About Me
David Mitchell
17
years of design experience
7
years of leadership experience
12
awards won
343
projects completed
I thrive in highly complex, ambiguous environments, including research and development (R&D), innovation labs, and advanced product organisations. I’m drawn to industries ripe for disruption or pioneering to define the next big innovation.
With experience working in agencies, start-ups, scale-ups and enterprises, I create simple solutions from the most complex challenges, championing business requirements and delivering innovative products with high ROI.
Having held three product leadership roles launching successful products with diverse teams, I understand what is key for successful product operations in fast-paced, agile environments; whether that be in founding or existing teams.
Using a combination of design thinking and business strategy when approaching challenges, I leverage emerging technology and experience design to define the future — and move design into areas beyond solving product problems.
I’m passionate about integrating user-centered innovation, technical insight, and systems thinking into a design-driven product development process. I see this as the best way to create meaningful products that resonate with customers and improve their lives.
As Head of Design for Castor, I’m helping lead a cultural transformation to become a product-led company and decentralise clinical trials for everyone, everywhere. We raised a $45 million series B and I lead the design and research teams and drive the product strategy and design for end-to-end experiences. Being a part of the SLT with entrepreneurial energy, I guide with vision and drive new standards of excellence at scale through influence, leadership, and recognised expertise. I’m focused on driving design strategy and customer-centric innovation, establishing customer experience as a competitive advantage, defining new ways of working through business agility, and bringing holistic thinking and cohesion across Castors ecosystem.
Before joining Castor, I was global manager of UX at Bullhorn responsible for a $400 million portfolio, where I led the company’s UX department, driving the end-to-end transformation of the core product and acquisitions, raising the impact of design as a strategic asset, and spearheading customer-centric culture change and innovation. Previously, I was principle product designer, at Invenias, where I led all UX design launching 5 products to market, building the worlds most advanced executive search ATS/CRM. Later, Invenias was acquired by Bullhorn.
Prior to Invenias, I spent a decade in creative agencies working with brands such as Sky, AXA, Carlsberg, Pepsi and IBM alongside celebrities such as Beyoncé and Sir David Beckham. In agencies I was designing websites, advertising, apps and social media content, and I won a lot of awards too.
My skillset
Strategy
• Leadership and consultancy
• Holistic vision and tactical delivery
• Stakeholder management
• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Transformation initiatives
• Talent mobilisation and mentoring
• Product management and support
Research
• Discovery, synthesis and validation
• Contextual inquiry
• SME and user interviews / workshops
• Requirements and insights gathering
• Qualitative and quantitative
• Service blueprint development
• Usability evaluation and optimisation
Craft
• End-to-end design and delivery
• Product and service design
• User experience design
• Interaction design
• Information architecture
• Journey mapping and process flow
• Prototyping and testing
Press & Recognition
I’ve been lucky enough to work with brilliant people, great teams and awesome brands. My work has been recognised by highly acclaimed press around the world, including some of the few listed below.
Speaking & Events
On occasion, I can be seen speaking at industry events on AI, product innovations, design leadership and user experience.
Free time
When I’m not designing or tinkering with new tech, I’ll be jumping down mountains on my bike, spending quality family time, snowboarding off piste or fostering my new love/hate relationship with golf.