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UX Leadership | Research Specialist
About me
I've spent 25 years in design leadership and user research across enterprises, startups, and the public sector. Throughout my leadership roles, I've led research capability while continuing to conduct research myself.
I have a huge range of experience in qualitative and quantitative methods across enterprise systems, regulated environments, and situations where success requires understanding multiple perspectives, trade-offs, and constraints.
I am a good collaborator with excellent communication skills, comfortable with all stakeholders.
As Head of UX at Spirax Group I established the global design team, introduced research ops, and led digital design across the organisation. I was also the primary user researcher, working with colleagues and customers to understand problems and opportunities for our digital team.
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Work
2023 - 2026
Spirax Group
Head of User Experience
Led UX across multiple digital products and business units. Built research operations, established the Fuse design system, and developed the SOAR innovation framework. Conducted extensive research with customers and sales engineers, quantitative surveys across AI/IIoT projects, and organisational maturity assessments to guide product delivery capability.
2019 - 2022
Curtis Fitch Ltd
Head of Design
UX strategy and design leadership for a De Beers Group start-up. Conducted user research with rough diamond buyers and consumers in the luxury market, Benchmarked competitors and tested prototypes to understand what would enable confidence in high-value online purchasing. Research findings directly informed platform redesign and new business initiatives.
2013-2018
Iress Ltd
Head of User Experience
Built UX capability from scratch in a global fintech. Established user-centred design processes grounded in research, designed systems supporting global teams, and introduced design thinking across the organisation. Led research and design across lending, trading and wealth solutions for B2B and B2C users.
2010 - 2013
BAE Systems
Senior Design Manager
The UK's largest design and build agency at the time. I led multi-disciplinary teams designing solutions for a range of clients, including national security, fintech, telco, health, entertainment, transport and financial services. I carried out research under the newly launched GDS framework, supporting government services around security and the 2012 London Olympics.
2000 - 2010
Various design roles
Following university, I held design and UX roles at various companies and agencies.
What I do
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I help teams understand and validate challenges and opportunities in their digital spaces. Whether that's discovery before design, building research and design capability at scale, or assessing organisational maturity, I bring methodological rigor and strategic perspective.
Plan and conduct user research
Qualitative and quantitative methods, framed around your problem or opportunity with clear insights and actionable recommendations for product, design, and leadership audiences.
Build research and design capability
Build and scale UX through operations, repositories, culture and team enablement.
Audience recruitment
Sourcing and logistics for B2B and consumer research, including hard-to-reach specialist audiences.
Highlights
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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
SPIRAX GROUP
Building research ops
Built research operations across the Group, creating a repository of actionable insights. Democratised research through templates, guidance and training. Led research activities with customers and colleagues., informing roadmap and design decisions.
DE BEERS
$500M Research
Conducted research with rough diamond buyers to understand what would enable confidence purchasing expensive diamond parcels online. Research directly informed a new auction platform design and new business models.
IRESS
Regulated industry
Led research for a fintech serving a wide range of global financial services. Conducted research with consumers and financial service professionals across lending, trading and wealth services.
LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
Design Ops
Fintech
Built design capability from scratch; introduced a global design system adoption across global platforms.
Digital Innovation
Spirax Group
Led a global remote multidisciplinary team. Responsible for all research and design work across Group digital.
Digital Transformation
De Beers
Led UX for $500m digital transformation across B2B and B2C.
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Contact
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