ALEX AWN
Objective
I’m currently seeking opportunities that challenge convention, grow creative teams, and push boundaries—whether that’s leading UX at a design-centric company, guiding creative direction at an agency, or further embedding customer-centric thinking within a larger organization. I believe great design must be inclusive and accessible by default, ensuring that all people—not just the average user—are considered in every decision. For me, the magic happens when the work is challenging, the people are sharp, and the outcomes are meaningful. That’s when it becomes fun.
Throughout my career, I’ve been known as a T-shaped creative leader who works through influence, not authority. I operate comfortably at the intersection of left-brain systems and right-brain storytelling. My focus has always been to add value by connecting the dots—gathering seemingly unrelated insights and transforming them into something coherent, actionable, and often unexpected. If I’m not uncovering new paths forward, I’m not doing my job.
Career Summary
Where I am...
Since 2021, I’ve been living my dream role as Director of UX at Bosch North America, where I was brought in to build and lead a brand-new UX organization from scratch. I’ve developed and implemented a strategy to grow UX maturity across the region, guiding a team that spans UX Research, Service Design, Interaction Design, and Inclusive Design. In fact, I am currently studying for my CPACC (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies).
With full ownership of operations, team growth, budgeting, and vision, I’ve worked to embed customer-centric thinking across business units—helping teams fall in love with problems, not just solutions. My focus is not only on delivering exceptional user experiences but also on ensuring they are accessible, inclusive, and scalable—while tightly aligned with business goals and KPIs.
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Prior to Bosch, I joined Gongos, a market research and strategy consultancy, to lead a high-talent team of designers and storytellers. My mandate was to infuse the organization with design thinking and drive a deeper integration of design into its DNA. I was selected for my background in team transformation, strategic design leadership, and my ability to make design a critical lever in solving complex, human-centered business problems. I thrived in the fast-paced, expectation-rich culture, helping clients connect insight to action through thoughtful, inclusive design solutions.
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...Where I'm from
Before shifting into customer-centric innovation, I spent over a dozen years at Tweddle Group, where I held multiple leadership roles, eventually serving as Creative Director overseeing Design, CGI, and Strategic Project work. When I started in 2007, the creative team was just five people; by the time I left, it had grown tenfold, and we had become an award-winning, operationally excellent organization. My journey included hands-on design leadership across platforms—from vehicle infotainment systems to mobile and web—and a growing passion for building bridges across departments like Biz Dev, Manufacturing, and Product.
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Whether traveling to support client engagements in China or Las Vegas, leading pitches, or crafting visual process maps in PowerPoint to communicate complex systems, I used design as a tool for clarity and impact.
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One of the more unexpected joys of this era was leading training sessions for both designers and non-designers. It taught me that design is first and foremost about communication—regardless of the medium. From print to PPT to immersive technologies like VR, AR, and MR, I embraced the full spectrum of visual storytelling, while holding a deep respect for structure, KPIs, and the acronym-heavy world of audits and process control.
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Across every chapter, I’ve sought to connect the dots—between disciplines, people, and ideas. And I’ve done it with a passion for great design that is not only beautiful and usable, but also inclusive, strategic, and transformative.
The early years
Before Tweddle I spent a few years cutting my teeth at smaller agencies. I learned and failed and discovered who I was as a designer. That laid the foundations for who I would become as a business leader. I had some great mentors and some excellent examples about what-not-to-do. I knew who the practices I wanted to emulate and which ones to avoid. The early years were spent toiling over x-acto blades, spray adhesive, Pantone swatches and books of stock art. Ah, the days of looking through binders for photos and then pulling out the corresponding DVD to download the image from. No search bars. Just eyeballs and paper. Good times.
The genesis
I really covet my time at Wayne State University. The theory I learned was timeless and foundational to my design DNA. The instructors were often fantastic and I got my first job through a personal recommendation from a faculty member. He sent me on a unique trajectory that may have been very different had he not hooked me up with Grigg all those many moons ago. For that I am thankful and indebted.