Google's Chief Design Officer on why designers are the most strategic people in the room | Ivy Ross

How design leaders build influence, navigate conflict, and lead across cultures. In this episode, Ekaterina sits down with Julia Whitney, executive coach and former General Manager and Executive Creative Director at the BBC, where she led a 150-person UX and design team.Julia spent over 20 years as a design leader across the UK and US before turning her experience into a coaching practice that helps design leaders at companies like Condé Nast, AWS, the Financial Times, and IDEO perform at their best.Julia is also a teacher at our Executive programme for Design Leaders: https://fla.wiki/4fDlOirWhat you'll learn:► Why self-limiting beliefs about leadership are the hidden barrier for most design leaders► How to build sponsorship at the next level up — and why empathy is the first step► How cultural differences shape communication, hierarchy, and trust — and what to do about it► The four types of workplace conflict and why identifying them early changes everything👤 Who this episode is for:Design Leaders · Heads of Design · Creative Directors · UX Leaders · People Managers · Anyone going for a senior or C-level role · Anyone who's been passed over for promotion and wants to understand why00:00:00 Welcome, Julia Whitney, Executive Coach and former Executive Creative Director at BBC00:02:05 What design leaders most commonly struggle with00:04:20 Self-limiting beliefs and the leader you think you have to be00:07:25 How introverts can build influence without performing extroversion00:12:00 Levels of zoom: how leadership shifts at every career stage00:17:25 Why candidates get rejected for senior roles — and what to do instead00:20:00 How to build sponsorship at C-level using empathy00:27:25 Generational differences at work: what the research actually says00:36:20 Multi-hyphenate careers and the future of work00:40:25 Remote vs in-office: why it's more nuanced than you think00:46:55 The SCARF Model and why people resist change00:49:30 Leading multicultural teams and the Culture Map by Erin Meyer00:54:35 High-context vs low-context cultures and remote communication00:59:30 How to handle conflict: the broken record technique and four conflict types01:07:05 Centralising design in a broadcaster organisation01:13:45 Final thoughts and who Julia recommends we speak to next

By 26, Ivy Ross had jewellery in the permanent collections of 12 international museums, including the Smithsonian and V&A. She went on to hold executive roles at Calvin Klein, Swatch, Mattel, Gap, and Disney before arriving at Google, where her hardware design team has since won over 240 global design awards and helped Fast Company name Google the most important design company in the world in 2018. Her book Your Brain on Art, co-authored with neuroscientist Susan Magsamen, became a New York Times bestseller. She is one of the most creatively accomplished people working in business today. Future London Academy spent a day with her in London, during which Ivy has shared And if you are curious about our Executive Programme for Design Leader that Ivy teaches on, you can find more information here: https://fla.wiki/4evyOFI

How can designers reach the executive level, and what are their responsibilities and the impact they get to create?To find out, join our Design Executives Series with Tim Greenhalgh, Founder and Creative Director at Like a Moth and former Chief Creative Officer at Landor & Fitch, one of the most iconic creative agencies in the world.Tim is also faculty member of our Executive Programme for Design Leaders: https://fla.wiki/3RTKnxHOver more than 30 years, Tim has led a team of over 1,200 curious minds across 20 countries, creating award-winning brand experiences for clients including Apple, LEGO, and Adidas. During our live interview, Tim will share his mistakes and learnings, along with insights into leading at executive level.What you'll learn► How to create and maintain high-quality design standards, and motivate the team to "destroy the ordinary"► The value of design and creativity for business performance► Tim's journey from creative director to chief creative officer00:00 Meet Tim Greenhalgh — 40 years leading global creative at Fitch and Landor, now founder of Like a Moth02:00 What Tim learned from Rodney Fitch about the value of design05:15 How to justify the value of design to clients13:00 How to present bold creative ideas so clients say yes19:25 Why most creative briefs are just agendas and how to fix them23:35 What nobody tells you about being a chief creative officer33:10 Dealing with underperformers in creative teams without burning the culture35:30 Why there's no such thing as a bad project45:20 How Tim uses sight, insight, foresight to start every creative project52:40 Destroy Ordinary: the creative framework that united 26 global studios57:45 The future of craft, ideas and creative leadership01:06:00 How to sell the value of an idea (not just the design) to business leaders01:08:45 Has hybrid working destroyed studio culture?01:12:20 If you could change one thing in the world👤 Who this episode is for: Design Leaders · Creative Directors · Heads of Design · Agency Founders · Brand Strategists · Innovation Leads · and anyone curious about creativity, leadership, and businessTim is also faculty member of our Executive Programme for Design Leaders: https://fla.wiki/3RTKnxH

How IDEO uses play to solve real business problems. In this interview, Ekaterina sits down with Michelle Lee, IDEO Partner and Executive Managing Director of IDEO San Francisco. Michelle Lee began her career as an aerospace engineer, working on satellites, wondering why it took so long to launch one. A friend's room full of toys changed everything. What followed was a winding path through the toy industry: an internship at IDEO in 2004, a startup she spun out and left, and a return to lead the Play Lab. Over two decades, she brought over 250 products to market with Hasbro, Mattel, and Sesame Workshop, and today, she is Partner and Executive Managing Director of IDEO's San Francisco studio.In a recent conversation with Future London Academy, Michelle shared what she's learned about creativity, leadership, ambiguity, and why play is one of the most underestimated tools in business.What you'll learn:► Why play is a serious business tool, not a frivolous one► How to design a non-linear career by following curiosity rather than chasing titles► How to move from individual contributor into leadership without losing the craft► Why clients are partners, not customers, and how generosity builds trust► How to prove the ROI of design, play, and creativity using IDEO's POWER framework► How to use AI as a sparring partner without losing your creativity👤 Who this episode is for: Design Leaders · Product Designers · Heads of Design · Service Designers · Experience Designers · Creative Directors · Agency Founders · Innovation Leads · and anyone curious about creativity, leadership, and businessChapters:00:00 Welcome and why play matters in business05:30 How to design a non-linear career by following curiosity10:30 From individual contributor to leader without losing the craft17:00 Heart vs dollar sign: balancing creativity and business as a senior professional20:30 Why clients are partners, not customers24:30 How to step into senior leadership without going it alone29:30 The IDEO IQ framework and the ROI of play41:30 How to sit in ambiguity and why good friction matters48:30 How to convince business leaders that play drives results53:30 Cultivating IDEO's culture: concrete floors and rough prototypes01:01:30 AI at IDEO: rough, rapid, right prototyping in the AI era01:10:30 Earning design a seat at the table and more curiosity in the world

Nearly 30 years ago, James Hilton answered an ad in Creative Review, met a stranger named Ajaz Ahmed, and they signed Virgin as their first client. That was the beginning of AKQA.AKQA went on to win Grand Prix Cannes Lions, James was named the UK's number one digital creative director three times, and they were acquired by WPP for around $550 million. He also made the Creativity 50 alongside Jonathan Ive and Lady Gaga.What followed was a design studio, a custom motorcycle brand featured by Netflix and Top Gear, a Chief Creative Officer role at Native, and now a position inside Abbott, helping a 100,000-person healthcare company grow.James invited Future London Academy to his home outside London to chat about his journey. And if you are curious about our Executive Programme for Design Leader that James teaches on, you can find more information here: https://fla.wiki/42jCun400:00:00 — Meet James Hilton — The Design Leader Who Built AKQA Into a 6,000-Person Agency00:01:00 — Selling AKQA for £340M00:04:00 — What made AKQA succeed: obsession, craft & hiring people smarter than you00:09:00 — The founder's paradox: staying in the work vs. scaling a creative business00:11:00 — Building a Culture of Honest Feedback as a Creative Leadership Strategy00:16:00 — Over-delivering as a growth strategy: how AKQA became a trusted advisor00:28:00 — Life after AKQA: leaving, fear, and starting over from scratch00:37:00 — Imposter syndrome, catastrophic thinking & using data to fight anxiety00:44:00 — Stoicism as a leadership practice: the philosophy that changed everything00:49:00 — Design with a capital D: transforming organisations at scale (Abbott case study)00:53:00 — Why design leaders are a business value lever, not a visual service01:00:00 — AI as a design tool, post-scarcity futures & final advice for design leaders#designleadership #agencyfounder #

How Bompas & Parr built a creative agency that stands out.In this interview, Ekaterina sits down Sam Bompass. Nearly 20 years ago, Sam Bompas quit his job in property PR to make jelly. Since then, as co-founder of Bompas & Parr, Sam has cooked on molten lava, built a breathable cloud of gin and tonic, and founded the British Museum of Food. His studio works with governments, global brands like Coca-Cola, Johnnie Walker, and Mercedes, and major cultural institutions including the V&A, the Design Museum, and The Met. In a recent conversation with Future London Academy, he shared his remarkable hard-won wisdom about creativity, leadership, and what it really takes to build something lasting.What you’ll learn► How to turn a creative experiment into a scalable experiential agency► Why systemising ideas strengthens creativity rather than limiting it► How to pitch bold concepts while protecting budgets, feasibility, and client trust► What it takes to lead multidisciplinary teams across food, design, strategy, and making► How to use history and culture as a source of commercially powerful innovation► Why AI will not replace human creativity, and what founders should focus on instead👤 Who this episode is for:Design Leaders · Product Designers · Head of Design · Service Designers · Experience Designers · Brand Designers · Agency founders · Creatives · Creative Directors · and anyone interested in creativity and business Chapters: 00:00 Welcome introduction and the origin of Bompas and Parr06:37 From jelly experiments to building a global experiential agency13:01 Creative risk safety lessons and scaling ambitious ideas18:48 Finding inspiration in London and using history as creative fuel30:22 Systematising ideas from studio archives to client-ready concepts35:43 What makes a strong idea clarity impact, feasibility and business value42:32 Pitching bold work, presenting multiple routes, and winning client trust49:43 Leading multidisciplinary teams culture rituals and hybrid working56:41 Co-founder dynamics long-term partnership, and complementary strengths01:03:51 PR visibility and rescuing projects under pressure01:09:54 Food, drink, design inspiration and the power of service01:13:57 AI: The future of creativity and discovering new cultural possibilities

With so many AI tools flying around, it’s easy for creative teams to feel overwhelmed. Which tools actually matter? And more importantly, what stays uniquely human in design leadership as technology evolves?In this episode of Design Leadership in the Boardroom,Ekaterina sits down with Cal Thompson, VP Design at Headspace and curator of Future London Academy’s Product Design Strategy course. Cal shares how AI is changing the strategic power of design (not replacing it), where these tools genuinely help guiding roadmaps, measuring product signals, prototyping visions, and where they don’t belong at all, especially when it comes to anchoring human stories.Joining as a special guest, Rachel Arredondo , Senior Product Designer at Headspace, offers a practical, grounded view of AI as a thought collaborator. She shows how she uses Claude to expand her reach without outsourcing judgment, and why designers must shape tools just as much as tools shape us.Expect a conversation rooted in empathy, culture, and creative responsibility, plus a clear, usable framework for deciding where AI fits in your design process.What you’ll learn Why design’s strategic influence can grow in an AI-enabled worldWhere AI helps most across the process of guiding roadmap, synthesising measurement signals, prototyping future visions, navigating crowded marketsWhy human observation and interviews can’t be replaced by synthesis toolsHow to build a design culture that fuels collaboration, trust, and imaginationWhat AI means for junior talent, and how leaders should rethink career pathwaysWhy the next “design movement” will be collective, not solo-AI drivenWho this episode is forDesign Leaders · Product Designers · Head of Design · Head of UX / UX Director · Product Design Lead · UX Design Lead / Design Lead · Design Managers & Senior ICs navigating AI adoption · Solo/In-house designers · Creatives and cross-functional partners (PMs, researchers, engineers) shaping AI-enabled products

With so many AI tools flying around, it feels overwhelming for any creative team to choose the ones that will make a difference. This is why last week, we decided to have a conversation with Charles Migos, Chief Product Officer, Founder of Intangible.ai, Design Leaders faculty member and one of the most exciting voices in design today. He is a design executive who has spent 30 years building tools for creatives, working alongside the industry’s brightest minds like Steve Jobs and in companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Unity.What we got is a powerful conversation with Charles about how designers play an important role in the age of AI, from problem-solving and aligning teams to improving collaboration. Timecodes:00:00 Introduction to design and AI with Charles Moberly (ex Apple, Microsoft, Unity)03:04 How the AI shift compares to the internet, Photoshop, and touchscreens06:12 The fundamentals of design that stay the same in the AI era08:23 How to choose AI tools for designers without feeling overwhelmed14:07 How to test and adopt AI tools in a design team16:36 Why creativity still works best as a team sport19:49 What design leaders should focus on in the AI era25:51 Balancing design and engineering cultures at scale32:20 Building Intangible AI and rethinking generative 3D workflows38:46 Copyright, IP, and ethical risks in generative AI45:08 Trust, privacy, and data choices when using AI tools45:26 A realistic look at the future of AI for creatives46:42 How designers can actively shape the future with AI50:19 New opportunities for designers using AI tools well54:09 Practical Figma Make tips for faster high fidelity prototyping01:02:04 Gender bias in AI and what design leaders can do01:22:22 Empathy and pragmatism as core design leadership skills54:09 Practical Figma Make tips Prototyping faster in high fidelity01:02:04 Gender bias in AI How design leaders respond01:22:22 Empathy and pragmatism in design leadership

What does it really take to protect creativity inside large organisations, and why do some CEOs champion design while others struggle to?In this episode of Design Leadership in the Boardroom, Jim Prior, former Global CEO at WPP and Chair at Design Bridge & Partners, Superunion shares 25 years of experience leading some of the world’s most influential creative companies.Hosted by Future London Academy, this warm, honest conversation explores how creativity drives business performance, and what every designer should know to influence decision-makers at the highest level.🎙️ About the guest Jim Prior is a global brand leader and creative business strategist who has spent over two decades as CEO of The Partners, Superunion and Design Bridge & Partners (WPP). He has advised executive boards worldwide on brand transformation, creativity in leadership, and building future-ready organisations.🟡 If you want to become a better design leader, learn more about our Executive Programme for Design Leaders: https://fla.wiki/3LNPYCM💡 You’ll learn: ► How CEOs think about creativity and business value ► How to pitch creative ideas to leadership teams ► How agencies can help clients sell creativity internally ► Leadership habits, decision-making frameworks & lessons from a CEO ► How AI and automation change the creative landscape — and what designers should do now⏱ Chapters 00:00 Welcome – Ekaterina & Jim Prior02:36 How CEOs value creativity and design07:00 Why big companies struggle with innovation10:22 How to pitch creative ideas to CEOs and boards14:40 Selling creativity in the boardroom – tips from a CEO19:42 Creativity in leadership teams vs the boardroom22:07 How agencies help clients sell ideas internally26:25 What makes a creative agency truly valuable28:30 From knowledge economy → creative economy31:29 Inside the CEO mindset – decision making36:32 Making smart decisions with imperfect data43:25 Time management for creative leaders47:45 Why CEOs prefer talking over email51:52 Leading through hard times & crises55:30 Reconnecting with your company vision57:00 The evolving role of design in leadership1:03:00 Tech hype vs real change for design leaders1:07:00 AI & creativity – how designers can adapt1:12:30 Running creative workshops with leaders1:17:00 Balancing creativity and business1:21:00 If Jim Prior could change one thing in the worldIdeal for:Design leaders • Creative directors • Senior designers • Strategists • CEOs who value design • Anyone aiming to grow their influence in business and boardrooms.🟡 If you want to become a better design leader, learn more about our Executive Programme for Design Leaders: https://fla.wiki/3LNPYCM

In the second episode of Design Leadership in the Boardroom, we’re joined by Christophe Egret — visionary architect, artist, and co-founder of Studio Egret West, to explore how creativity, spirituality, and leadership come together to shape cities and the people who build them.🎙 Hosted by Future London Academy, this episode dives into architecture with soul, exploring what it means to build meaningful spaces, lead with empathy, and balance creative vision with commercial success.🟡 If you want to become a better design leader, learn more about our Executive Programme for Design Leaders: https://fla.wiki/4a3iU3E💡 What you’ll learn: ► How to keep creativity alive while running a thriving design business ► Ways to lead teams with empathy, purpose, and sou, not just strategy ► Why sketching, storytelling, and intuition still matter in the age of AI ► How to design spaces (and studio cultures) that connect people and purpose✨ A conversation about imagination, courage, and what it means to build a better world, one soulful design at a time.About Christoph Egret:Christoph is one of the UK’s most respected architects and urban thinkers. As co-founder of Studio Egret West, he has helped redefine placemaking through landmark projects such as Mayfield Park in Manchester, Clapham Library, and the Earl’s Court Masterplan. Known for blending architecture, landscape, and urban design into a seamless practice, Christoph brings a deep sense of spirituality and purpose to his work. Today, through his new platform Soul in the City, he explores how the emotional and spiritual dimensions of urban life can inspire more connected, human-centered cities.🟡 If you want to become a better design leader, learn more about our Executive Programme for Design Leaders: https://fla.wiki/4a3iU3E