Two-time founder & award-winning designer. I talk about founders' mental health and the mindset to live a joyful life. I love fixing old motorcycles 🛵

I’m a two-time founder and award-winning design director with a proven track record of leading teams to successfully bring over 50 innovative physical and digital products to market.

With 20+ years of experience across startups, consultancies, and corporate settings, I’ve developed a holistic approach that combines creative design thinking, operational and manufacturing expertise, and emotional intelligence to drive innovation and team success.

Today, I serve as Director of Products at Grizzly Industrial, where I lead three brands: Grizzly, Shop Fox, and South Bend, overseeing product strategy, design, merchandising, pricing, logistics, and development.

In parallel, I continue to coach a select group of founders and leaders, placing emotional intelligence at the core of my work to empower better decision-making, stronger collaboration, and sustainable growth. 

I also write regularly:

Advise Myself → essays on emotional intelligence and personal growth

The Design Practice → essays on product management, design, and leadership


Originally from Argentina 🇦🇷 and now based in Bellingham, WA, I enjoy life as a dad, exploring the outdoors, and restoring old motorcycles 🛵 🏍️.

Career Highlights include:

 ➜ Founded and led two startups, including one exit in 2022.
 ➜ Directed the design and launch of 50+ products across industries.
 ➜ Earned 35 patents for innovative product designs.
 ➜ Exhibited twice at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), with one design in its permanent collection.
 ➜ Created products that won more than 75 major design awards.
 ➜ Founded and built a design consultancy serving global brands such as Crate & Barrel, CB2, Club Quarters Hotels, and Herman Miller.
 ➜ Established overseas manufacturing operations for multiple clients.

Manuel Saez

EQUANS

Developed Power BI dashboards providing real-time business insights to support strategic decision-making.

Improved ETL pipelines to streamline data processing, increasing efficiency by 20%.

Analysed AWS finance reports and implemented cost-optimization strategies, saving £5,000 in unallocated costs.

Processed and structured large datasets, ensuring accuracy and regulatory compliance.

Managed and resolved 25+ weekly tickets using Ivanti, addressing system access and reporting issues effectively.

Automated reporting workflows with Power BI and SQL, significantly enhancing business performance monitoring.

Collaborated closely with technical teams to troubleshoot and resolve financial data inconsistencies.

Industrial Placement Student

John Lewis & Partners

Achieved a 5% sales increase in Microsoft Office & Surface laptops and a 50% surge in Windows device sales.

Grew customer base by 20% through targeted sales initiatives and customer engagement strategies.

Enhanced staff knowledge on Microsoft and Windows products, exceeding campaign goals in sales, revenue, and training.

Created engaging multimedia content (videos and messaging), leveraging problem-solving skills for innovative solutions.

Microsoft Product Advisor

Hertfordshire Students'​ Union

Represented over 25,000 students, directly influencing university policies and enhancing academic experiences.

Led student engagement initiatives, significantly improving academic support resources and systems.

Collaborated with senior university leadership and the Board of Governors to drive educational policy reforms.

Conducted detailed data analysis on student feedback, implementing initiatives that measurably improved student satisfaction.

Initiated projects targeting affordable student housing and transportation, greatly enhancing accessibility and student wellbeing.

Vice President Education

University of Hertfordshire

Supported students in effectively using Module Sites and Programme View in the Study Success Hub.

Provided technical support to academic staff, gaining expertise in managing and troubleshooting various educational portals.

Conducted thorough audits of module and programme sites, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and enhanced usability.

Student Technology Mentor 

I am a Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) student, graduating in June 2025. I have a deep interest in data-driven problem-solving, cloud computing, and business intelligence. I thrive on turning raw data into actionable insights, helping businesses make smarter decisions.

In my internship at Equans UK & Ireland, I worked on Power BI dashboards, AWS cost optimisation, and ETL pipelines, improving data efficiency and saving £5,000 in financial discrepancies. My leadership as Vice-President Education at Hertfordshire Students' Union strengthened my ability to analyse trends, manage stakeholders, and drive impactful decisions.

🔹 What I Bring:
✔ Data Analytics & Business Intelligence – SQL | Power BI | Python | Excel
✔ Cloud & Data Engineering – AWS Glue | EC2 | S3 | ETL Pipelines
✔ Process Improvement & Automation – Reducing inefficiencies & optimizing workflows
✔ Problem-Solving & Stakeholder Engagement – Translating data into meaningful strategies

🔎 Looking for graduate roles in Data Analytics, Cloud Engineering, and Business Intelligence where I can combine my technical skills with real-world problem-solving. Let’s connect!

taplio

The Battle

Manuel Saez

Aman Tripathi

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?