Appsynth (Deloitte Digital) · Design-org leadership
Running a design department like a business.
Context
Appsynth is a product and design studio (part of Deloitte Digital) delivering for major brands across Thailand and the region. I ran its product design department — an 18+ person team delivering concurrent client programmes for names like Nissan, 7-Eleven Thailand, SCB Asset Management, Bangchak, Finansia and Aionex.
The challenge
This wasn't a single-product design team; it was a department carrying commercial accountability. Eighteen-plus designers, several concurrent client programmes, and full P&L — resourcing, budgeting, quality, and business development — all needed to hold together without the delivery friction that erodes both margin and client trust.
What I did
I led as a manager of managers, with direct reports who ran their own teams, and owned the department's P&L end to end. I built the operational backbone — frameworks for project intake, resource allocation, and delivery governance — that reduced execution friction and made quality consistent across every engagement. And I upskilled the department into an AI-native team, changing how the work actually got made.
How I led
On the flagship Nissan account I worked as a player-coach — hands-on with both the Nissan International brand team and Nissan Thailand while still running the department. That's the balance the role demanded: senior enough to own the commercials and the leadership bench, close enough to the craft to set the bar on the work itself.
Outcome
A department that delivered consistently across a demanding roster of enterprise clients, with the operating model, governance, and leadership depth to do it profitably. [Specific P&L and turnaround figures to be added.]
What it proves
This is design leadership with real commercial accountability — P&L, manager of managers, business development, and delivery governance — not just design direction. It's the operator half of the job, in a client-services crucible.