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Portfolio leadership

Turning UX Leadership into Measurable Growth

Repositioning UX from a useful delivery role to a default strategic capability within a major public-sector portfolio area.

Role
Senior UX Leader
Context
Major public-sector portfolio area
Impact
Eight roles and approx. £1.6m annual revenue
8 roles secured through clearer positioning of UX value
Approx. £1.6m annual revenue linked to UX capability growth
Earlier buy-in for UX as a strategic capability rather than ad-hoc support

The challenge

UX was under-represented commercially and not consistently embedded. To scale capability, stakeholders needed evidence that UX reduced risk, improved delivery confidence, and justified sustained investment. The challenge was less about making a general case for design, and more about proving that stronger UX leadership would create measurable value for the portfolio, for delivery teams, and for the commercial health of the account.

My role

As a senior UX leader within Capgemini, I partnered with account and delivery leadership to expand UX influence responsibly, balancing growth with quality, readiness, and long-term sustainability. My role sat across practice, delivery, and commercial conversations, helping shape a growth story that was evidence-led rather than aspirational.

What I did

  • Built an evidence-led narrative linking UX to reduced rework, improved usability, delivery efficiency, and greater confidence in decision-making.
  • Used outcomes from live delivery to justify expanded UX scope and roles, translating design impact into terms senior stakeholders and account leaders could act on.
  • Worked with leadership to position UX not as optional support, but as a capability that improved delivery performance and helped de-risk future work.
  • Ensured growth was supported by standards, readiness expectations, and capability guardrails so the practice could scale without diluting quality.

Outcomes

  • Secured eight additional UX roles, increasing the visibility and commercial credibility of the capability across the portfolio area.
  • Generated approximately £1.6m in annual revenue linked directly to UX capability growth, demonstrating that design leadership could support both delivery quality and account performance.
  • Helped establish UX as a trusted, embedded capability rather than an ad-hoc function, making it easier for teams to bring design in earlier and more strategically.