Available for hire

KRISTINA

Design Leader who builds
teams + systems + products

Since 2015, Kristina has helped startups and global brands turn big ideas into real-world results. She leads design from start to finish—not just setting the vision, but handling the research, strategy, and execution needed to get there.

Kristina is an expert at building the "engine" behind great design. She creates the systems, processes, and teams that make high-quality work repeatable and scalable. Whether she’s leading a cross-functional team or diving into a complex project, she excels at clearing away ambiguity and keeping everyone aligned on what matters most.

design pic
design pic

Strategy & Vision

Defines product and design strategy in close partnership with founders and leadership teams, translating business objectives into clear product direction. Connects customer insight, market opportunity, and organizational capability to shape roadmaps, guide investment decisions, and support long-term growth.

Strategy & Vision

Defines product and design strategy in close partnership with founders and leadership teams, translating business objectives into clear product direction. Connects customer insight, market opportunity, and organizational capability to shape roadmaps, guide investment decisions, and support long-term growth.

Strategy & Vision

Defines product and design strategy in close partnership with founders and leadership teams, translating business objectives into clear product direction. Connects customer insight, market opportunity, and organizational capability to shape roadmaps, guide investment decisions, and support long-term growth.

Leadership

Builds and leads multidisciplinary design teams, creating environments where people can do their best work. Establishes clear expectations, growth paths, and operating rhythms, while mentoring and strengthening collaboration across product, engineering, and marketing — including in distributed and remote settings.

Leadership

Builds and leads multidisciplinary design teams, creating environments where people can do their best work. Establishes clear expectations, growth paths, and operating rhythms, while mentoring and strengthening collaboration across product, engineering, and marketing — including in distributed and remote settings.

Leadership

Builds and leads multidisciplinary design teams, creating environments where people can do their best work. Establishes clear expectations, growth paths, and operating rhythms, while mentoring and strengthening collaboration across product, engineering, and marketing — including in distributed and remote settings.

Management

Leads complex product and branding initiatives with a hands-on approach, aligning strategy, research, and design to deliver high-quality outcomes on time. Brings deep design expertise to balance creative excellence with strategic impact.

Management

Leads complex product and branding initiatives with a hands-on approach, aligning strategy, research, and design to deliver high-quality outcomes on time. Brings deep design expertise to balance creative excellence with strategic impact.

Management

Leads complex product and branding initiatives with a hands-on approach, aligning strategy, research, and design to deliver high-quality outcomes on time. Brings deep design expertise to balance creative excellence with strategic impact.

Product & Experience Design

Hands-on design leader with a strong systems mindset. Kristina leads complex product initiatives from concept to launch while building scalable design systems and workflows. She balances strategic vision with practical execution, ensuring teams ship high-quality experiences that serve both users and business goals.

Product & Experience Design

Hands-on design leader with a strong systems mindset. Kristina leads complex product initiatives from concept to launch while building scalable design systems and workflows. She balances strategic vision with practical execution, ensuring teams ship high-quality experiences that serve both users and business goals.

Research & Insight

Embeds research into product development, combining qualitative and quantitative methods to inform strategy and reduce risk. Champions evidence-based decision-making, turning insights into actionable direction that aligns teams and validates product bets.

Research & Insight

Embeds research into product development, combining qualitative and quantitative methods to inform strategy and reduce risk. Champions evidence-based decision-making, turning insights into actionable direction that aligns teams and validates product bets.

Research & Insight

Embeds research into product development, combining qualitative and quantitative methods to inform strategy and reduce risk. Champions evidence-based decision-making, turning insights into actionable direction that aligns teams and validates product bets.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Facilitates alignment across product, engineering, marketing, and leadership through design thinking and agile practices. Leads workshops, discovery sessions, and stakeholder conversations that clarify priorities, navigate complexity, and move teams forward together.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Facilitates alignment across product, engineering, marketing, and leadership through design thinking and agile practices. Leads workshops, discovery sessions, and stakeholder conversations that clarify priorities, navigate complexity, and move teams forward together.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Facilitates alignment across product, engineering, marketing, and leadership through design thinking and agile practices. Leads workshops, discovery sessions, and stakeholder conversations that clarify priorities, navigate complexity, and move teams forward together.

Leadership

Kristina builds great teams by blending smart systems with a hands-on love for the craft. She stays close to the work to keep quality high, moving fast without cutting corners.

With a background in agile and design thinking, she’s a steady hand in fast-changing environments—always balancing big-picture strategy with the day-to-day execution that actually gets things done.

Holistic Approach

Leads beyond design—bringing together marketing, content, research, and brand, while partnering closely with developers and business stakeholders to deliver aligned, high-impact outcomes.

Holistic Approach

Leads beyond design—bringing together marketing, content, research, and brand, while partnering closely with developers and business stakeholders to deliver aligned, high-impact outcomes.

Holistic Approach

Leads beyond design—bringing together marketing, content, research, and brand, while partnering closely with developers and business stakeholders to deliver aligned, high-impact outcomes.

Agile Execution

Grounded in empathy and supported by agile methodologies, this approach balances strategic planning, feasibility, and adaptability to deliver value efficiently and sustainably.

Agile Execution

Grounded in empathy and supported by agile methodologies, this approach balances strategic planning, feasibility, and adaptability to deliver value efficiently and sustainably.

Agile Execution

Grounded in empathy and supported by agile methodologies, this approach balances strategic planning, feasibility, and adaptability to deliver value efficiently and sustainably.

Design Thinking

Design thinking fuels experimentation and innovation, enabling teams to explore new ideas, validate assumptions, and transform insights into impactful solutions.

Design Thinking

Design thinking fuels experimentation and innovation, enabling teams to explore new ideas, validate assumptions, and transform insights into impactful solutions.

Design Thinking

Design thinking fuels experimentation and innovation, enabling teams to explore new ideas, validate assumptions, and transform insights into impactful solutions.

5

Design systems created or scaled to support product growth and consistency.

5

Design systems created or scaled to support product growth and consistency.

5

Design systems created or scaled to support product growth and consistency.

6+

Products delivered under design leadership, with product, brand and UX vision, guiding ideas from strategy to launch.

6+

Products delivered under design leadership, with product, brand and UX vision, guiding ideas from strategy to launch.

6+

Products delivered under design leadership, with product, brand and UX vision, guiding ideas from strategy to launch.

3

High-performing UX teams built, mentored, and led with confidence and purpose.

3

High-performing UX teams built, mentored, and led with confidence and purpose.

3

High-performing UX teams built, mentored, and led with confidence and purpose.

Available For Work

Interested in working together?

hergottovak@gmail.com

All rights reserved, ©2026

Available For Work

Interested in working together?

hergottovak@gmail.com

All rights reserved, ©2026

Available For Work

Interested in working together?

hergottovak@gmail.com

All rights reserved, ©2026