Back to the LeaderboardThe Design Leadership Index

Stuart Frisby

Design leader at Preply; ex-Director of Design at Booking.com and Director of Brand & Experience Design at Deliveroo

ExecutiveLeads from the backHybrid schoolOrgSystemsAI
He pairs proven org-scaling and people-development credibility with hands-on AI infrastructure building, framing AI as crew-not-controls — augmentation that lifts designers rather than replacing craft.

Signature win. Built and scaled Booking.com's design discipline to roughly 250 designers over eight years in an experimentation-driven org.

The case

editorial · CCBEI · with sources
CraftHeld the design bar across Booking.com (250-designer org) and Deliveroo brand/experience; argues JPEGs of interfaces aren't design, judgment is — craft as decision quality, not pixels.8
CommunicationRuns Design Leadership Memos newsletter, frequent Leading Design speaker, and writes up his AI builds publicly — consistently makes the leadership case legible.9
BusinessBuilt and scaled design at Booking.com (a famously experimentation/conversion-driven org) over ~8 years and led brand+experience at Deliveroo — design tied to commercial outcomes at scale.8
EducationGrew a 250-person design discipline and centers his current work on people development and design leadership coaching; AI framed as 'crew, not controls' to lift designers, not replace them.9
InnovationHands-on building AI design infrastructure at Preply (COSTA, context/recall systems) and writing as he goes; adoption framed to augment designers — elevate, not hollow.8

Endorsed by peers

illustrative · opens with verified accounts
OverallI'd work for them103
CraftRaised my craft bar98
CommunicationMade the case for design111
BusinessMade design matter to the business98
EducationTaught me something I still use111
InnovationShowed me a new way to work98

Verified peers only — one tap with LinkedIn. Names stay private; we show role and industry. Bars are illustrative until the participation backend is live.

Stories

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