EXPERIENCE
Howrya, I'm Gianni 👋🏼
A results-driven design leader recognized for transforming complex user needs into beautifully simple, scalable SaaS and consumer products. Combines a passion for design craft with high-level strategy. Fosters a dynamic and positive team culture - unifying product, engineering, and design to solve hard problems through deep collaboration.
MIRO Head of Design, Canvas Modes JAN 2025 - PRESENT
- Strategic Portfolio Leadership: Directs the product design vision for Miro’s ‘Canvas Modes’ stream, overseeing the company’s #1 strategic priority, ‘Prototypes’, taking it to GA and securing $1M+ ARR within the first quarter. Also leads the #2 priority ‘Engage’ - directly influencing the company's shift toward a multi-SKU monetization model. And leads two other teams Slides, and Diagramming, Miro’s most-utilized format, and its biggest MAU driver.
- AI-Driven Transformation: Spearheads the integration of Generative AI into Miro’s products. Transforming the business from a whiteboarding tool into a multi-product, intelligent agentic system that empowers users from ideation through the development lifecycle.
- Leadership & Culture: Acts as a trusted thought partner to Product, Engineering and leadership teams, co-steering strategy, while cultivating a high-performing, happy design team, that balances delivery velocity with craft that delights.
ZENDESK MAY 2018 - DEC 2025
Director, Product Design (SEP 2022 - DEC 2025) Sr Manager, Product Design (AUG 2021 - AUG 2022) Manager, Product Design (JAN 2019 - JULY 2021) Senior Product Design (MAY 2018 - DEC 2018)- Commercial Leadership: Directs Product Design for Reporting & Analytics, Voice, and Omnichannel Services, owning design strategy for a portfolio exceeding $200M ARR.
- Organizational Scaling: Scaled the EMEA design organization from 5 to 30+ designers (6x growth), establishing the hiring strategy, cultural rituals, and career development frameworks.
- Product Growth: Steered Zendesk Explore from closed Beta to General Availability, scaling adoption to over 100k accounts across three SKUs.
- Transformation: Led the modernization of Zendesk Voice from a legacy tool to an integrated, digital-first VoIP solution supporting +20M monthly calls.
- Global Operations: Architected and implemented Zendesk’s global Design Brief and Critique processes, standardizing quality and velocity across globally distributed teams.
- Strategic Alignment: Partners with Heads of Product to define long-term roadmaps, utilizing data-backed insights to champion accessibility and customer-centricity in the C-suite.
- Employer Branding: Elevated the EMEA HQ as a primary design hub by launching a quarterly external event series, driving a ~25% increase in high-quality engineering and product applications.
- Design Ops: Orchestrates operational scoping and resource planning while facilitating high-level design thinking workshops to solve retention and macro-strategic challenges.
- Thought Leadership: Represents Zendesk as a keynote speaker and panelist at major industry conferences, including UXDX and SaaStock.
FILLIT Co-Founder & CPO JUNE 2015 - JUNE 2018
- Commercial Success & Exit: Founded and scaled a SaaS product from zero to ~€2M revenue, resulting in a successful exit.
- 0-to-1 Leadership: Directed the full product lifecycle from concept to launch, leading a cross-functional organization across design, product, engineering, sales, marketing, CX and brand.
- Industry Recognition: Validated product-market fit and design quality by winning awards for Best Entrepreneur and Best UX.
BACK Head of Creative JUNE 2015 - JUNE 2018
- Building: Established the agency’s first in-house creative studio, recruiting and leading a multi-disciplinary team across design, technology, and video production.
- Strategic Growth: Orchestrated a complete agency repositioning and rebrand, directly securing ~€800K in new business contracts, in the first year.
- Major Accounts: Spearheaded the agency’s expansion into mass-media advertising by delivering a debut above-the-line campaign for global client Mondelez.
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE & PROJECTS
- DYNAMO - Senior Digital Design Lead (APRIL 2014 - JUNE 2015)
- THINKHOUSE - Design Manager (MARCH 2011 - MARCH 2014)
- DUBLIN BRICKS - Founder & Brickmaster (NOV 2019 - PRESENT)
- DOLCEMERDA - Founder & Creative Director (SEP 2006 - MAY 2018)
- THE GENTLEMEN’S ACADEMY - Creative & Events Director (APR 2013 - DEC 2019)