer and The British Museum.

  8. Nettec Plc

    Web Designer

    1999 - 2001

    A web designer in London during the good old "dot-com bubble" days. Clients included: Axa Investments, British Telecom, Capita, The Coca-Cola Company, The Design Council, Deutsche Bank, Dyson, First Choice Holidays, Legg Mason Investors and Reuters.

  9. British Industrial Graphics

    Industrial Designer

    1997 - 1999

    Interior trim design for various manufacturers across the automotive industry, including Rover & BMW.

Case Studies

Due to confidentiality restrictions, detailed case studies are only available upon request. If you'd like to learn more about specific projects, please get in touch for access.

Newsletter

Newsletter

I occasionally send out short, thoughtful notes about UX, leadership, and the future of digital. No fluff. No spam.