Maya is a seasoned design leader and educator with over 15 years of experience in the tech industry. Based in Stockholm, she brings a thoughtful, people-first approach to building products and teams.

Outside of work, she spends time with her rescue husky, Sheba. Her love language is hosting dinner parties and sharing food with friends

& Educator

Design Leader


LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY

Design leadership is about more than just shipping great work—it's about creating an environment where designers feel safe, supported, and inspired to do their best. Over the years, I’ve shaped a set of guiding principles that reflect how I lead teams, grow talent, and navigate complex challenges. These principles are at the core of how I build trust, foster collaboration, and drive meaningful impact.

  • I create a foundation of trust and psychological safety for my team. By setting clear boundaries and fostering transparency, I empower designers to do their most creative work. I encourage open, honest feedback in both directions—giving and receiving—to continuously improve and grow together.

  • Strong leadership means making clear, timely decisions. I provide my team with a clear vision and path forward, reducing ambiguity and enabling focus and confidence in execution.

  • I believe talent is developed, not innate. Designers thrive when given the right scope and understanding of their impact. I invest in nurturing skills and mindset, helping individuals grow into rockstars through support, challenge, and opportunity.

  • I lead by example and am not afraid to roll up my sleeves. Being hands-on allows me to stay connected to the work, guide effectively, and inspire by showing commitment alongside my team.

  • I believe pairing designers and encouraging teamwork is essential to solving complex problems. Designers thrive through collaboration, learning, and synergy rather than working in isolation.

  • Effective leadership requires managing expectations both upstream and downstream. I emphasize picking your battles wisely, understanding trade-offs, and knowing your non-negotiables. Collaboration is rooted in appreciating and integrating diverse perspectives.


Select Work

Klarna

Design Director for the Card, Banking & Wallet Experience

SVA

Taught ‘AI for Social Change’ course at the School of Visual Arts in NYC graduate program

Spotify

Head of design for Car, Wearables, and partner integrations

ELVTR

Taught a course on Designing for Fintech for an online certification

IBM Watson

Lead designer for IBM Watson experiences & IBM Watson consultancy

Conferences

Global conferences and speaking engagements


I loved working with Maya in my time leading UX design at Klarna. Maya is an exceptional product design leader who consistently drove impactful innovation in our banking and card products, expertly scaling design expertise and influencing C-suite stakeholders. She consistently demonstrated an impressive ability to prioritize for impact and scale design expertise while navigating complex organizational changes, notably guiding her team through the successful launch of new credit and debit card products informed by UX research.”


Kelly Bladl - Localization & Language Lead Personio

“Working with Maya was a transformative experience: her empathetic and visionary leadership allowed me to grow exponentially in just a few years. She leads with positivity and precision, keeping the team aligned while always striving for excellence in every project.”

Simone Marcarone - Senior Design Lead Klarna