Working with the CX Leadership team on a wide range of Design Operations related improvements. Work so far includes:- implemented new prioritisation and resourcing processes.- development of new Playbook; team roles, definitions, ways of working.- introduced some consistent operating standards for Squads; standardising more agile techniques, tools and ceremonies.- leading various community initiatives including a CX Toolkit to support consistent ways of working.

Having worked alongside Impact Team at HSBC, I was offered a perm position to implement a new consulting practice that offers UX-centric, managed consultancy services. As a pivotal change for the business, this involves a blend of client work with internal change management.Key highlights:• UX leadership on several HSBC programmes including; Brand & Digital standards, Private Bank public website redesign, Private Bank transactional banking, Global CRM programme.• Other client work focusing on Design Systems, DesOps, Agile UX Delivery.• Establishment and management of the Experience Team.• Development of the consulting practice proposition; services, products, messaging etc.• Business strategy development, comprising the company mission, objectives, and how the consulting practice proposition will contribute to that overall strategy.• Developed Company Values and Behaviours using UX techniques to drive a collaborative, co-creation approach. Now an integral part of management and recruitment that drives a company culture.• Definition of ways of working; from UX toolkit and design thinking through to Agile methods.

Having worked with HSBC on the agency-side for many years, this was a fantastic opportunity to be embedded in the organisation and use my UX and digital leadership skills to effect change.Role / Achievements:- Strategy, delivery and interim product management of create.hsbc; a single platform for the HSBC creative community. Now serving over 60k registered users.- Design and implementation of the create.hsbc Target Operating Model; keeping the product maintained, relevant and continually evolving via Agile product development processes.- Strategies and processes for global digital design operations.- Contribution to HSBC Global Design System, including; design language, approvals/governance, design thinking, design ops, community, tooling, measurement and optimisation.- UX consultancy and input to the digital standards team.- Implementation of guidelines and processes for UX/Design hiring, induction, performance management and ways of working.- Digital strategy and UX consultancy on variety of corporate projects/programmes.- Programme Mobilisation; ensuring design thinking, user-centricity and Agile practices appropriately planned into programmes from the outset.

I jointly founded Walden O'Neill in 2015 with my long-time colleague, Mike Gough, who still runs the business to this day. We offered the full spectrum of digital services; including project management, user experience, design, development and ongoing maintenance.Whilst the business developed a deep specialism in Drupal development, I decided to leave in order to focus more on digital strategy, user experience, and how to embed design thinking practices into larger organisations.

Working with a small agency to develop their UX proposition and bring a quality UX approach to their existing clients. A time of significant transition for the business, we spent a great deal of time repositioning the agency with existing clients and offering a more user-centred, design approach.We won new work with a diverse range of new clients and I was lucky to work with their existing client-base, largely in the healthcare sector. These included Janssen, Johnson & Johnson (ASP & Consumer) and Pfizer.

• Streamlined online customer acquisition journeys resulting in significantly increased conversion rates across; Travel Insurance, Publishing (books, maps & guides), European Breakdown Cover (EBC). • Managed a successful call-centre outsourcing project to service existing EBC customers - £750k+ annual saving. • Enhanced management information to support ongoing performance measurement and management. • Innovative new product developments including online travel guides and online/SMS traffic alerts. • Business process mapping to identify any areas touchpoints between offline and digital channels. • Identification of areas of weakness and opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

During the first dotcom 'bubble', Centrica owned The AA and invested heavily in developing their new website, www.theAA.com. Today, my role would probably be better titled, Product Manager. Working on the travel products and services, I was responsible for:• Developing and maintaining relationships with partners and 3rd parties to deliver content. • Developing new revenue streams with travel partners and negotiating commercial agreements. • Identifying business requirements for the new website development project. • Management of internal and external design & development teams to create online web solutions.

As a transition role from the Graduate Management Scheme, I moved into HR and was given responsibility to manage and develop the internal Self Development Centre - an internal resource for training operations staff. This role helped me to learn more about BAU operations and the realities of running an internal service. I also implemented several projects to increase staff engagement with eLearning and developed an online booking system to create ease of access.

A fantastic opportunity to join the sought-after Prudential Graduate Management Scheme saw me leave the North East to move to the South, where I've been ever since. I chose to join the the Programme Management stream, assuming it would give me exposure to a wide variety of business functions and roles. This was true, but it had the added benefit that I got involved in some of the earliest projects to utilise web technologies. So I ended with an amazing grounding in project management fundamentals, plus a deep insight into how the web and digital will shape businesses in the future.