Tigerspike

Shaping vision and design culture across a global organisation

Context

Global digital product consultancy · Mobile, web and emerging platforms · Enterprise and public sector clients · Cross-regional teams · 2017–2020

Role summary

Product Design Lead & Global Head of Brand. Responsible for defining Tigerspike’s design vision, aligning product and brand across regions, and coaching teams to deliver consistent, high-quality work.

The challenge

Tigerspike operated across multiple regions and enterprise clients, but lacked a clear global narrative. As digital transformation matured, clients expected long-term product partnerships rather than project-based delivery. This created pressure to evolve both positioning and the operating model.

At the same time, the industry was shifting from project delivery to long-term product partnerships. The business needed a clearer identity, stronger positioning and a more consistent design approach to compete globally.

The opportunity was to move beyond visual branding and define a coherent design vision that connected product thinking, craft and culture.

Scope

I led the development of a unified design vision and experience direction across regions, working closely with leadership, marketing and delivery teams.

This included:

  • Redefining Tigerspike’s positioning

  • Aligning brand and product thinking

  • Improving consistency across client work

  • Coaching teams and building capability

  • Embedding shared design principles.

This work also influenced how Tigerspike positioned its value in enterprise sales conversations and strategic client engagements.

My role

I partnered with the CEO and senior leadership to shape the company’s design narrative and long-term direction.

This involved:

  • Facilitating alignment workshops across regions

  • Translating strategy into actionable design frameworks

  • Supporting teams to apply principles in real projects

  • Balancing global coherence with local autonomy.

Key moves

Defining a clear design narrative

We moved away from generic consultancy language and articulated a stronger vision centred on product thinking, customer value and long-term impact. This helped create a shared language across the organisation.

Aligning brand and product

Instead of treating branding and product as separate streams, we connected them through shared principles and design systems. This improved both external perception and internal clarity.

Building consistency without rigidity

We prioritised shared principles over rigid global standards, even when some stakeholders pushed for strict control.

Coaching and capability

We invested in mentoring and critique, helping designers grow and increasing confidence across regions.

Strengthening client trust

Clearer positioning and stronger storytelling improved conversations with enterprise clients and helped differentiate Tigerspike in competitive environments.

Impact on the organisation

The work changed how teams spoke about value, how they collaborated across regions and how the company positioned itself in enterprise conversations.

It strengthened alignment across regions and laid a foundation for long-term client partnerships.

Outcomes

The shift towards product thinking and stronger design consistency improved Tigerspike’s positioning as a high-value digital partner rather than a delivery-focused consultancy. This strengthened confidence among enterprise clients and investors, supporting a period of growth and momentum that culminated in the company’s acquisition by Concentrix in 2017.

That shift showed up in three places:

  1. Stronger market positioning and credibility: A unified brand and product story made it easier for teams to articulate value and defend quality in competitive client conversations.

  2. Higher quality and consistency across regions: Shared principles and lightweight frameworks improved coherence across teams without killing local autonomy.

  3. Increased strategic value: Tigerspike’s strengthened digital product positioning, aligned with broader market demand for end-to-end digital services, contributed to the company’s momentum during a period culminating in an acquisition.

Some regional leaders were concerned that a stronger global narrative would reduce local flexibility. Building trust and demonstrating value through real client work was critical to gaining adoption.

Tigerspike was acquired by Concentrix (the deal was announced on July 20, 2017, and closed on July 31, 2017). SYNNEX reporting shows a $57.8M cash payment for the acquisition.

A key trade-off

One challenge was balancing global consistency with local relevance. Some regions feared losing autonomy, while others wanted stronger central direction.

We focused on shared principles rather than rigid standards. This allowed teams to maintain flexibility while improving coherence.

What I learned

Organisational change requires clarity, trust and shared ownership. Vision alone is not enough. It needs to be translated into practical frameworks that teams can apply in real work.

This experience continues to shape how I align strategy, product and culture in complex environments.