#68 | Samuel Northway | Empowering and managing design teams.

“Failing is the first ingredient of design” — SAMUEL NORTHWAY In this episode, we had the pleasure to chat with Samuel Northway, Head of Product Design at Mason. In the past, he worked as VP of Brand Product Design at Goldman Sachs, worked as a lead designer on Deloitte and as Design Director at AT&T, among many other experiences. We talk about his mindset and motivation for working in the creative industry during the episode. And uncover many insights on approaching innovation projects or innovation in general without getting burned out and creating shared ownership, which is critical for innovation to move forward. We also talk about how he has grown in design maturity at Goldman Sachs and his learnings as a designer and leader. And what opportunities designers have when changing industries, and how to overcome the fear of leaving your company. Further, we also explore the intersection of physical and digital design and how new business models actually bring both aspects closer together. In the episode, we jump into: How to empower and manage design teams? What are the challenges when you are confronted with new environments/companies as a designer and how do you overcome them? What are the advantages and disadvantages of designers switching between industries? What impact can designers create in the future? What are the key challenges for designers to communicate the “value of design” to business stakeholders? and many more! Thanks a lot for your time and for your learning Samuel! ******** The Guest Samuel Nothway is an Executive Design Director with a broad background across industries in data-driven design systems, software/hardware development, and product/brand strategy. Samuel enjoys leading teams working closely with clients and internal partners to develop and execute user-centric products and branded experiences. Through understanding and empathizing with the needs of users/customers, his research and design work focuses on delivering experiences that elevate the brand and enhance the consumer's everyday lives. Samuel solves complex challenges for his clients and their brands using new technologies and age-old techniques. Talking about his career, which started in 2007 as an assistant photographer & art curator, by 2016, he was Design Director at AT&T for innovation planning. After the Lead Product Designer at Deloitte Digital and VP Product Design, Private Wealth Management, then VP Brand & Product Design, Private Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs now, he is serving as Head of Product Design at Mason.