Helping Design
Thrive
As Startups Scale
I partner with founders and heads of design who are navigating
the decisions that shape their teams, their products,
and their own growth as leaders.
Most design challenges I see at scaling startups look like execution problems on the surface. But underneath, they’re almost always leadership or organisational problems in disguise. Things like clarity, timing, and making the right calls before the wrong ones compound.
Hi, I’m Tom. I’ve spent 20 years in product design, including the last 10 leading design teams. Among other things, in my five years as Director of Product Design at Monzo, I designed the product design hiring process from the ground up, shaped progression frameworks to embed design’s strategic role alongside a high bar for craft, and built design functions from scratch across multiple product areas, from first hire through to self-sustaining design organisation. Before that, I built design teams at Babylon Health in London and BuzzFeed in New York. Collectively, I’ve managed over 100 designers, scaled teams from 10 to 60+ multiple times, and interviewed over 1,000 designers across the US and Europe.
Whew, that’s a lot! But what’s fascinated me through all of it is the enormous leverage that comes from getting design leadership right early on. Building strong foundations here sets design up to be a real superpower later, changing the trajectory of hiring, quality, pace, and influence.
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 genuine differentiator. 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.
The areas I focus on
Practice
I’m happy to help in a bunch of areas, but these three tend to be where I bring the most leverage.
Building the right team
Good hiring is only part of the puzzle. The shape of the team, how roles are defined and how people grow. These decisions compound, and getting them wrong is expensive to undo. I help design leaders and founders think through their team as it evolves, from how you hire to how you structure things along the way, making sure each decision strengthens the foundations rather than just adding headcount.
Scaling craft and quality
As teams grow, maintaining craft quality is often one of the first things to slip. Inconsistency creeps in, feedback loops slow down, and alignment across the team starts to drift. But quality and pace aren’t opposites. Together we build the conditions where both can thrive through critique culture, effective cross-functional partnerships, and the ways of working that keep the bar high without slowing things down.
Developing stronger leaders
Leadership growth looks different at every level, and it’s rarely something people get enough support with. Whether you’re a Head of Design finding your voice in your leadership team, or designers across an org learning to shape product direction rather than just execute against it, I help people build the confidence, influence, and strategic instincts to step up.
How we could work together
Offerings
Over time I’ve distilled what I do into the following formats that tend to meet the widest range of needs. The best place to start is a free intro call. Just drop me an email and we’ll take it from there.
Coaching
Limited availabilityThe step from doing the work to leading it is the one nobody trains you for. Part coaching, part mentoring: a thought partner in your corner helping navigate the tough calls.
A focused hour together on whatever’s weighing on you, from a tricky hire, to jamming in Figma on a big design call, to a team problem you can’t quite pin down.
A decade leading and scaling design teams, distilled: the hard-won lessons without the years it took to learn them.
Best for new managers stepping up from IC, or experienced leaders who want a sounding board without an agenda.
£2,250 + VAT for a pack of 6 sessions. Use them monthly, or whenever you need.
Fractional
Available Sept 2026The closest thing to a senior product design leader on your team, without the full-time hire. I apply systems thinking to build high-trust teams that ship well-crafted products.
2 days a week, embedded and hands-on as your interim Head or VP of Design.
Accountable for 1–3 business outcomes: getting the best out of your designers, hiring the ones you need, shaping 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 just take on 1–2 clients each year.
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
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
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 a deep 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 despite the strange and fascinating times we’re living through right now.
I occasionally write about these themes on LinkedIn and Substack, if you're curious to read more.