Helping Design
Thrive
As Startups Scale
I partner with founders, CPOs and heads of design on the decisions
that shape their teams, their products and their own leadership.
Hi, I’m Tom. I’ve spent 20 years in product design, the last 10 leading teams at Monzo, Babylon Health and BuzzFeed, across London and New York. Along the way I’ve managed over 100 designers, interviewed more than 1,000, and scaled teams several times over.
At Monzo, where I spent five years as Director of Product Design, I helped turn a team of 12 into a 60-strong design org. That meant partnering with business, product and engineering leaders to spin up new design functions all over the company, from payments to financial crime. I built a hiring process from scratch for craft, and a culture that cared about the details, so the quality bar kept rising as we grew.
What’s fascinated me throughout is the leverage that comes from getting design leadership right early on. Strong foundations here change everything that follows: hiring, quality, pace and influence. And despite what many teams assume, quality and pace aren’t opposites.
That’s what I do now, independently. I work with startups that care about getting design right, helping them build the leadership and foundations that make design a real advantage. The kind of senior thinking you need when the team’s about to double (or halve), or you’re betting on a product direction that’ll shape the next year of design work.
How we could work together
Offerings
There are three main ways I work with people. The best place to start is a free intro call. Just drop me an email and we’ll take it from there.
Sessions
The thought partner in your corner. I tailor a mix of coaching and advice to meet you where you are. Together we’ll work through the tough calls you’re facing, whether that’s the product, the team or your own leadership.
A focused hour. Whatever’s weighing on you, from a tricky hire, to jamming on a big design choice in Figma, to a team problem you can’t quite pin down.
A decade leading and scaling design teams, in NYC and London. The hard-won lessons without the years it took to learn them.
For new managers through to experienced leaders. No rigid agenda, just what’s top of mind.
£3,750$5,000 for 12 sessions, or £375$500/session à la carte, plus VAT for UK clients. Free 30-minute chat first, no strings.
Fractional
The closest thing to a senior product design leader on your team, without the full-time hire. I help build teams that trust each other and ship work they’re proud of.
2 days a week, embedded and hands-on as your interim Head or VP of Design.
Accountable for 1–3 business outcomes. Founders often bring me in to get the best out of their designers, hire the ones they need, raise the bar on craft or shape strategy alongside product and engineering.
Best for Series A–C founders with small design teams, where design’s central to what’s next.
Engagements are typically 6+ months, so I only take on 1–2 clients each year.
Circles
Design leadership is a tough, often lonely job right now. Circles bring together a small, curated room of peers to work through the hard parts. Finally, people who get it, and who you can be honest with.
5–7 people, matched by level, experience and team size, so the people across from you are wrestling with similar things.
90-minute remote sessions, facilitated by me. Structured in FigJam around the real challenges each person brings.
Chatham House Rule. A trusted space to be open, even about the hard stuff. Anonymised notes help the group hold on to what came up.
For leads, heads and VPs of design who’d rather figure this out together than calibrate alone against a feed full of 10x claims and ‘design is dead’ takes.
Need hands-on help that takes a different shape? I occasionally have availability for one-off projects or light-touch advisory retainers. Drop me a note with the help you need and let’s chat.
Nice things people have said
Testimonials
In eight months Tom doubled our product design team and took us from pockets of excellence to a consistently high bar across the whole team, building the rituals and frameworks that keep great design happening without him. He became a genuine sounding board on how we structured and staffed the wider product org, and solidified design as one of Midnite’s sharpest advantages.
Nick Wright
Founder & CEO
Midnite
Tom has been an instrumental partner to me in scaling Monzo's Design org. I've learned so much and levelled up as a leader throughout our time working together. Among other things he overhauled our hiring process, career framework and design reviews to strengthen product design at Monzo.
Vuokko Aro
Chief Design Officer
Monzo
Tom's superpower is using his deep empathy to build relationships quickly and help others around him thrive. During my time working with him, I witnessed first-hand how Tom's thoughtfulness and craft expertise leveled up the designers around him.
Cap Watkins
VP of Product Design
Lattice
Tom had a bigger impact on me during the time he managed me than anyone else in my career. Whether through his soft-spoken questions, clever wit, or honest reflections, he always had my best interests at heart. Tom set my standard for exceptional leadership.
Liam Carter-Hawkins
Head of Design
Kry Livi
Tom has been invaluable as we've scaled our team and product. He helped us shape a clear, lightweight hiring process for our first Product Manager and coached me through every step, leading to a brilliant hire. He built out our customer research practice, levelled up the design of our reports, and raised the quality and confidence of everything we ship.
Adam Rogers
CTO & Co-Founder
Martello
Tom helped me find focus and confidence as the only designer at Prosper. His guidance gave me tools to navigate disagreement, set boundaries, and communicate design's value with real business impact. I'm excited to continue getting his feedback on the design work itself.
Will Ayling
Lead Product Designer
Prosper
Tom has been an invaluable mentor in helping me grow as a leader. He's a great listener who asks the right questions to get to the heart of challenges, and his human-first but commercially-savvy approach has given me clarity through everything from team coaching to company restructures. With his guidance I've been able to unlock the potential in my team and create an environment where people can do their best work.
Chris Underdown
Head of Product Design
Motorway
In eight months Tom doubled our product design team and took us from pockets of excellence to a consistently high bar across the whole team, building the rituals and frameworks that keep great design happening without him. He became a genuine sounding board on how we structured and staffed the wider product org, and solidified design as one of Midnite’s sharpest advantages.
Nick Wright
Founder & CEO
Midnite
Tom has been an instrumental partner to me in scaling Monzo's Design org. I've learned so much and levelled up as a leader throughout our time working together. Among other things he overhauled our hiring process, career framework and design reviews to strengthen product design at Monzo.
Vuokko Aro
Chief Design Officer
Monzo
Tom's superpower is using his deep empathy to build relationships quickly and help others around him thrive. During my time working with him, I witnessed first-hand how Tom's thoughtfulness and craft expertise leveled up the designers around him.
Cap Watkins
VP of Product Design
Lattice
Tom had a bigger impact on me during the time he managed me than anyone else in my career. Whether through his soft-spoken questions, clever wit, or honest reflections, he always had my best interests at heart. Tom set my standard for exceptional leadership.
Liam Carter-Hawkins
Head of Design
Kry Livi
Tom has been invaluable as we've scaled our team and product. He helped us shape a clear, lightweight hiring process for our first Product Manager and coached me through every step, leading to a brilliant hire. He built out our customer research practice, levelled up the design of our reports, and raised the quality and confidence of everything we ship.
Adam Rogers
CTO & Co-Founder
Martello
Tom helped me find focus and confidence as the only designer at Prosper. His guidance gave me tools to navigate disagreement, set boundaries, and communicate design's value with real business impact. I'm excited to continue getting his feedback on the design work itself.
Will Ayling
Lead Product Designer
Prosper
Tom has been an invaluable mentor in helping me grow as a leader. He's a great listener who asks the right questions to get to the heart of challenges, and his human-first but commercially-savvy approach has given me clarity through everything from team coaching to company restructures. With his guidance I've been able to unlock the potential in my team and create an environment where people can do their best work.
Chris Underdown
Head of Product Design
Motorway
About Tom
I’m based in Walthamstow, London, with my wife and two young boys, where I try my best to run regularly in the forest. Before all this, I spent time making music, taking long train journeys, and living in NYC for 9 years, where I found my love for Minnesota tacos, among other things.
Intentional Partners grew out of an interest in helping leaders and design teams thrive, but these days it’s one of a few things I spend my time on. I’m also deeply curious about how AI is reshaping the way teams work, the evolving craft of design, and how well-designed products continue making it out into the world.
I occasionally write about these themes on LinkedIn and Substack, if you’re curious to read more.