# Andre Pennycooke > Product Design Leader | Championing UX & Strategic Innovation | Empowering Startups to Scale and Dominate Markets Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/andrepennycooke As an experienced product design leader, I am passionate about guiding and mentoring teams that create equitable and user-friendly products that make a meaningful difference in people's lives. My approach is grounded in a deep understanding of the needs and values of diverse user groups, and I specialize in fostering collaborative environments that inspire innovation and creativity. To ensure that my teams create products that are inclusive and accessible to a wide range of users, I provide guidance on research methods and user testing techniques that help us to understand the unique needs and preferences of different user groups. Whether designing for mobile, desktop, or emerging platforms, I believe in empowering my teams to create products that not only meet business objectives, but that also empower and enrich the lives of users. Throughout every stage of the design process, I am committed to ensuring that every aspect of the product is grounded in principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion. I work tirelessly to foster inclusive and collaborative environments where all voices are heard and where my teams are empowered to create exceptional products that truly resonate with users. From initial concept to final launch, I am dedicated to guiding my teams and collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to ensure that the final product is people-first and aligned with the overarching goals and values of the organization. With a track record of delivering exceptional products that make a real difference, I am excited to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible in product design and to lead teams that truly make a positive impact on people's lives. ## Work Experience ### Assoc. Partner, Product Design, UX & Innovation Lead @ AWSM LABS Jan 2024 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area Partnering with AWSM LABS to deliver human-centered design leadership across AI enablement engagements. Focused on activating workflows through agent-based automation (AGNT SMTH) and building capabilities that bridge strategy, systems thinking, and user experience. Contributing to product direction, storytelling, and UX strategy for internal tools and client-facing solutions. ### Advisor @ Stealth AI Startup Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco Bay Area Driving startup success through strategic leadership in design, product management, and branding. My expertise lies in elevating startups with high growth potential into market-leading positions. ### Vice President of Design and Research @ Dave Jan 2022 – Jan 2023 | Los Angeles Metropolitan Area As VP of Design and Research at Dave, I'm leading a team of designers and researchers who are dedicated to transforming the fintech industry. We're working on innovative products that make a real difference in people's lives, from helping them save money to building their credit and managing their finances more effectively. ### UX Director @ Shopify Jan 2021 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Director of Product Design @ Varo Bank Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Design Director @ Varo Bank Jan 2019 – Jan 2020 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Vice President, User Experience Design Lead @ JPMorgan Chase & Co. Jan 2017 – Jan 2019 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Mobile Product Designer @ Bank of America Jan 2015 – Jan 2017 | San Francisco Bay Area Lead visual designer for Bank of America digital products and user experience team. Responsible for visual design, user interface and motion design for bank’s newly relaunched iOS and Android mobile applications in Spanish and English. Responsible for the creation of internal design toolkits which cover interaction, design patterns and visual design guidelines. These guides are used widely by the bank’s UX, Design, engineering, and testing organizations. ### Experience Director at WestMarine.com @ West Marine Jan 2013 – Jan 2015 | Watsonville, California, United States Architected and led West Marine’s first omnichannel team, transforming siloed creative, marketing, and IT workflows into a unified engine that drove 25% YoY eCommerce growth and $35M in incremental revenue over two years. By mentoring cross-functional teams and deploying agile design sprints, accelerated campaign deployment by three weeks while reducing operational redundancies by 40%. Spearheaded the re-platforming of WestMarine.com with IBM WebSphere, modernizing UX to boost mobile conversion rates by 25% and increase mobile-driven revenue to 13.2%—outpacing marine retail benchmarks. Collaborated with Garmin and Sperry to launch co-branded campaigns that expanded lifestyle categories by 14.6%, while BOPIS integration across 256 stores slashed delivery times by 2.5 days, lifting in-store pickup adoption by 22%. Leadership in unifying inventory systems reduced stockouts by 34%, directly elevating customer satisfaction scores by 14 points. This customer-first approach redefined West Marine as a Waterlife Outfitter, where data-driven storytelling and personalized tools like the West Advisor deepened loyalty among outdoor enthusiasts. ### Art Director @ AMC Networks Jan 2010 – Jan 2013 | New York Art directed award-winning marketing efforts for scripted and unscripted shows including The Walking Dead, MadMen, Hell on Wheels, The Killing and Breaking Bad. Partnered with Ad Sales group and advertisers to create digital promotions and social media initiatives for AMC.com and tablet based second screen experience StorySync. Campaigns including Emmy® and Golden Globes® considerations, Network Upfront videos / presentations and Sundance Film Festival Marketing. Developed global licensing style guide with key licensee partners for The Walking Dead merchandise (Seasons 2 thru 4.) ### Creative Director & Founding Partner @ Studia Design NYC Jan 2008 – Jan 2013 | New York Creative solutions for entertainment, performing arts institutions and media firms. City-wide campaign and branding for The Mayor’s Office of Adult Education’s Emmy® award winning show ‘We are New York.’ Advertising solutions for major brands on Evite.com including: Vaseline, National Pork Board, Febreze, and M&M Mars. Creative direction of marketing and online presence for NYC performing arts institutions Harlem Stage and 651 Arts. ### Creative Director @ Blue Fusion Marketing Jan 2006 – Jan 2008 | New York Lead UX/UI for interactive products such as websites, digital media marketing materials, product demos and training materials by creating wireframes, site maps, low and high-fidelity comps. Additional visual design responsibilities included art directing photographers and photo shoots, storyboarding and sourcing stock photography. ### Art Director @ The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation Jan 2005 – Jan 2006 | New York Directed presentations for museum special projects and exhibition proposals for the Guggenheim Foundation, including the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum and the Guggenheim‑Hermitage Vilnius. ### Art Director @ Jazz at Lincoln Center Jan 2004 – Jan 2005 Multimedia marketing campaign for the Grand Opening Festival and the following inaugural season. Created and implemented an enterprise-wide digital request system for Creative Services division. ### Art Director @ Freelance Art Director Jan 1999 – Jan 2004 Clients included: Toys 'r us.com, 1eEurope, New York Law School, Sirius.com, Siegel & Gale and Army.com. ### Design Consultant @ 1eEurope, United Kingdom Jan 2000 – Jan 2001 As a London-based consultant at this e-business consultancy and systems integration consulting firm I was charged with the creation of a company-wide best practices guide (we called it the European Knowledge Exchange portal). I leveraged my knowledge of website design and development, and both interfaced with and trained team members across Europe. It gave me a tremendous background in global consulting/collaboration, and the confidence to bridge the gap between management and technology. ### Art Director / Associate Creative Director @ Interactive8 / Luminant Worldwide Jan 1999 – Jan 2000 | New York As an art director at this interactive agency, I created promotional web sites for key A&E, History Channel and Bravo programming and their virtual online stores. I also designed promotional websites for M&M Mars, AT&T and Sony Entertainment. Once I got promoted to the role of associate creative director, I got to manage my first team. ### Art Director / Creative Director @ iQ Productions / Mediasplunge Jan 1997 – Jan 1999 This product development start-up created the first interactive Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer trading cards, and trading cards for franchises like Star Trek and Xena: Warrior Princess. They brought me on board for my knowledge of the product properties (I grew up playing soccer, and was an avid fan of the shows). I performed all of the interface design for the cards themselves and the promotional material. I learned the lifeline of a start-up: performing multiple functions and immersing myself in the job 24/7. ### Junior Graphic Designer @ Waters Design Associates, Inc. Jan 1996 – Jan 1997 | New York In my quest to return to digital user interface design, I sent John Waters, the owner of this small corporate design firm, a fan letter. I designed print (brochures, financial reports, postcards) and web solutions for clients such as IBM, Merrill Lynch and MobileComm, and learned more about how to find a space for creative freedom within large, established brands. ### Junior Designer @ American Health Magazine Jan 1994 – Jan 1996 | New York As a junior designer, I was given the responsibility for designing whole sections of American Health Magazine (now defunct), photo editing, vendor management and art directing photo shoots. During my tenure, the magazine also got condensed into a miniature digest format for readers of Reader’s Digest, and I got the challenging job of miniaturizing it—without losing the magazine’s enormous brand equities. ### Intern / Freelance Designer @ IBM T. J. Watson Research Center Jan 1995 – Jan 1995 | New York My continued fascination with technology brought me on board as the first graphic designer in the Human-Centric Applications Group. Back then, user experience wasn’t really a discipline. Even as an intern, I was brought on board to create an appealing, relatable, easy-to-use consumer interface for internal modeling purposes. It gave me an amazing glimpse of a rapidly emerging technology, and an introduction into the world of graphic user interface (GUI). ### Promotion Designer Assistant @ Disney Publishing Worldwide Jan 1993 – Jan 1994 While still a student at Cooper Union, I acted as an assistant to the Promotional Designer and compiled copy, cover art, graphics, and all the other elements of sales sheets and other promotional packages for advertising salespeople at Discover and Family Fun magazines. ## Education ### Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Graphic Design, Fine Arts The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/pennycooke - Website: https://instagram.com/pennycooke/ - Website: https://goo.gl/R4P5DU --- Source: https://flows.cv/andrepennycooke JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/andrepennycooke/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-05