Generalist design leader who still makes things
I build design practices and the products they ship. 13 years in design, 6 leading teams and 8 in New Zealand's energy sector.
TRUSTED BY TEAMS AT
LEADERSHIPGreat products are built by great teams
Six years growing design practices, establishing scalable ways of working, and holding teams steady through op model changes and transformation.
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People do their best work when they're not braced for impact. I build trust and clear team values first, because every process improvement after that lands on solid ground.
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My job isn't to have all the answers. It's to give people enough context about the strategy, the constraints and the stakeholders to make confident decisions, with the structure and the backing behind them to do it well.
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Good design still fails if nobody can carry it into the room. I coach designers to frame decisions, hold their own with senior stakeholders, and grow into people the business consults early rather than briefs late.
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Design systems, an agreed quality bar and consistent ways of working give a team one language instead of five interpretations. It's the part of leadership that outlasts you, and it's what lets a practice scale without every decision routing through one person.
In their words
“She is a brilliant leader, caring deeply for her team and stakeholders, and putting in every effort to ensure direction is set and communicated regularly”
Aaron Clark GM Technology Delivery Genesis Energy
“Suzy's leadership style empowers team members to grow and realise their full potential. Her rare ability to simplify challenges and tasks ensures that projects run seamlessly, all while upholding elevated design standards.”
Agnes Marek
Product Designer
Genesis Energy
ABOUT
More interested in solving problems than fitting a job title
Agency, then consulting, then product design leadership, then engineering leadership too. What connects it is curiosity about how good products get built and how teams make complex things feel simple.
Based in Kerikeri, working with teams across New Zealand and Australia. Most interested in AI-enabled products, SaaS, energy and climate-tech.
Let's Build Better Products
If you’re looking for a Design Leader or versatile Generalist who can operate at the intersection of design, technology and business – then let’s chat.
Available now · Remote, hybrid New Zealand, or Australia