ABOUT
ENGINEERING → DESIGN → LEADERSHIP
From engineering to design leadership.
My career began in Romania, studying IT engineering and building interfaces as a front-end engineer. Curiosity about how users experience those products led me into design.
More than 10 years later, the work spans enterprise platforms, conversational banking and complex workflows. Experience with Google, HSBC and UBS connects hands-on product design with team leadership, from discovery through delivery.
Decisions are grounded in research. Outcomes are reported with their evidence and limits.
LEADERSHIP
Managed and mentored teams of three designers across consultancy and financial services. Career development alongside design quality and delivery.
People & growth
Career development, practical feedback and hands-on support with the work designers deliver.
Helped a designer prepare for a new assignment by turning feedback and stakeholder conversations into a clear plan.
“His guidance, transparency, and genuine care have created a positive and motivating environment for me to grow professionally while feeling supported personally.”
Quality & delivery
Design standards and review frameworks that help teams make consistent decisions across enterprise platforms.
Working with product, engineering and business partners to align priorities and carry design decisions through delivery.
“He works well with delivery teams, absorbing technical input, negotiating solutions and ensuring that deliverables are aligned with the design.”
Feedback shared with me. Names and project details withheld.
MY PROCESS
Research, direction, design and delivery. Connected by evidence, shaped with the team.
01 / Understand
Research the experience with users. Map the journey, listen to stakeholders and challenge the assumptions shaping the brief.
Journey mapping · Research · Opportunity framing
What moves forwardShared evidence
02 / Set direction
Bring product, design and engineering around the priorities. Make the trade-offs explicit and define what success needs to look like.
Product direction · Prioritisation · Success criteria
What moves forwardA focused brief
03 / Make & test
Explore journeys, interactions and prototypes. Put alternatives in front of users, learn what works and refine the details that matter.
Interaction design · Prototyping · User validation
What moves forwardA tested approach
04 / Deliver
Build reusable patterns and clear interaction rules. Work with engineering through implementation, review and the next iteration.
Design systems · Implementation review · Iteration
What moves forwardA working experience
Learning moves in both directions. New evidence can change the plan.
Explore ideas faster. Test what matters. AI helps compare design options and build early prototypes. User research and testing shape what moves forward.
RECENT EXPERIENCE
Research & concept design
I’ve worked on the UX direction for conversational banking: how people ask for help, understand an answer and move from conversation to action.
My role covered research, interaction principles and concept development with product and technology partners.
This work is in development. It does not yet have a published case study or post-launch results.
EXPERIENCE
Selected leadership roles and contract engagements. Contract roles are labelled below.
Jan 2025–Present
Lead design for Business Banking digital products, from mobile onboarding and complex workflows to conversational banking. Manage and mentor three senior designers, shape platform direction and shared design standards, and align product, engineering and business teams around priorities and delivery.
Oct 2024–Jan 2025
Internal enterprise tools, working with product and engineering from definition through design delivery.
Explore the project
Jun 2023–Oct 2024
Design leadership across client engagements, from early propositions to delivery, alongside managing and mentoring designers.
Explore the JLR concept
Jan–Jul 2023
Operational platforms, connecting research, workflow design and user testing.
Explore the projectEarlier work includes UX contracts at Legal & General and Three UK, product design at Virgin Media, and eCommerce design and front-end implementation at Totaljobs.
Earlier experience in digital design and development still informs collaboration with engineering and decisions about implementation.
Full experience on LinkedInCOLLEAGUE PERSPECTIVES
Excerpts from LinkedIn and private feedback. Private contributors remain anonymous.
MENTORSHIP
Free, individual mentorship on ADPList. Bring a portfolio, a career decision or a design challenge to work through together.
IN THEIR WORDS
Product Designer, The Access Group
“His experience and practical tips are things that will stick with me.”ADPList recommendation · Excerpt
Designer transitioning from textile to UX/UI
“he offered both practical guidance and meaningful encouragement, which gave me more confidence.”ADPList recommendation · Excerpt
Design lead, Swiftfood London
“The feedback was realistic, actionable, and grounded in real industry experience.”ADPList recommendation · Excerpt
UI designer, Kimolian
“Marian approached the challenge with calm professionalism, guiding me through selecting components and applying the right colours.”ADPList recommendation · Excerpt
Product Designer, TossBank
“Marian is the most practical and respectful mentor I’ve ever met.”ADPList recommendation · Excerpt
UX Designer and Researcher, Conversio
“He is very knowledgeable but also just easy to talk to.”ADPList recommendation · Excerpt
Product Designer, Safaricom Ethiopia
“His mentorship has given me a fresh outlook and the confidence to tackle my goals with clarity.”ADPList recommendation · Excerpt
Lead product designer, Dropbox (Ex Meta)
“His clear, actionable advice and supportive approach made a big impact.”ADPList recommendation · Excerpt
UX/UI Designer, Wide Group Srl
“He is honest, direct, and he gives suggestions that shift your perspective while sharing his deep knowledge.”ADPList recommendation · Excerpt
Senior Product Designer, National Australia Bank
“His detail-oriented approach to reviewing my case study was transformative.”ADPList recommendation · Excerpt
Postgraduate Student, Universitas Indonesia
“In overall, I found the meeting very insightful.”ADPList recommendation · Excerpt
ON THE BOOKSHELF
START A CONVERSATION
A permanent role or a contract opportunity.
Let’s find a useful place to start.
For project engagements
UX audits, workflow design and design leadership through AVENTROPY.
