Snook

Leading and building a 25 person product delivery team

Role

Head of Digital

Timeline

2020-2021

Industry

Public Sector

Consultancy

Product

Web Apps, Websites

Discovery projects

25 Person product team

6 Disciplines

1 M+

New contracts

Overview

Growing the business to ship impactful products

As Head of Digital at Snook, I was hired to build and lead an entirely new digital practice within one of the UK’s most established service design studios.

Over a year, I grew the team to 25 people across 6 disciplines—product design, accessibility, delivery management, content design, engineering, and product management—while managing managers, leading client engagements, and shaping a new public-sector delivery model.

The digital practice quickly became a core revenue driver for the company, securing multi-million-pound contracts with partners like MHCLG, Camden Council, Transport for London, and Lloyds Bank.

Design mockups of a bus on a purple background

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Developed a tool to publish, find and use open data standards in the UK.

Transport London

Plan Ahead is a tool designed to help residents navigate the city with different access needs.

Problem

Creating a product team in a service design agency

Teams struggled with unclear roles, inconsistent delivery practices, and high turnover. Snook needed a foundation—structure, process, and leadership—to confidently deliver alpha, beta, and live digital services for the public sector. My challenge was twofold:

1. Build a high-performing digital practice from scratch
2. Create a multidisciplinary public-sector offering

To create a foundation for growth, I led the development of a clear skills framework using the UK’s Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) model as a starting point. We adapted it for Snook’s context, giving teams a shared language for roles, expectations, and progression.

1. Build a high-performing digital practice from scratch
2. Create a multidisciplinary public-sector offering

Accessibility card with a series of questions

Result

Growing to 25 people and delivering high impact projects

By the time I left, Snook had a thriving product team capable of delivering full digital services—something that wasn’t possible before I joined.

Key outcomes:

Team growth: from 12 → 25 people across 6 disciplines
Sustainable business: digital became Snook’s most successful offering, securing multi-million-pound contracts
Delivery capability: teams successfully shipped alpha, beta, and live services for councils across the UK
Reduced delivery risk: thanks to clear roles, structure, and strong cross-discipline collaboration
Improved morale and retention: teams were excited to be staffed on projects and had clarity in how to grow
A lasting foundation: I left behind a complete structure—roles, frameworks, rituals—that the next Head of Digital built upon