Founding Member

Dan Makoski

Chief Design Advisor & Fmr. Chief Design Officer
at
UnitedHealth Group

Dan Makoski is a visionary design executive renowned for his ability to align an organization’s core purpose with transformative technology and strategic design. As Chief Design Advisor at Uplifting Design, he specializes in elevating design within select organizations, empowering teams, and mentoring the next generation of design leaders.

Dan’s extensive leadership experience includes serving as Chief Design Officer at UnitedHealth Group, where he integrated design at scale to enhance healthcare experiences, and as CDO at Lloyds Banking Group, leading customer-centric innovations across financial services. At Walmart, the world’s largest company, he was Head of Design, driving major retail innovations. He initiated Project ARA at Google, reinvented Hotmail, and crafted the original Microsoft Surface. His global influence in design research began at Motorola, and he broke new ground as Capital One’s first VP of Design.

Beyond the boardroom, Dan’s passion for creativity takes form through dance; he’s mastered seven versions of the Running Man and regularly hones his skills in hip hop dance classes.