# Vijay Gakhar > Head of Design | Product, Brand & Growth | AI & Automation-Driven Platforms Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/vijaygakhar I’m a product design leader with deep expertise in driving growth through strategic, user-centered design. I’ve scaled high-performing teams across FinTech, HRTech, and enterprise SaaS - delivering adoption, retention, and revenue in complex, AI-powered products. From product strategy and discovery to go-to-market and growth, I embed design into every stage of the product lifecycle. I’ve built global teams, mentored emerging leaders, and partnered cross-functionally with product, engineering, marketing, and sales to align design with business priorities and accelerate execution. In every role, I level up design as both a business practice and a catalyst for clarity, velocity, and growth. ## Work Experience ### Head of Design @ Weave Bio Jan 2026 – Present | San Francisco, California, United States ### Advisor - Product, Design, GTM @ Staq ai Jan 2025 – Present ### Advisor - Growth @ Wolffkraft® - Global Strategy & Design Studio Jan 2025 – Present ### Head of Design - Product, Brand, Experience led growth @ Sense Jan 2022 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco, California, United States • Leading the design of an AI and automation-first platform transforming high volume talent engagement across healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, retail, staffing, and hospitality. • Turning fragmented products into a cohesive platform, while driving 0→1 design of new solutions across AI recruiting agents, Voice AI, CRM, and analytics. • Scaled and unified a multidisciplinary design org - aligning product, brand, design systems, and growth to drive adoption, retention, and category differentiation. ### Director, Head of Product Design @ Tradeshift Jan 2020 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco, Copenhagen Global head of design responsible for all of Tradeshift's products and managing 3 design studios in Copenhagen, Bucharest, and San Francisco. ### Sr. Product Lead, Financial Services @ Tradeshift Jan 2019 – Jan 2020 | San Francisco Managed the product design, development, and go to market of new working capital solutions for sellers on the Tradeshift network. ### Sr. Manager, Product Design @ Tradeshift Jan 2016 – Jan 2019 | San Francisco • Hands-on design leader responsible for establishing the design practice and growing the team at Tradeshift's new San Francisco HQ. • Created the new design-led product Tradeshift Go – a virtual credit card solution for spend management. • Led design for various products in incubation - Financial Services, B2B Marketplaces, Supply Chain Financing. ### Product Management, UX Design & Strategy @ Folloze Jan 2014 – Jan 2016 | San Francisco, Tel Aviv • Founding designer • Established the UX design and product management practices in this early stage startup. • Established the first product-market fit for the company through customer research, product road mapping, and end-to-end user experience design. • Managed agency relationships and freelance designers. ### UX Design & Research Lead @ Travelzoo Jan 2013 – Jan 2014 | San Francisco • Rebooted the UX function into a strategic product design team focused on elevating customer experience and business alignment • Led cross-functional efforts to launch new mobile apps, design a curated hotel booking platform, and unify Travelzoo’s design system across platforms ### UX Design & Research Lead @ Xoom, A PayPal Service Jan 2010 – Jan 2013 | San Francisco • Founded the customer-focused design practice and grew a team of 6 designers. • Uncovered the key customer need of TRUST, and focused the company’s competitive strategy on it. • Overhauled and streamlined the entire user experience using extensive customer research, data gathering, and A/B testing. • Established a culture of design (Know Your Customer) and set standards for design processes, including key stakeholder touch points, design reviews, and handoffs. ### Lead Designer @ Envestnet | Yodlee Jan 2008 – Jan 2010 | Redwood City Led a customer-focused redesign of a fragmented set of financial products into a cohesive suite of financial apps – Yodlee Moneycenter. ### User Experience Designer @ SAP Labs Jan 2005 – Jan 2008 | Palo Alto Led design system efforts for SAP Business ByDesign —platform for midsize enterprises—focusing on core experiences like enterprise search, collaboration, and productivity ### Visiting Researcher @ Fondazione Bruno Kessler - FBK Jan 2003 – Jan 2003 ## Education ### Master of Science in Human Computer Interaction, Computer Graphics, Consumer Behavior Purdue University ### Bachelor of Design in Interaction Design, Communication Design, Graphic Arts Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/vjgakhar --- Source: https://flows.cv/vijaygakhar JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/vijaygakhar/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13