Design Executive Council Podcast

Gordon Ching
  • 5.0 (3)
  • DESIGN
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Design Executive Council Podcast is where the sharpest minds in strategic design leadership converge to tackle the industry's most pressing challenges. From strategy, ethics, policy to the evolving role of design in business, we dive deep into the forces shaping the future. We go beyond the headlines to explore the impact of design on technology, business, and humanity. Tune in every other week for candid discussions with top design executives, led by curiosity, insight, and a passion for shaping what’s next.

  1. Rethinking Experience Management with Real-Time Intelligence

    11/25/2025

    Rethinking Experience Management with Real-Time Intelligence

    We’ve entered an age where experiences are no longer designed in cycles - they unfold in real time. In this episode, Gordon Ching sits down with Jeff Gelfuso, SVP, Chief Product and Experience Officer at Qualtrics, to explore how AI and real-time intelligence are reshaping experience management. Jeff describes this age of AI as a time when consumer expectations for immediacy are colliding with a growing demand for trust and transparency. He explains how design and technology teams are working differently, breaking down silos, connecting feedback loops, and empowering people to respond to insights as they emerge. At Qualtrics, this shift from reactive measurement to always-on experience intelligence is transforming how they understand both customers and employees. For Jeff, the future of experience leadership lies in designing with AI, not just for it - using automation to elevate human judgment, creativity, and empathy. He challenges organizations to move beyond efficiency metrics and embrace curiosity, anticipation, and purpose as guiding principles for innovation. Podcast Recorded in September 2025 ----------------------------------------------------------------- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ about the Design Executive Council Membership Read the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AI Report⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the newsletter Follow the Design Executive Council on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Gordon Ching on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Jeff Gelfuso on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠

    37 min
  2. Creative Amplification: AI as empowerment over displacement

    09/24/2025

    Creative Amplification: AI as empowerment over displacement

    AI should not be measured by how fast it can be deployed, but by the trust it builds and the creativity it amplifies. In this episode of the Design Executive Outlook on Enterprise AI series, our founder and CEO, Gordon Ching, sits down with Eric Snowden, SVP of Design at Adobe. Eric shares how Adobe resisted the industry rush to bolt AI onto products, choosing instead to prioritize trust, agency, and user choice. He explains why design leadership in the AI era is not about chasing speed, but about defining the conditions of trust. From giving creatives the ability to opt out of AI workflows, to expanding ambition without reducing teams, to embedding transparency as a differentiator, Adobe’s approach reframes AI as a catalyst for empowerment rather than displacement. Eric emphasizes that the difference between enabling people and displacing them is the line that defines creative leadership in this moment. By treating trust as a strategy and agency as non-negotiable, leaders can turn AI from a source of fear into a force for growth and lasting empowerment. Podcast Recorded in February 2025 ----------------------------------------------------------------- ⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ about the Design Executive Council Membership Read the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AI Report⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the newsletter Follow the Design Executive Council on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Gordon Ching on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Eric Snowden on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn

    34 min
  3. Designing Net Positive Futures in the Age of Intelligence

    09/18/2025

    Designing Net Positive Futures in the Age of Intelligence

    AI represents a paradigm shift as profound as the Industrial Revolution, only unfolding at unprecedented speed. In this episode of the Design Executive Outlook on Enterprise AI series, our founder and CEO, Gordon Ching, sits down with Benedikt Lehnert, Entrepreneurship and Design Fellow at Princeton University. Benedikt describes this moment as one of both fascination and unease: a frontier where the role of design leadership becomes inseparable from questions of ethics, responsibility, and human dignity. He argues that designers must go beyond product-making to become ethical navigators, negotiating the contract between business, society, and the planet to ensure AI delivers net positive outcomes. From the risks of convergence with other powerful technologies to the promise of multimodal interaction that makes computers more natural and human, Benedikt challenges leaders to move beyond short-lived efficiency gains and focus on creating lasting value. His call to action is clear: design leadership must preserve the human soul in AI, guiding technology to serve humanity at its best. Podcast Recorded in November 2024 ----------------------------------------------------------------- ⁠⁠⁠Learn more⁠⁠⁠⁠ about the Design Executive Council Membership Read the ⁠⁠⁠⁠AI Report⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the newsletter Follow the Design Executive Council on ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Gordon Ching on ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Benedikt Lehnert on ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn

    51 min
  4. Reclaiming Time, and Elevating Craft: Designing
for the Intelligence Era

    09/10/2025

    Reclaiming Time, and Elevating Craft: Designing
for the Intelligence Era

    AI is not incremental; it’s expansive. It demands that we treat it as a redefinition of experience, not just a tool for automation. In this episode of the Design Executive Outlook on Enterprise AI series, our founder and CEO, Gordon Ching, sits down with Christina Vallery, Chief Design Officer at The Cigna Group. Christina frames the AI era as an inflection point, one charged with both excitement and uncertainty. The challenge, she argues, is not simply adopting AI, but redefining how design creates value when machines take on routine tasks and humans elevate the craft. Christina encourages design leaders to adapt alongside AI’s rapid advancements, seeing it not just as a productivity tool, but as a catalyst for redefining human experience and unlocking new dimensions of design once beyond imagination. Looking ahead, Christina envisions hyper-personalized “couture technology” and immersive environments that will redefine how people engage with technology. Her call to action is clear: leaders who harness AI’s energy to amplify creativity and human connection will define the next era of competitive advantage. Podcast Recorded in November 2024 ----------------------------------------------------------------- ⁠⁠Learn more⁠⁠⁠ about the Design Executive Council Membership Read the ⁠⁠⁠AI Report⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠ for the newsletter Follow the Design Executive Council on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Gordon Ching on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Christina Vallery on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn

    37 min
  5. Responsible AI Starts with Literacy: Knowing What’s Ours, What’s the Machine’s

    09/04/2025

    Responsible AI Starts with Literacy: Knowing What’s Ours, What’s the Machine’s

    What are humans uniquely good at, and where do machines excel? For Kurt Walecki, Fmr. GM & SVP of Design at Intuit, with over 30 years of experience, this is the defining question of the AI era. In this episode of the Design Executive Outlook on Enterprise AI series, Kurt shares how successful innovation requires more than technology. It demands multidisciplinary collaboration, design, engineering, product, and data all leaning in together with empathy for the customer. At the center of his philosophy is functional allocation: creativity, empathy, and judgment remain human strengths, while AI contributes speed, precision, and scale. The future lies in orchestrating both to amplify outcomes. Kurt also addresses the reality many organizations face: AI is still narrow, constrained by tech debt and legacy systems, while the promise of predictive insights remains on the horizon. His concept of the “60/60 lean-in” reframes collaboration, showing how overlapping commitment and early co-creation accelerate trust and business impact. From eliminating “human drudgery” to anticipating customer needs, Kurt maps the evolution of AI’s value, and calls on organizations to become more customer-centric, empathetic, and design-led in shaping the future of responsible AI. Podcast Recorded in November 2024 ----------------------------------------------------------------- ⁠Learn more⁠⁠ about the Design Executive Council Membership Read the ⁠⁠AI Report⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠ for the newsletter Follow the Design Executive Council on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ Connect with Gordon Ching on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ Connect with Kurt Walecki on ⁠⁠LinkedIn

    41 min
  6. Treating AI as Material, Not Magic: Fostering Meaningful Application of AI in Business

    08/27/2025

    Treating AI as Material, Not Magic: Fostering Meaningful Application of AI in Business

    How can businesses leverage AI as a material whose true value emerges when applied to real business problems, and not simply magic? n this episode of the Design Executive Outlook on Enterprise AI series, Gordon Ching sits down with Matthew Holloway, Global Head of Design at SnapLogic, to explore a new way of thinking about artificial intelligence. With over a decade of experience spanning early machine learning startups to enterprise-scale AI integration, Matthew challenges the hype-driven mindset that too often drives AI adoption. He argues that the real opportunity lies not in chasing novelty, but in treating AI as a design material, one with its own texture, constraints, and possibilities. From exposing the limits of today’s conversational models to underscoring the importance of early design involvement, Matthew offers practical insights for design leaders navigating the AI era. He emphasizes the need to anchor innovation in real customer problems, reminding us that “ideas are naive, but problems have wisdom in them.” This conversation repositions AI as something to be studied, shaped, and mastered, just like past materials such as mobile, the internet, and social networks. His call to action is clear: to design meaningfully with AI, we must stop romanticizing it as magic and start working with it like matter - with curiosity, humility, and care. Podcast Recorded in October 2024 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Learn more⁠ about the Design Executive Council Membership Read the ⁠AI Report⁠ ⁠Sign up⁠ for the newsletter Follow the Design Executive Council on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Connect with Gordon Ching on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Connect with Matthew Holloway on ⁠LinkedIn

    40 min
  7. Weaving what’s Human in AI Patterns: Balancing Technology with Humanity

    08/20/2025

    Weaving what’s Human in AI Patterns: Balancing Technology with Humanity

    We often reduce artificial intelligence to two letters: AI. But what about the intelligence behind the artificial? In this episode of the Design Executive Podcast, Gordon Ching is joined by Dan Makoski, Chief Design Advisor & Fmr. Chief Design Officer at UnitedHealth Group, who reframes the AI conversation by focusing on what’s too often ignored, the human side of intelligence. He challenges design leaders to look beyond technical progress and ask deeper questions: What does it mean to be intelligent, conscious, or simply useful? From the jargon of banking and tech systems to the culture of optimization and automation, Dan highlights how AI reflects our systemic values and exposes where they fall short. AI isn’t just a tool; it’s a mirror and a test of what we value. This episode is a provocation to leaders: to reflect on the tradeoffs, navigate the tensions, and bring balance to AI decision-making so technology serves people first. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Learn more about the Design Executive Council Membership Read the AI Report Sign up for the newsletter Follow the Design Executive Council on LinkedIn Connect with Gordon Ching on LinkedIn Connect with Dan Makoski on LinkedIn

    49 min
  8. Bridging AI Vision and Reality: Idealized vs Practical Implementations of AI

    08/13/2025

    Bridging AI Vision and Reality: Idealized vs Practical Implementations of AI

    AI is not the answer; it's a tool. In this episode of the Design Executive Podcast, Gordon Ching is joined by Andy Vitale, VP, Head of Product Design at Taxwell, to explore how AI is reshaping product, design, and business strategy. They examine the hype surrounding artificial intelligence. While much of the world is chasing AI's "magical" promise, Andy brings it back to reality: AI isn’t here to solve all our problems; it’s here to help us solve them smarter and faster. He stresses that true value comes when AI is grounded in real human needs. For Andy, design's role in AI isn't about chasing shiny tools, it's about defining the right problems, understanding user outcomes, and then applying AI with purpose. Throughout the conversation, Andy brings a human-centered lens to a tech-saturated topic, calling on leaders to stop asking what AI can do and start asking what people actually need. How can we make people comfortable with AI and provide them with value?  The real impact happens when we focus on human intent, when we champion the human experience and connect it to measurable business value/outcomes. AI can help only if the solution is grounded in people-first thinking. His message is clear: go back to the basics, communicate the intent, stay curious, and use AI to accelerate what matters.  Podcast Recorded in October 2024 —-------------------------------------------------------------- Learn more about the Design Executive Council Membership Read the AI Report Sign up for the newsletter Connect with Gordon Ching on LinkedIn Connect with Andy Vitale on LinkedIn Follow the Design Executive Council on LinkedIn

    47 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Design Executive Council Podcast is where the sharpest minds in strategic design leadership converge to tackle the industry's most pressing challenges. From strategy, ethics, policy to the evolving role of design in business, we dive deep into the forces shaping the future. We go beyond the headlines to explore the impact of design on technology, business, and humanity. Tune in every other week for candid discussions with top design executives, led by curiosity, insight, and a passion for shaping what’s next.

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