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Kieran McMillan
Product Design Leadership (ex Nokia & HERE)
Professional Background
Kieran McMillan is a seasoned professional with over 23 years of extensive experience spanning multiple roles including individual contributor, consultant, entrepreneur, and manager. With a strong focus on digital technologies and user experiences, Kieran has played a significant part in shaping innovative solutions across various industries such as location intelligence, automotive, travel, entertainment, and humanitarian initiatives.
Design Leadership
For more than a decade, Kieran has excelled in design leadership, successfully building research and design teams from the ground up, developing teams to a size of 15 individuals. As a manager, he emphasizes setting measurable performance targets, ensuring that team efforts align with both individual and organizational goals.
Design Agencies & UX Consultancy
Kieran boasts over 14 years of hands-on experience in design agencies and UX consultancy. His expertise encompasses brand identity, web design, interactive applications, and motion graphics, contributing significantly to various brands, startups, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and non-profit organizations (NPOs) in designing, building, and launching impactful products and services. He has a unique ability to present design concepts and creative thinking to clients, guiding them through iterative, user-centered design processes.
Corporate Innovation
In the realm of corporate innovation, Kieran has worked for over 5 years on the design of HERE Technologies' location intelligence platform and data visualization toolkit. His efforts were not just limited to internal development; he proudly represented the company at major industry events, including the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), thus showcasing his contributions to the field at prominent platforms.
Startups Founded
His highly entrepreneurial spirit shines through as Kieran has co-founded three startups. His ability to innovate and adapt in fast-paced environments marks him as a leading figure in the entrepreneurial landscape.
University Lecturer
Kieran's journey also took him into academia, where he served as a lecturer in Interaction Design for a year, sharing his invaluable industry knowledge with budding designers and helping to shape the next generation of creative thinkers.
Education and Achievements
Kieran holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Fine Art, with a specialty in Interactivity and Digital Media, graduated with First Class Honors from London Metropolitan University. This academic foundation has provided him with the artistic and technical skills necessary to excel in various challenging roles throughout his career.
Achievements
Kieran's work has involved a deep commitment to understanding user needs. His passion for researching and exploring opportunities to solve challenges through emerging digital technologies has enabled him to create valuable solutions across a diverse range of fields. He has earned a reputation for his exceptional capacity to balance creativity with practical execution, ensuring that design solutions not only meet user demands but also align with strategic objectives and measurable impact.
Kieran's approach to leadership incorporates principles that foster a positive team culture. He prioritizes psychological safety, enabling all team members to share ideas freely without the fear of rejection or failure. He believes that dependability within the team is crucial, ensuring that everyone can count on one another to fulfill their commitments. Through clear structure and clarity, Kieran ensures that all team members understand their roles and how they contribute to the team's overall objectives. He emphasizes the importance of meaningful work that ties back to larger strategic goals, creating a sense of purpose among team members. Furthermore, Kieran is dedicated to ensuring that the team's work shows tangible and measurable impact.
Throughout his multifaceted career, Kieran McMillan has established himself as a key player in the design and innovation space, consistently pushing the boundaries of what is possible with digital technologies while remaining committed to user-centered design philosophy. His extensive experience, combined with a continuing passion for exploring new opportunities, positions him as a sought-after leader and contributor in the fields of design and technology.
Tags
design leadership
user-centered design
digital innovation
UX consultancy
location intelligence
entrepreneurship
interaction design
team management
brand identity
product design
academic experience
startup founder
data visualization
academic lecturing
