Leading client engagements and design teams at Slalom. Still hands-on, designing and building products from idea to reality.
the people side
On most projects I’m the Engagement Lead, accountable for the delivery, the client and the team, and I stay hands-on.
Sid was a fantastic design leader in this project. Without him we would not have been able to navigate the challenges of a junior design team and new design discipline.Client Director of Product Design, 2024
I’m accountable for delivery and the client relationship, from first workshop to next phase.
From the very first ideation session, we locked in as true design partners.Client designer, 2025
I design and prototype with the team, using AI to make ideas real early.
Sid’s work directly strengthened our competitive position by creating a compelling, user-centered proposal that demonstrated both design excellence and strategic alignment with client needs.Slalom Director, 2026 pursuit
I shape proposals and pitch them to senior client leaders.
Sid has played a key role in expanding the team on the ground, supporting onboarding efforts, and helping the organization quickly ramp to full capacity.Slalom Senior Director, 2026
I’ve sat on interview loops and hiring decisions for 16 years, and help shape who joins the team.
He makes time for his team — whether through bi-weekly team meetings, one-on-one sessions, or Friday lunch gatherings. Looking back, I see how his influence has shaped me as an early-career professional and inspired me to lift up my peers just as he does for me.Former direct report, 2024
I mentor designers, new graduates and Akanksha alumni, and lead learning sessions.
You make people feel seen, heard, and you consistently display love and care for those around you.Slalom senior consultant, 2026
I treat the team’s health and morale as part of the job.
“Align on the why.
Transparency is not a risk.
The absence of it is.”
After COVID, when in-person connection at work was limited, I reached out to colleagues and began capturing their stories. It became Humans of Slalom, a storytelling program I started and still sponsor, now running in Slalom’s Seattle market. It was inspired by Humans of New York and The Moth, and it invites people to share their own story (at a monthly lunchtime session, or as a written post, a photo, a video or a conversation) and to listen to each other’s. A printed book gathers the stories.
This effort sparked the “Humans of Slalom” initiative, a platform where storytelling became a bridge to understanding and connection.
In February 2026, 28 years after I last walked through its doors, I went back to my architecture school in Pune for an hour-long conversation with its students. I talked about moving from architecture to experience design, and shared two tools I wish I had learned there: design thinking, and the STAR method for presenting work with clarity.
For years I didn’t have a portfolio. Why I built one you can talk to, and how its guide is taught to say what it doesn’t know.
Read on MediumI received People First in 2024 and 2026 for investing in others’ growth, most recently for learning sessions for consultants and people leaders. I also received Mogul awards in 2018 and 2019, as part of teams recognized for excellence on projects.
Align on the why. Transparency is not a risk.
Read on Medium Medium · July 2025Teaching how to think, not what to answer.
Read on Medium LinkedIn · February 2026An hour with students in Pune on moving from architecture to experience design, plus design thinking and the STAR method.
Read on LinkedIn LinkedIn · March 2026Why an ideas person like me could finally build SATcrack myself, and what that means for creatives.
Read on LinkedInDesigners at work, new graduates who reach out, alumni of Akanksha schools, and people on ADPList. If you want a conversation about design leadership, hiring, or starting out, get in touch.
Reach out on LinkedInTwo of the three are about education, built to give back.
Photo trails built from crowd-sourced photos, by time of day and year.
Stories from an education nonprofit in Pune.
A free AI SAT coach, ten minutes a day.
“Two months ago I couldn’t ship a single app. Yesterday, I deployed my first one.”
the part I do for myself
This exhibition is not just about what I saw, but what I felt, what stayed with me, and what continues to shape the way I create and live.” Read the full foreword and see the show
what I keep thinking about
A free AI SAT coach that finds weak spots and shows its reasoning.
The guide follows my own rule: it shows its sources and says when it doesn’t know.
Sixteen of those years at Slalom, where I’m a Senior Principal in the design practice. Most of the work belongs to my clients, so it isn't shown here. What I can share is how I approach it, and I’m happy to talk through relevant projects directly.
Sid