Sammi Hinds
I'm a design leader who builds capability that lasts beyond the project. Over 10+ years, I've scaled design teams at enterprise level, delivered measurable outcomes for millions of customers, and created sustainable design practices that keep organisations innovating long after I'm gone. I don't just solve problems, I build the internal expertise to solve them continuously.
2.2M+
members impacted
4.5M+
customers served
0 to 20
scaled design capability
$800K+
annual savings delivered
About
My career in design leadership has been driven by one core belief: when organisations truly understand their customers and empower their teams with design capability, transformation becomes sustainable. I don't just deliver projects, I build the internal expertise that keeps delivering long after I'm gone.
Strategic design and human-centred thinking underpin my career. I have built and scaled design functions, leading multidisciplinary teams across strategic and service design, UX, content, and research to deliver transformation at enterprise scale.
At my core, I'm passionate about people as much as process. I've mentored emerging designers, coached leaders, and created psychologically safe, inclusive environments where creativity thrives.
As the founder of RuminX, I collaborate with clients who want design to play a central role in transforming their customer experience. My approach brings both insight and practical implementation to deliver outcomes that matter to organisations and their customers.
My Journey to Design Leadership
2013-2015
Discovered human-centred design at IAG Insurance
2016-2017
Agency experience at MAKE Studios, honing craft across industries
2017-2022
Built AGL Energy's first service design team from ground up
2022-2023
Led design strategy for 2.2M member RACV organisation
2023-Present
Founded RuminX to scale design capability across organisations
My Approach to Design Leadership
Human-Centred Transformation
I lead teams to validate every decision through research, testing, and continuous learning. Design isn't about assumptions, it's about understanding real people and solving real problems.
Capability Over Dependency
I build design maturity from the inside through training, mentoring, and embedding designers across functions. My goal is to make organisations self-sufficient in design excellence.
Measurable Business Impact
Every design initiative connects to strategic objectives. I establish clear metrics, demonstrate ROI, and make design's value undeniable to the C-suite.
Leadership Philosophy & Core Experience
Leadership Philosophy
- •Human-centred design drives meaningful transformation
- •Cross-functional collaboration amplifies impact
- •Design capabilities should be embedded organisation-wide
- •Measurable outcomes validate design decisions
Core Expertise
- •Service Design & Customer Experience
- •Design Team Leadership & Capability Building
- •Digital Transformation Strategy
- •Human-Centred Design Training
Beyond the Day Job
Outside of work, I'm a proud regional Victorian living in the Central-western part of Victoria with my family. The move from Melbourne to regional Victoria has given me a deeper appreciation for community, sustainability, and the importance of designing services that are inclusive and serve diverse communities, not just metropolitan areas.
I'm passionate about mentoring emerging designers and contributing to the design community. I regularly speak at industry events, run lunch and learn workshops, and share insights on design leadership and capability building. I've recently enjoyed diving into the creative intersection of Design and AI and have explored how AI can elevate our work.
When I'm not designing or facilitating, you'll find me tending to my garden (theres a lot of it!) or caravaning around our beautiful country soaking up precious moments with my family. I believe leadership is about bringing authenticity to every room and making it safe for others to do the same.
That's why my team often gets glimpses of my home life, because real connection inspires trust, belonging, and better work for us all.
Experience
Throughout my career, I have worked in-house with respected organisations such as RACV, AGL Energy, IAG Insurance, and also have agency experience. I have built and led design teams of 15-20 people, working across disciplines to embed human-centred design principles in large-scale programs. My work has delivered measurable outcomes for 2.2 million members and 4.5 million customers, enabling service and digital transformation. These experiences have shaped my approach and prepared me to lead RuminX, where I help clients elevate their customer experience and achieve meaningful business results through design-led innovation.
Trusted by Leading Organisations
How I Lead Design Teams
Lead with Empathy
I create psychologically safe environments where creativity thrives and people feel valued
Demonstrate Through Doing
I roll up my sleeves and work alongside teams, showing rather than just directing
Connect to Strategy
I ensure every design initiative ladders up to business objectives and organisational goals
Build for Tomorrow
I focus on capability building so teams grow stronger and more autonomous over time
Selected Work
While client confidentiality prevents sharing full details, here are three transformations I've led, showing both the strategic approach and tangible outcomes. Each project demonstrates different facets of design leadership: scaling digital experiences, building internal capability, and driving measurable results.
Multi-Channel Digital Transformation
Member Organisation
Head of Design | 2.2M member organisation
The Challenge
A 2.2M member organisation needed to shift from traditional service channels to digital-first experiences, with no compromise on service quality. Design was recognised as a critical enabler to reimagine the end to end journey, clarifying what an ideal experience looked like and what organisational capabilities were required to enable it. My team was engaged to envision this ideal future state and to pinpoint actionable opportunities across the organisation that could deliver measurable improvements for customers and the business.
My Approach
- •Established design governance connecting to board-level strategic priorities
- •Built cross-functional collaboration between design, product, technology, and operations teams
- •Implemented data-driven decision making across critical experience points
- •Created design operations framework including playbooks, templates, and quality standards
- •Presented regular showcases to executive leadership with clear ROI metrics
The Outcomes
- •Up to 216K repeat calls and 60K cancel calls averted per year through redesign
- •Eliminated 100,000+ contact centre calls through digital CX redesign, saving equivalent of 13 FTE annually
- •Shifted 650,000 service requests to digital self-service channels
- •Created the first end to end detailed experience map for the organisation bringing together a holistic channel and technology view
What This Demonstrates
Strategic design leadership at enterprise scale, building credibility through measurable outcomes, creating operational efficiency through systems thinking, and shifting organisational culture to value design as a critical enabler and business driver.
Design Capability Building
Energy Sector
Manager, Service Design | 4.2M+ customer base
The Challenge
As a design leader, I've built, scaled, and matured design teams to drive lasting impact. At a major Australian retailer, I initiated and authored the business case for the company's first dedicated service design team, growing the group to eight multidisciplinary designers. Alongside this, I fostered organisation-wide design maturity and a human-centred design culture. By strengthening design operations, I elevated the capability and craft of existing teams, ensuring design remained a strategic force across the business.
My Approach
- •Developed comprehensive business case demonstrating ROI of internal design capability
- •Recruited and onboarded multidisciplinary designers across service design, UX, and research
- •Established design system governance and standardised processes
- •Created organisation-wide HCD training program with hands-on workshops
- •Built measurement frameworks to demonstrate design's business impact
The Outcomes
- •Secured board approval for design in-sourcing framework delivering $800K+ annual savings
- •Designed B2B digital portal resulting in 41% year-on-year sales growth
- •Increased operational efficiency by 20% through unified Customer Experience Architecture
- •Improved design team efficiency by 25% through design system governance
- •Trained 15% of workforce (500+ employees) in human-centred design within 18 months
- •Won Gold at Melbourne Design Awards 2021 and multiple Canstar Blue Innovation Excellence Awards
What This Demonstrates
Building design capability from ground up, demonstrating business value through measurable outcomes, and creating sustainable design practices that enable organisation-wide transformation.
Design Capability Optimisation
Local Government
Principal Design Consultant | Enabling Design at Scale
The Challenge
Developed comprehensive design capability strategy for Victorian local government organisation to improve citizen services and internal ways of working. Combined strategic assessment, practical training delivery, and operational improvements.
My Approach
- •Conducted comprehensive capability assessment across design team and organisation
- •Developed targeted training programs addressing specific skill gaps
- •Created Ways of Working playbooks standardising design processes
- •Implemented design operations improvements for efficiency and quality
- •Established measurement frameworks to track capability growth
The Outcomes
- •Reduced new designer onboarding time by 40% through comprehensive playbooks and design operations/ways of working
- •34% uplift in sentiment around learning and development
- •Uplift design capability within 6 months improving design output and operations
What This Demonstrates
Strategic capability assessment combined with practical training delivery and operational improvements to build sustainable internal design expertise that delivers ongoing citizen and business value.
Want to Discuss More?
Book a ConversationWhat Leaders Say About Working With Me
These recommendations come from senior leaders I've partnered with to drive transformation at enterprise scale.
"We've had the pleasure of partnering with Sammi Hinds to deliver Human-Centred Design training and the experience has been outstanding. Sammi brings a highly professional and flexible approach, tailoring content to meet the specific needs of our teams. Participants consistently praised her engaging facilitation style and her ability to connect training concepts to real-world challenges. The sessions were practical, insightful, and clearly designed to drive meaningful business outcomes and enhance customer experience. Sammi's commitment to adding value was evident throughout, and we look forward to future collaborations."
Head of Customer Experience
Head of Customer Experience
Major Australian Energy Retailer
"Sammi was a joy to work with. She clearly identified gaps and opportunities for capability growth and delivered a training strategy to uplift WorkSafe's design capability. After 6 months we noted a strong uplift across the areas identified and received positive stakeholder feedback which align to the strategies key metrics for success."
Head of Design
Head of Design
Local Government Organisation
"I've had the privilege of working closely with Sammi during a period of significant cultural and operational transformation. What sets Sammi apart is her ability to translate the principles of HCD into tangible business outcomes. She doesn't just run workshops, she builds movements. She has an exceptional ability to inspire and align senior leaders, frontline teams, and cross-functional stakeholders around a shared vision. She balances strategic foresight with practical delivery, a rare combination. Her work didn't just drive better customer outcomes; it shifted how our organisation thinks, acts, and leads. She is a trusted partner, a cultural catalyst, and a design leader of the highest calibre."
Digital Transformation Director
Digital Transformation Director
Insurance Sector
Validated Impact
View my full professional profile and additional recommendations on LinkedIn.
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Location
Servicing Greater Melbourne, Geelong & Regional Victoria