Design Leadership at Constellation Automotive Group
Overview
Group Design and Research Director
Constellation Automotive Group - cinch, BCA, WeBuyAnyCar, Elmo, Marshall Motor Group
April 2015 - June 2023
One of the fastest-funded startups in UK history, cinch is the UK’s leading B2C online used car marketplace, part of the larger Constellation Automotive Group, the largest vertically integrated digital car marketplace across 12 European countries.
Transformed Constellation Automotive Group and it’s leading Uk & EU B2C and B2B brands to become a leader in designing world class, innovative automotive products with meaningful business results. Launched and maintained multiple initiatives aimed at transforming the digital car buying experience, aligning the design org roadmap and contributing to company wide objectives.
I managed a design org of 50+ individual contributors and managers up to the Director level, encompassing UX Design, UI / Visual Design, User Research, CX Research, Content Design and Service Design. Leading the design of in-life and new products across 12 European countries, combining the leading digital brands across the segments of consumer to business, business to business and business to consumer; WeBuyAnyCar, BCA, Cinch, Elmo, CarNext and Marshall Motor Group.
Investing in innovation while maintaining exceptional experiences
At Constellation Automotive, I managed a design org including individual contributors and managers up to the Director level, leading the design of in-market and new products that spanned multiple digital channels - including native iOS and Android apps, desktop, tablet and mobile. Including driving innovations across AI and ML initiatives to develop products and services aimed at detecting vehicle damage that could be used to generate new revenue streams and increase confidence in consumer and trade buying.
Scaling and levelling up a talented design org
Upon my arrival at the company, my challenge was to educate the business on human centered design practices, demonstrate value and scale the design org accordingly. Fuelled by the desire to define and build flagship products and experiences within the automotive space and scale a team of talented, smart, and passionate people - the team scaled to 50+ during my time. I ensured my org included proper staffing across UX design, UI design, product design, content and UX writing, design systems, design ops and research.
I also collaborated with peers to create well-defined career paths for the design org, and promoted multiple team members to more senior and management positions.
Increasing visibility
I partnered with executive peers across the company to drive visibility for my design org’s work and contributions, through monthly exec board presentations, attending and speaking at senior management events, town hall sessions and wider team events. This drove a sense of mission, purpose, and belonging for my org, which grew its capacity by 5x+ during my tenure.
Impact
In a competitive automotive landscape, we maintained the position as a leader in this space delivering exceptional experiences across multiple verticals. Enhancing and running experimentation across existing B2C and B2B products and delivering new innovative products and services to market such as cinchCharge.
“First & foremost, Dean is a first-class leader who is able to extract maximum performance from any team. This coupled with his depth of knowledge in UX, design & research makes him the only choice for any organisation that wants to be at the leading edge in this space. I had the pleasure of Dean reporting into me, his clarity of strategic thinking was critical in Constellation being first to market in a number of application areas. His commitment & dedication is second to none & if I ever again have the need for someone to spearhead this space, Dean would be my only choice.”
Dene Jones, Group Chief Marketing & Data Officer
I reported to him at BCA UK & EU
“Dean is one of the most talented Design leaders I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Not only he is highly technical on all design disciplines but he also has a rare entrepreneurial mindset which was key for the quick development of multiple products we launched as a team. Dean will be a huge asset for any company and I wouldn’t hesitate to hire and work with him again.”
Jose Gaspar, Group Chief Product Officer
I reported to him at cinch