Our Story
25 years designing, leading, and building teams within disruptive start-ups and global leaders like Adobe.
Joel's career has taken him around the world, where he has helped Fortune 500 companies and start-ups navigate the challenges of a modern digital landscape—a landscape where design has earned its place within the C-Suite and is imperative to success.
From the early days of Flash and the mobile web, where he began his career, to building and leading global UX/XD teams for Adobe, Joel has developed an unmatched breadth and depth of experience. He has worked across industries to redefine the experience and service layers for major brands and challengers in sectors including media and entertainment, travel and hospitality, automotive, mobile, financial services, government, health, retail, and e-commerce.
At Empirika, Joel channels this wealth of experience to help clients strategically plan, build, and lead high-impact design teams that drive innovation and measurable success. He offers a unique combination of strategic insight and hands-on expertise, enabling clients to stay ahead in an ever-evolving landscape while ensuring they have the right resources and structures to establish and sustain a competitive edge.
Teams Led
Joel has led a diverse group of multidisciplinary design teams responsible for everything from product visioning and concept development to product realization and evolution at scale within start-up and enterprise environments.
Continents Spanned
He has led design teams in Tokyo, Sydney, Vancouver, Toronto, San Jose, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, NYC, Warsaw, and New Delhi, fostering a global perspective informed by working across cultures, time zones, and environments.
Decades Of Experience
With deep hands-on experience as a designer, consultant, leader, and manager, Joel leverages his expertise to deliver insights and perspectives that can only be developed over the course of a multi-decade international journey.
Start-up To Enterprise
From venture-backed start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, Joel understands the challenges design leaders and their teams face at every stage because he has personally worked through the highs and lows of building and nurturing highly effective design teams.
