Built from the ground up
I grew SendGrid’s UX team from 2 to 20 across product design, research, web, design systems, and content design, through a 2017 IPO and a $3B acquisition by Twilio.
Design leadership advisor
Shape what’s next for product design
Hi, I’m Katrina. I help design leaders, product leaders, and designers build great teams, scale how they work, and transform their practice as AI reshapes the craft.
I bring almost two decades of experience leading design at B2B SaaS companies, from small teams to orgs of 100+, across two IPOs.
- Kong
- Twilio
- SendGrid
- Hologram
- Rally Software
The challengeDesign is being reinvented.
Design is being reinvented.
Your team needs to keep pace.
Design teams are being asked to move faster, prove impact, and reinvent how they work, all at once. AI is redrawing the lines between design, product, and engineering, and the playbook most leaders knew is being rewritten.
You need a thought partner who has been there: someone who has scaled teams, weathered IPOs and acquisitions, and is hands-on with the new tools. Someone who can help you see around corners and skip the costly detours.
Experience
Experience you can borrow
Scaled to 100+
As VP of UX at Twilio, I unified three design teams and grew the org to 100+, leading directors and managers across 20 business units. I pooled business-unit funding to build Paste, Twilio’s accessible design system, and drove adoption across varied front-end frameworks.
Led the AI transformation
At Kong, I moved 100% of designers to AI-assisted prototyping, got designers shipping their own pull requests, and led design for Kong’s AI agent.
Product and design, end to end
As SVP of Product & Design at Hologram, I led both product management and design and sat on the senior executive team. I know both sides of the PM–design partnership.
Transform
Navigating the AI transformation
AI is changing what designers make, how they make it, and how they work with product and engineering. I’ve led a team through that shift while keeping designers engaged and productive.
AI-native design teams
Rolling out AI-assisted prototyping, setting content and quality guidelines, and getting designers comfortable shipping code, with KPIs to track adoption along the way.
Designing for AI products
Agent experiences, platform UI patterns for AI, and the new challenge of designing for non-deterministic outcomes.
Critiquing AI-generated design
When anyone can generate a screen, judgment is the job. I help teams hold a high bar for quality, coherence, and customer fit.
Who I help
Who I work with
Design leaders
I can help you hire well, grow and keep great people, and build the systems that let your team deliver strong customer experiences.
Product leaders
When design reports to you but isn’t your home craft, I can help you hire, evaluate, and develop designers with confidence.
Designers
I can help you make sense of feedback, sharpen your work through critique, and plan your next career move.
In their words
She took a small design team and transformed it into a high-performing organization that meaningfully elevated the quality of our products. She became one of my most trusted partners in leading Product at Kong.
I had the pleasure of working closely with Katrina at Kong, where she took a small design team and transformed it into a high-performing organization that meaningfully elevated the quality of our products. What I admire most about Katrina is her combination of strong design leadership, clear thinking, and an incredibly positive, collaborative approach. She became one of my most trusted partners in leading Product at Kong, helping us navigate complex organizational and product challenges with clarity and calm confidence. I would highly recommend her to any product or design leader looking to build, scale, or transform their design organization.
Ready to level up your design team?
Let’s talk about where you are and where you want to go.