A portrait of Alessandro L. Piana Bianco 2021

Hello, my name is

Alessandro Lorenzo Piana Bianco

often referred to as simply as APB.

I'm a

Product & Strategic Designer

currently Product & Strategic Design Director at Globant, overseeing projects for clients in the MENA region.

I guide organisations

to transform & innovate

leveraging system thinking and data-driven insights.

I find myself exploring too little music, delving into too few books (積ん読), capturing too few moments through my lens, intermittently fasting, and contemplating yoga. Or meditation. Perhaps both.

Yet, there are those days when everything just aligns perfectly.

"You never learn by doing something right because you already know how to do it.
You only learn from making mistakes and correcting them."
Russell Ackoff

As a seasoned Product Director and Strategic Designer, I lead organizations through transformative change and innovation with a focus on systemic thinking and data-driven insights.

With over two decades of professional journey, I have collaborated with global brands, navigating through diverse industries and markets, alongside top-tier design agencies and consultancies.

Agile
Leadership

Empowering teams &
Driving Innovation

In my capacity as a leader, I've excelled in orchestrating teams both within organizations and externally, harnessing the power of Agile methodologies and Design Sprints to champion rapid prototyping and iterative development.

Agile & Design Sprints. Championed Agile methodologies and Design Sprints, fostering a culture of rapid prototyping, iterative development, and continuous improvement.

Building from the Ground Up. Started Fjord Italy studio, building a robust design team from scratch. Managed over 30 designers at Deloitte Digital, showcasing my knack for leadership and team development.

Global Team Leadership. At Globant, I excel in leading remotely distributed, multidisciplinary teams across different time zones, with a focus on:

  • Clear communication
  • Strategic alignment
  • Driving exceptional outcomes in complex environments

Product &
Strategic Design

Innovating at the Intersection of Strategy & Design

My role as a Product Director and Strategic Design leader is characterized by a deep commitment to driving innovation and addressing complex market challenges through a data-informed, human-centered approach.

Cross-Industry Impact. Spearheaded product design and development initiatives across various sectors, particularly in the travel && leisure industry in the MENA & EU regions, and smart cities projects.

Tech-Driven Solutions. Led projects in media & entertainment and developed pioneering digital ID, booking, and ticketing systems, integrating:

  • Emerging technologies
  • User engagement strategies
  • Enhanced security measures

Strategic Vision. My approach combines data-driven insights with a human-centric focus, guiding products from conception to market triumph and setting new benchmarks in digital product and strategic design.

Experience
Design

Mastering User-Centric Design

With over twenty years dedicated to Service and Experience Design, I have honed a mastery over organizing information across complex systems, significantly improving content findability and accessibility.

Complex System Navigation. Specialized in organizing information across intricate systems to dramatically improve content findability and accessibility, through:

  • Metadata & taxonomy designs
  • Retrival & Recommendation logic

Intuitive Design. Crafted seamless UIs for data integration and developed UX patterns for a vast array of platforms, including:

  • B2C, B2B, and B2B2C web services
  • Integrated GIS, un/structured data dashboards

Engaging Digital Experiences.My work consistently focuses on delivering compelling, user-centered digital experiences, underpinned by a profound understanding of user needs and strategic business objectives.

Positions

Below is an overview of key roles I have held in my career

2022 - present

Strategic & Experience Design Director / Product Director

Globant
Madrid, Spain

2017 - 2022

Strategic & Experience Design Director

Deloitte Digital
Milan, Italy

2014 - 2016

Service Design Director

Fjord
Milan, Italy

2013

Mobile Experience Product Owner

Mr. Green
Malta

2008 - 2010

Information Architect

Teachers TV
London, UK

2005 - 2008

Digital Projetcs Lead

Dorna Sports
Barcelona, Spain

Freelance gigs

Agency Republic

London, UK

AKQA

London, UK

Brand Union

London, UK

Fjord

Madrid, Spain

Friday

London, UK

Huge

London, UK

Radical

London, UK

Viaden

London, UK/Minsk, Belarus

Virgin Media

London, UK

Clients

Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working both in-house and with agencies across various industries and markets. Presented below is a curated list of clients and agencies I have collaborated with.

Automotive

  • Alfa Romeo
  • FCA
  • Ferrari
  • Jeep
  • Lamborghini
  • Maserati
  • Octo Telematics
  • Pirelli
  • Stellantis

Consumer Goods
Retail

  • Atelier Emè
  • Bata
  • Calzedonia
  • Danone
  • Eastpak
  • Illy
  • Intimissimi
  • Nike
  • Swatch
  • Tezenis
  • Tissot

Fashion &
Luxury Goods

  • Bulgari
  • Cucinelli
  • Poltrona Frau
  • Prada
  • Richemont

Financial Services

  • Agos
  • Bancomer
  • Bapr
  • BBVA
  • BCC
  • Cofidis
  • Eurobank
  • Fideuram
  • ING
  • Intesa Sanpaolo
  • Mediolanum
  • Banco Sabadell
  • Santander
  • Unicredit

Gaming

  • Mr. Green
  • Sisal

Gas & Power
Utiilities

  • Engie
  • ENI
  • Eon
  • RePower
  • Sorgenia

Healthcare
Pharma

  • Boehringer Ingelheim
  • Jenssen
  • Menarini
  • Nobel Biocare
  • Pfizer

Insurance

  • Atradius
  • Fideuram Vita
  • Generali
  • Intesa Sanpaolo Vita
  • Sace

Media

  • Sky
  • Viaden
  • Virgin Media

Sports & Entertainment

  • Dorna Sports
  • LaLiga Tech

Telco

  • Telecom Italia
  • Virgin Fibra
  • Vodafone

Travel & Leisure

  • Alpitour
  • Costa Crociere
  • Diriyah Gate Development Authority
  • Explora
  • Miral
  • MSC Cruises
  • Seven
  • Silversea

Methodology & Tools

As a senior leader, my approach to driving transformation and innovation is underpinned by a carefully curated selection of methodologies and strategic frameworks. These tools are pivotal in shaping the future of products and services, ensuring they resonate with users while achieving business objectives. My expertise includes:

These methodologies are not just tools but represent a mindset of continuous learning, adaptation, and strategic foresight, essential for leadership in the dynamic landscape of digital product and service design.

System Thinking Design

Applying a holistic perspective to understand complex systems, identifying interdependencies, and designing solutions that address root causes rather than just symptoms. This approach is crucial for sustainable and impactful design strategies that consider the broader ecosystem in which products and services operate.

Scenario Planning &
Competitive Landscape Analysis

Employing foresight to anticipate future developments and understand the competitive field, guiding strategic decision-making.

Service Blueprinting &
Value Proposition Design

Mapping out service interactions and crafting compelling value propositions to meet customer needs and differentiate in the market.

Envisioning Workshops &
Field Research

Facilitating creative sessions to uncover insights and gather real-world data, fostering innovative thinking and grounded strategies.

Speculative Design &
Rapid Prototyping

Leveraging creative narratives and quick prototyping to explore future possibilities and validate concepts with speed and agility.

Customer Journey Mapping

Charting the customer's path through interactions with products and services, identifying key touchpoints for enhancement and innovation.

War Rooms Setup &
Workshops Facilitation

Establishing collaborative environments for intensive problem-solving, ensuring alignment and driving forward momentum in project teams.

Résumé

You can download my résumé (PDF) from here.

GitHub logo

You can find the ConTeXt template files for you to use and format your own cv on my GitHub account: here.

Promptbase logo

I have a few Midjourney prompts up for sale on Promptbase.

studioalpha.d is my creative direction experiment on IG - all images have been generated with AI. More experiment and writings on (generative) Artificial Inttelligence can be found on pianabianco IG account.

Contact

You can contact me at a@pianabianco.com

In the press

Il Sole 24 Ore

Il servizio funzionerà? Molto dipende dal design

Il Sole 24 Ore - Tecnologia

Service Design in Companies

Linköping University Electronic Press - ServDes2018. Service Design Proof of Concept, Proceedings of the ServDes.2018 Conference, 18-20 June, Milano, Italy

The Design Thinking for Business Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano was founded in 2017 and aims to be the point of reference for the community of innovators who adopt pioneering approaches like Design Thinking in creating value for their companies.

DTB21 - DEBATE [Alessandro Piana Bianco]: The Symbolic object of Design Thinking

Design Thinking for Business: the floor to Deloitte Digital

DEBATE [Alessandro Piana Bianco, Deloitte Digital]: The Synergy between Profiling and Empathizing