About

Tommy Williams

VP / Head of Product Design

Target roles: VP Product Design, Head of UX, Head of Product Design & Experience

I started my career as an IC designer who cared deeply about craft — and somewhere along the way, I realized the biggest design problems weren't on the screen. They were in how teams were structured, how decisions got made, and whether design had a seat when strategy was set. That shift from maker to org builder is what drives my work today.

I'm a product design executive based in Atlanta, GA with 15+ years of experience building and scaling design organizations. I've led design teams from 3 to 50+ across SaaS, fintech, healthcare, and enterprise platforms — from Series A startups to public companies.

My work sits at the intersection of design strategy, organizational development, and emerging technology. I partner with C-suite executives to connect design investments to business outcomes, and I build the teams, systems, and culture needed to sustain design excellence at scale.

Outside of work, I mentor emerging design leaders through ADPList and AIGA, and I stay close to the craft through personal projects exploring the intersection of generative AI and interaction design.

Professional headshot of Tommy Williams

Specialties

Strategy

  • ●Product vision & roadmap alignment
  • ●Design strategy & portfolio management
  • ●Executive storytelling & board presentations
  • ●Business case development for design investment

Org & Ops

  • ●Org design & team structure
  • ●Career frameworks & leveling
  • ●DesignOps & design systems governance
  • ●Hiring strategy & talent development

Experience

  • ●0→1 product design & launch
  • ●Platform modernization & redesign
  • ●Cross-platform (web, iOS, Android)
  • ●Accessibility & inclusive design

AI & Systems

  • ●AI integration in design workflows
  • ●Design systems architecture
  • ●Research operations & synthesis
  • ●Design tooling & automation

Endorsements

“Tommy transformed our design org from a service team into a strategic partner. His ability to connect design outcomes to business metrics changed how our C-suite thinks about product.”

Sarah Chen, CPO at TechCorp

“One of the rare design leaders who can operate at the systems level — org design, executive alignment, design infrastructure — while keeping the craft bar high.”

James Morrison, VP Engineering at FinanceApp

“Tommy built and scaled our design team from 3 to 30 while shipping a complete platform redesign. His leadership operating model is something I’ve adopted across other functions.”

Maria Santos, CEO at HealthStart

“What sets Tommy apart is his ability to make design legible to the business. He doesn’t just advocate for design — he proves its value with data and outcomes.”

David Kim, CTO at EnterpriseCo

Highlights & Recognition

DesignOps Summit Speaker

2024 Keynote

Design Leadership Award

AIGA Atlanta 2023

Top 50 Design Leaders

Design Week Feature

Advisory Board Member

DesignOps Assembly

Mentor

ADPList & AIGA