Veteran Chief Design Officer Heather Winkle to serve as DXC Research committee chair

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May 2024

Veteran Chief Design Officer Heather Winkle to serve as DXC Research committee chair

Veteran Chief Design Officer Heather Winkle to serve as DXC Research committee chair

No items found.
Veteran Chief Design Officer Heather Winkle to serve as DXC Research committee chair

Pictured above: Heather Winkle (DXC Research Chair) and Gordon Ching (DXC Founder & CEO)

‍San Francisco - May 29, 2024 - Design Executive Council (DXC), the premier membership-based organization for corporate design executives, today announced the formation of DXC Research, its business intelligence arm. Veteran Chief Design Officer Heather Winkle has been appointed as committee chair.

Heather brings over 30 years of experience as a design leader, most recently serving as Chief Design Officer at McAfee and SVP, Global Head of Design at Capital One. She has also held design leadership roles at Apple, Adobe, eBay, and Yahoo. As Chair of the DXC Research committee, Heather brings expertise in strategic design leadership, design organizations, product innovation, and business and technology transformation.

DXC Research aims to advance how companies compete in the experience economy by effectively operationalizing strategic design leadership. It leverages the expertise and track records of its members, who are seasoned design executives at the VP, SVP and C-level of major public and private companies. DXC Research sources insights from executives who bridge the gap between the boardroom and design studio.

DXC Research harnesses the untapped knowledge capital of DXC's premier membership, representing over $1 trillion in market capitalization and $600 billion in annual revenues. These design executives come from diverse industries and have an average of 20+ years of experience in corporate design leadership.

As DXC Research chair, Heather will guide the advancement of best practices in strategic design leadership, governance, and management. In partnership with the DXC and its members, she will support the synthesis of knowledge to establish DXC Research as a center of excellence for business intelligence and innovation.

“By bringing together the world’s most accomplished design and business executives who represent major players across the business landscape, we are building a distinct organization to address critical questions businesses face today and in a dynamic future. DXC Research enables us to partner strategic design executives with CEOs, CFOs, CHROs, board directors and other cross-functional leaders to amplify innovation profitably, ethically and sustainably,” she said. 

Founder & CEO of Design Executive Council, Gordon Ching added that "DXC Research represents a significant step in our mission to advance strategic design leadership. By leveraging the extensive experience of our members, we can provide unparalleled insights and data that differentiate DXC in the marketplace. Our goal is to transform the role of design in business, ensuring that it is a key driver of growth, innovation and long-term success."

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About

Heather Winkle

Heather Winkle has spent nearly three decades as a designer and product leader in high tech. If you’ve paid a bill online, gotten a stock quote, compared items while online shopping, or filtered a search result, you’ve interacted with something she designed for the first time on the internet. After completing Carnegie Mellon’s program in Industrial Design, Heather kicked off her career in Silicon Valley, designing some of the world’s now ubiquitous digital experiences for companies like Apple, Adobe, eBay, Intuit, Yahoo, and Netscape. Fascinated by design’s potential for business, Heather obtained her MBA and specialized in leading innovation. She expanded her human-centered approach into business strategy, organizational design, and leadership to transform teams, services, and systems at scale.

Heather most recently served as McAfee’s Chief Design Officer, shaping the company’s vision for the future of online protection. Prior to joining McAfee, Heather was Senior Vice President of Design at Capital One, where she helped establish and mature the company’s design practice and design its ecosystem of award-winning digital banking apps. Heather applies her passion for improving the human experience to more than just products: she founded an Equity by Design team to understand and address bias and inclusivity in practice, served on community service and grant-decisioning committees, and continues to be an active participant in business resource groups for women in tech, LGTBQIA2S allies, Black and LatinX in tech, and adoptive parents.

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About

Gordon Ching

Gordon Ching is the Founder & CEO of Design Executive Council (DXC), a premier membership network that empowers corporate design executives to deliver tangible business results in the C-Suite and on boards. Through its programs, DXC provides executive networking, research, and business insights that shape the future of strategic design leadership.

DXC unites senior design leaders from Fortune 500 companies and high-growth ventures, collectively influencing over $1 trillion in revenue and $3 trillion in market value. Under Gordon’s leadership, DXC has supported members in stepping into key leadership roles, enhancing their strategic influence and driving business transformation. This extends to fostering strong organizational cultures and guiding corporate direction. Members are using these insights to position design as a key driver of revenue growth, innovation, and customer loyalty, working to elevate design’s role within their organizations.

With experience in design, research, and marketing at Apple, Affirm, and other leading companies, along with a Master’s in Design Management from SCAD, Gordon brings a unique perspective that blends creative vision with strategic execution. He is passionate about demonstrating how design leadership can enhance business competitiveness and shape the strategic direction of today’s top organizations.

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