Tiffany Apatu

I am a Designer.
I am a Creative Leader.
And, like all good work,
I am a Work in Progress.

I believe great design happens when we put people at the centre — that’s how you get the right results. Less is more, details matter, and craft is earned through hard work, listening, and constant iteration.

I design experiences that people love — and, just as importantly, I build and grow design teams who can do it even better.

Today, I’m the General Manager of Product Design at Sportsbet, where I lead a team shaping one of Australia’s most-used apps.

Who am I?

I’m a Design Thinker and Leader with 25+ years of experience in product design and strategy.

I am committed to creating user experiences that people want and love. Importantly, I build, lead and empower the teams that do so.

I’m empathic, collaborative and truly believe that together, we are better.

Career highlights

Leading Design, and the performance of design for one of Australia’s most used (and loved) entertainment apps.

I’m so proud of building and developing design teams at Console Connect/PCCW Global and Flight Centre.

Designing Console Connect from the ground up in true Silicon Valley startup style.

Producing and rolling out all creative for Flight Centre’s digital signage implementation – much of which is still in use today (more than 5 years later).

Launching the website and online booking engine for Virgin Australia’s first long haul airline.

What makes me tick?

Collaborating, creating things that people love and need, problem-solving, gorgeous design… and ~~travelling and~~ eating Japanese food.

When it comes to Creative Leadership, I value clarity, creativity and collaboration.

My core skills

UX Direction and Leadership

Build, maintain and grow creative design and product teams
Develop and mentor creative professionals
Define and execute Design strategies
Brand championing
Evangelise and enable Design Thinking

Empathise through research

1:1 interviews
Group studies and focus groups
Contextual enquiry
Genba walks
Empathy mapping

Problem definition

Research analysis
Problem definition workshops: in-person and remote
Journey maps

Ideation and collaboration

Brainstorming and gamestorming: in-person and remote
Affinity diagramming
Rapid prototyping
Collaborative prioritisation

Prototyping and design

Low-fi paper
Mid-fi using Whimsical, inVision
Hi-fi using Figma or Sketch + inVision
Product concept production including video, brochures, posters
Service blueprinting

Research and testing

Design and facilitate:
- usability testing
- focus groups
- surveys and feedback
Analyse and workshop feedback
Iterative design/test and learn

CURRENT POSITION

Sportsbet

General Manager of Product Design

Team

At Sportsbet, I lead the Experience Design team — a talented group of product, systems, and research designers who shape one of Australia’s most-used apps.

My focus is on creating the conditions for designers to thrive: building confidence, craft, and community, while fostering a culture of collaboration and high performance.

Strategy

I set the design vision and strategy for the app, balancing the needs of long-time racing punters with newer generations of sports fans.

That means investing in our design system, defining principles like Speed & Ease, and ensuring our design practice is a strategic partner to Product, Tech, and Marketing.

I also actively contribute to Sportsbet-wide strategic planning and prioritisation.

Performance

Design at Sportsbet isn’t just about aesthetics — it’s about outcomes.

I drive commercial alignment and measure our impact through customer satisfaction, adoption of our design system, and improvements to speed, ease, and engagement across the app.

The goal is simple: deliver experiences that customers love, and that deliver results for the business.

EXPERIENCE

Console Connect / PCCW Global

VP Global Product Design

Global team

I led and enabled a team of Product Designers, UX Researchers/Testers and Analytics specialists in Brisbane, London and Athens.

We operated in a SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework environment) and worked with Business Owners, Product Managers, Systems Architects and feature teams (including Product Owners, Scrum Masters, Developers and Quality Engineers).

Strategy

I developed and evolved our Product Design Strategy and roadmap as well as actively contributed to product strategies at large. We used Design Thinking to test ideas and inform prioritisation.

I continuously interacted with stakeholders at all levels and promote Design and Design Thinking in product development and agile environments.

I was an extended part of the Marketing team and actively contributed to Brand Strategy and Creative Direction.

Design

I designed and facilitated workshops including Problem Definition, Ideation, Customer Journey Mapping and Service Blueprinting.

I both designed, and contributed to the design of, UX designs from low-fi wireframes to detailed interactive prototypes.

We launched the Nimbus Design System.

EXPERIENCE

Flight Centre Travel Group

Head of Digital Experience

Defined strategy and program of work for Digital Experience for Flight Centre.

Enabled a team of 20 digital specialists and 3 Team Leaders.

Accountable for UX and UI Design, Development and Optimisation.

Customer and competitive research and analysis.

Creative and UX direction.

Leader, Design & User Experience

Led the design and user experience for Flight Centre, Student Flights, Escape Travel and associated brands.

Performed analysis and conversion rate optimisation through multi-variate testing.

Established and grew Flight Centre’s first Design and UX team.

Key projects

A key contributor to the “Travel Shop of the Future” Digital Transformation program.

Lead Designer for global digital signage design and rollout.

Established Customer Closeness Program to drive habitual customer insights.

Peak XD

Senior UX Consultant

Interaction, interface and information design for private and public sector clients. Designed and conducted usability testing. Delivered UX training courses.

Virgin Australia Airlines

UX/CX Specialist (various positions)

Developed online strategy and continuous improvement for all websites and online booking engines. UI and interaction design, testing and optimisation. CX and service design for transformational projects.

Suncorp Bank

Customer Experience Advisor

CX design for Suncorp website, Internet Banking, GIO website and online tools including insurance quoting and investment calculators.

Education

Bachelor of Arts (Communication Design)
Queensland University of Technology

Bachelor of Business (Communication)
Queensland University of Technology

Professional Education

AI-Driven Leadership: Strategies for the Future
Stanford

Blockchain Technologies: Business Innovation and Application
MIT Sloan School of Management

Foundations in Creative Leadership Certificate
IDEO-U
Designing Strategy
Leading for Creativity
Storytelling for Influence
Cultivating Creative Collaboration