Chris Thelwell

Chris Thelwell has a diverse work experience that spans various industries and roles. In 2011, they started their own company, Chris Thelwell Ltd, where they were the owner until February 2012. They also co-created JoinSAM during the same time period.

From 2011 to 2014, Chris worked as the Group Creative Director at Radical Company, a boutique digital agency. In this position, they were responsible for leading the design and user experience team, recruiting and mentoring staff, integrating the team into cross-functional agile scrum teams, providing thought leadership and strategic direction, and winning creative pitches.

In 2014, Chris joined ThoughtWorks as a Lead Consultant (UX), where they worked with cross-functional teams to create innovative digital products. They led experience design and strategy, including interaction design, visual design, user testing, and front-end development. They were also involved in new business pitches and proposals.

From 2015 to 2016, Chris served as the Head of UX & Design at Envato, the largest online marketplace in the world. They led a team of UX designers, UI designers, and copywriters in design, development, product strategy, and user research. They worked closely with product managers and engineers on multiple cross-functional development streams.

In 2016, Chris worked as the Experience Design Director at McKinsey Digital Labs, focusing on experience design for digital products. From 2017 to 2020, they held the role of Head of UX at Vivant, leading user experience efforts.

From 2017 to 2020, Chris was the Director of Product Design at EY-Seren, where they oversaw product design initiatives. Currently, Chris is the Director of Product Design at DuckDuckGo, a search engine company.

Throughout their career, Chris has demonstrated expertise in product design, user experience, and leading teams in the development of innovative and disruptive digital products. They have experience working with high-profile clients and have contributed as a contributing author to various publications.

Chris Thelwell completed their Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design and Advertising from Staffordshire University from 1995 to 1998. Prior to that, they attended Wirral Grammar School for Boys from 1988 to 1994, although no specific degree or field of study is mentioned for this period. Additionally, they have obtained certifications in Enterprise Design Thinking from IBM in April 2020 and Duolingo Italian Fluency (Beginner level) in February 2016.