Sven Lenaerts

Head of Design / Product & Design Leader
Brussels / New York, BE / US.

About

Freelance Product Designer & Design Leader with over a decade of experience building digital products, managing product & design teams, and delivering impactful outcomes across Europe, the USA, and Middle East. Skilled at aligning user experience with business goals, scaling teams, and mentoring designers.

Work

Umber
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Freelance Product Designer

Mechelen, Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

Summary

Founded own studio providing product design, business consulting and UX capability to startups and enterprises.

Highlights

Built and scaled product & design teams toward 15+ people.

Mentored over 50 students.

AlphaMap
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Head of Design

Austin, Texas, Texas, US

Summary

Oversaw product design for a commercial real estate insights platform, including UI components such as foot-traffic widgets.

Highlights

Designed and launched AlphaMap’s foot-traffic insights widget.

C2FO
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Lead Product Designer

Kansas City, Missouri, Missouri, US

Summary

Led UX/UI design for a new fintech product, guiding the product design lifecycle and aligning with business strategy.

Highlights

Streamlined UX for fintech solutions within C2FO Marketplace.

Silicon Valley Bank
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Lead Product Designer

Santa Clara, California, California, US

Summary

Led product design initiatives for financial services.

Internet Architects (IO Digital)
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User Experience Lead

Herentals / Antwerp, Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

Summary

Led UX strategy and execution for digital products.

Cake
|

User Experience Lead

Hasselt, Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

Summary

Directed UX for fintech app.

Scopernia
|

Management Consultant

Ghent, Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

Summary

Consulted on digital transformation and strategic projects.

Bringme
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Product Manager

Leuven, Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

Summary

Managed product development processes, implemented product operations improvements.

VDAB
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Head of Design

Brussels, Brussels, Belgium

Summary

Leading design efforts in public service, managing design team of 15+ people, scaling product & design disciplines with a strong UX focus.

Highlights

Built and scaled a design team of over 15 people.

Led greenfield design projects including fintech, CRM modernization and data platforms.

Designlab
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UX Mentor

→

Summary

Mentor for UX Academy and Design 101 students, providing feedback and coaching.

Education

KHlim Media Arts and Design Faculty

Master's

Design

FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences
Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Communication & Media Studies

Zuyd University of Applied Sciences
Heerlen, Limburg, Netherlands

Communication & Media Studies

Skills

Product & UX Design Leadership

design leadership, product design, UX, UI, team scaling.

Design Strategy & Thinking

design thinking, digital strategy, innovation, design consulting.

Tools & Technology

Figma, Sketch, Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, CSS, wireframing.

Product Management & Strategy

product management, business strategy, e-commerce, entrepreneurship.

Coaching & Mentorship

mentoring, teaching, UX mentorship, team mentoring.