DESIGNING EXPERIENCES THAT MATTER
Hi. I am Marianne, a UX leader & business transformation strategist
With 14 years of experience, I build and scale high-performing UX teams, establish research-driven strategies, and leverage AI to create intuitive cross-channel experiences that drive measurable business impact.
​
I believe UX is more than just design—it's a strategic function that shapes business outcomes. My approach blends systems thinking, research, and agile execution to ensure UX is not just a tool for efficiency but a driver of innovation and growth.
My approach
I transform user experience into measurable business value by combining strategic design thinking with deep user understanding. My collaborative, research-driven approach helps organizations create exceptional experiences that drive growth while solving real human problems.
​
UX as Business Strategy
I position UX as a strategic business function that directly impacts customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and revenue growth. My approach combines deep user understanding with business acumen to create experiences that resonate with users while delivering measurable outcomes.​
Research-Driven Transformation
I establish scalable research practices that embed customer voices into decision-making at all levels. By translating complex user insights into actionable strategies, I help organizations make confident decisions that enhance experiences while optimizing business metrics.
​
Cross-Channel Experience Orchestration
I specialize in developing seamless journeys across physical and digital touchpoints, ensuring consistent, intuitive experiences that build brand loyalty. Using service blueprints and journey mapping, I identify optimization opportunities that enhance both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
​
Responsible AI Integration
As a UX strategist, I'm investigating the integration of AI into UX practices, developing practical frameworks that enable organizations to implement AI responsibly—enhancing user experiences while maintaining trust through ethical design principles.​
INDEPENDENT FORWARD-THINKING RESEARCH
AI-UX Integration Discovery
​Exploring the integration of AI into UX practices while developing practical frameworks for organizations, helping teams implement AI responsibly to enhance user experiences while maintaining trust and ethical considerations.
Experience
citizenM hotels | Head of UX
-
Established and scaled UX as a strategic function, embedding research, DesignOps, and customer insights to drive digital transformation and business growth
-
Led team development, expanding UX capabilities and fostering a high-performance culture
McKinsey & Company | Senior Manager, User Research & Transformation
-
Led UX-driven business transformations, integrating research into executive decision-making, optimizing workflows, and driving $150M+ in savings through strategic UX initiatives
-
Established and scaled a new UX function
-
Developed a digital content re-design for a global change management program, leveraging UX insights to optimize engagement—increasing digital engagement by 500% within six weeks
Moody's Analytics | Associate Director, User Researcher
-
Led UX research for a large enterprise financial platform re-design, enhancing usability, user requirement implementation, and engagement for B2B clients in financial services
-
Applied iterative testing and rapid design sprints to accelerate development
​
Usablenet | Senior User Researcher
-
Specialized in mobile technology UX, working across e-commerce, travel, and accessibility to optimize digital experiences and increase conversion rates for clients
​
Smart Design | Design Researcher
-
Applied industrial design thinking to early-stage physical product development, conducting human-centered research to inform physical innovations for clients​
Experience
2023 - Present
citizenM Hotels
Head of UX
As the first Head of UX, established and scaled UX strategy, built a high-performing team,
and implemented design operations that transformed customer experience across physical and digital touch points—driving a 10% increase in customer satisfaction metrics
2017 - 2023
McKinsey & Company
Senior Manager, User Research & Transformation
Led user-centered research to improve end-to-end analytics journeys and drive digital transformation, establishing UX as a strategic function, integrating design thinking into executive decisions, and delivering $50M in annual savings
2016 - 2017
Moody's Analytics
2015 - 2016
Associate Director, User Researcher
Led UX research for flagship B2B platform redesign (CreditView, 5,000+ pages), driving data-driven decisions through iterative design sprints that ensured seamless adoption and contributed to $601M revenue increase
Usablenet
Senior User Researcher
Led mobile UX research across e-commerce, travel, and retail sectors, optimizing digital experiences and improving conversion rates for enterprise clients
2035-2035
Smart Design
Design Researcher
Applied industrial design thinking to early-stage physical product development, conducting human-centered research to inform physical innovations for clients​
Experience
2023 - Present
citizenM Hotels
Head of UX
As the first Head of UX, established and scaled UX strategy, built a high-performing team,
and implemented design operations that transformed customer experience across physical and digital touch points—driving a 10% increase in customer satisfaction metrics
2017 - 2023
McKinsey & Company
Senior Manager, User Research & Transformation
Championed user-centered research to drive enterprise-analytics UX transformation, improving end-to-end analytics journeys, establishing UX as a strategic function, integrating design thinking into executive decisions, and delivering $50M in annual savings
2016 - 2017
Moody's Analytics
2015 - 2016
Associate Director, User Researcher
Led UX research for flagship B2B platform redesign (CreditView, 5,000+ pages), driving data-driven decisions through iterative design sprints that ensured seamless adoption and contributed to $601M revenue increase
Usablenet
Senior User Researcher
Led mobile UX research across e-commerce, travel, and accessibility sectors, optimizing digital experiences and improving conversion rates for enterprise clients
2035-2035
Smart Design
Design Researcher
Applied industrial design thinking to early-stage physical product development, conducting human-centered research to inform physical innovations for clients​
Skills
UX LEADERSHIP
UX RESEARCH
​
DESIGN STRATEGY
​​
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
BUSINESS MINDSET
Team Building, DesignOps, Process Optimization, UX advocacy
Quant Methods, Qual Methods, Research Operations
​
Service Design, Journey Mapping, Design Systems
​​
Data Visualization, AI Integration, Analytics Platforms
Stakeholder Management, Cross-Function Collaboration, Change Management
CAPABILITIES
EXPERTISE BREAKDOWN
UX VISION & STRATEGY
95%
CROSS-CHANNEL OPTIMIZATION
85%
RESEARCH-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING
90%
UX TEAM LEADERSHIP
85%
DESIGN OPS & PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
85%
EXECUTIVE STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT
90%
AI AND EMERGING TECH INTEGRATION
65%
Capabilities
EXPERTISE BREAKDOWN
UX VISION & STRATEGY
95%
CROSS-CHANNEL OPTIMIZATION
85%
RESEARCH-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING
90%
UX TEAM LEADERSHIP
85%
DESIGN OPS & PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
85%
EXECUTIVE STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT
90%
AI AND EMERGING TECH INTEGRATION
65%
Testimonials
"During Marianne’s leadership of the UX team, I witnessed her methodically build and strengthen the team by expanding strategy, design, and research. Her focus on empowering us not only elevated the team but also helped embed design and insights deeply into the company’s culture."
ANDREW CHANDLER / LEAD UX RESEARCHER / CITIZENM HOTELS
"Marianne's exceptional leadership in user research is indisputable. At McKinsey, she fostered a culture of process-based research that enabled teams to prioritize what truly brought value to the organization."
DANIEL HERSKOWITZ / PRINCIPAL DESIGNER / McKINSEY & COMPANY
"Marianne excels in using design thinking to identify opportunities and implement transformative changes that optimize team performance. Her strategic approach to change management consistently yields tangible results."
ADINA THEODORIAN / DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY / McKINSEY & COMPANY
"I worked with Marianne at McKinsey's Technology and Digital Department. Her UX research insights were crucial to our successful merger of multiple Data & Analytics teams. I watched her evolve from UX researcher to transformation expert, creating significant organizational impact through stakeholder alignment and bias toward action."
BRIAN BUSSING / ENTERPRISE ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE / DATABRICKS
*Testimonials sourced from LinkedIn recommendations on my LinkedIn profile