Case studies
Testimonials
Linkedin reviews
Industry Recognition
Follow current cohort
StoriesTestimonialsIndustry Recognition LinkedInCurrent cohortMenu
Stories
Stories
StoriesTestimonialsIndustry Recognition LinkedInCurrent cohort
After graduating

Alumni report:


Getting Promotion from Creative Director to Partner
Securing 10 million dollars in funding
Doubling revenue in 4 months

These teams already got their ROI:

ROI of the Programme

Louise Helliwell, Partner at Folk 🇦🇺

Grew from Experience Design Director to Partner

Louise was planning to step into a new leadership role at her agency and wanted to get a solid understanding of the business side of things to complement her 18 years of experience on the creative side.

Through the Design Leaders programme, she focused intensively on learning various frameworks around finance, operations and organisational development, as well as how to build high-performing teams. "It was great to study diverse management approaches across successful organisations," Louise explains, "and discover various techniques for team cultivation and business expansion."

Her leadership transformation became immediately apparent to her leadership team. "People have noticed a significant shift in my professional presence," she notes. Going through the programme helped Louise to play a more strategic role in business development initiatives, and effectively translate design value propositions to clients – resulting in her becoming a Partner at her agency.
artwork with 6 hands holding cans of the product
Konrad Biletz, Founding Partner at Outliant 🇺🇸

Scaled agency's business model and doubled the sales

Konrad had successfully built an agency that already had a lot of traction but faced the critical challenge of scaling it to the next level. "We needed a strategic roadmap for sustainable growth," he explains.

Enrolling in Design Leaders programme, Konrad got unprecedented access to the practical growth frameworks from industry titans – firms behind Apple's headquarters, global brand campaigns, and blockbuster CGI productions. "I immediately implemented key operational frameworks," he notes, particularly focusing on “how these organisations are running their sales teams, how they are pitching, how they are growing their business.”

The ROI proved substantial and swift. Within 12 months, Konrad transformed his company's growth trajectory through the systematic application of programme insights. "From day one, we saw measurable impact," he reports. The agency now operates on a scalable model positioned for continued expansion into new markets.

Here is what our alumni say:

I’ve been reflecting on my final project for the Future London Academy Design Leaders program. Less than two hours before the deadline, I decided to change it. That moment — and everything around it — captures a lot of my ethos and creative process. These are a few notes on the project, which I called “THE STATION”: 1 – “My favorite art... is art that makes you feel personally addressed.” (Matty Healy) A day before the final panel, I wasn’t happy with my project. It was good — an AI model that identifies AI use cases from text — but it didn’t feel meaningful. It didn’t reflect my experience in the program. I wanted something personal. Something designed to connect with what I lived this past year — a year where I met the most spectacular, creative, disruptive, and genuinely kind people I know. Yes, AI is trendy. But I felt the project would get lost in the noise. I didn’t want something just cool or business-oriented — but forgettable. I wanted something that mattered. For me and for them. 2 – “Show me something I’ve never seen, tell me something I’ve never heard.” (James Hilton) Tuesday morning, June 17th, 9:00 AM — three hours before the deadline. James Hilton, our last speaker, asked me: “What do you feel about death?” I said: “Fear.” Sometimes it’s fear of not doing everything I want. Sometimes it’s the unknown. James went on to tell the story behind Death Machines of London®, his motorcycle company. His dad used to call bikes “death machines.” So did my mom. That was the spark. I had a story. I was going to do something I’d never done. Tell something no one’s heard. Show something no one’s seen. 3 – “I could design the candle... or the room that it sits in.” (Virgil Abloh) One of my frustrations with my original project was that it was all about the “candle.” Nowadays, everything is easily reproducible — especially digitally. IMHO, designing a specific thing often feels irrelevant. So instead, I focused on designing the context. The environment that connects everything and gives it meaning. That part — the context — isn’t so easy to copy. I kept the tangible stuff raw. Made in one hour, on the fly. That was intentional. That’s 20%. The other 80% was everything around it: the timing, the story, the energy in the room. That’s when the idea of “taking a last look at the station and catching a new train” came up. THE STATION I started the track at Edinburgh Station in February 2024. Now, one year later, I was closing this chapter. I didn’t want to take it for granted. I had the music. A script idea. And suddenly, the video came together. James ended his talk. I went into the booth. Pulled it all together. And thought: “That’s it.” --- Posting this video feels like the most honest way to represent this whole experience. It’s something that represents “design” — both in its identity and in itself. The mentors, the support, the warmth, the people — they’re all part of it. But the context… that’s what I’ll carry with me :)
an artwork
Jamye Wooten, Founder of CLLCTIVLY 🇺🇸

Secured $10 million to scale statewide

Jamye was a solo founder of an incredible social change organisation in Baltimore and wanted to grow his impact and team to a bigger scale.

During the programme, Jamie learned practical frameworks for organisational design, team management and hiring strategy and well as met investors who who gave practical advice on fundraising and business development.

The transformation has been remarkable. "I've successfully transitioned from solo entrepreneur to leading a growing team with a COO," he notes. This organisational growth has attracted significant financial backing, with Jamye's organisation recently securing $10 million to scale statewide through the Maryland Black Futures Fund – expanding from local impact to regional influence.
Photo of a Building designed by EXP Architects
Melissa Wakefield, Practice Manager at EXP Architects Inc.Lead 🇨🇦

From Lead Architect to Practice Manager

Melissa was looking to take on broader responsibilities in her company and wanted to fill the gaps in her knowledge around financial topics and strengthen her leadership capabilities.

She strategically selected the programme for its comprehensive approach. "I sought a curriculum that would provide high-level understanding across a broad spectrum of business areas," Melissa explains, embracing both the leadership and financial modules.”

She got promoted right away.  "The programme dramatically improved my communication with senior leadership regarding team management and financial operations," she notes. This enhanced capability directly led to her promotion to Practice Manager with P&L responsibility. "I now confidently oversee practice budgets and financial performance metrics – competencies directly attributed to the programme's fiscal curriculum."

Hear our alumni sharing their journeys:

Winona Hero
Birgit Kröger, Women's Category Director at ECCO 🇳🇱

Moved to the business HQ

As a creative leader at ECCO, Birgit Kröger was looking for a way to effectively communicate the value of design to financial executives and C-suite leaders who prioritised measurable metrics.

Through the programme, Birgit immersed herself in leadership methodologies and strategic business frameworks. "I learned new ways to work with my team and become a better listener," she explains. She particularly connected with sessions on alternative growth models and communicating creative value to financially oriented executives.

Birgit now confidently champions a new approach to organisational growth with creativity at its centre. "I can make financial people and CEOs understand that creativity and design might not be measured by numbers, but by success and how your company becomes a magnet for talent," she notes. The programme has also inspired her to focus on sustainability and economic transformation, positioning her as a change driver within her organisation. Her transformation didn’t go unnoticed by her leadership team and she is now embarking on a new strategic role in the company’s headquarters.
Design Leader

"It's so rare that you get to speak with somebody who's been very successful in their career. Having that space to ask them questions and being able to hear them quite candidly talk about their experiences and their learnings has been exceptional."

— Amelia Bauerly, Senior Product Designer at GitLab

What else do alumni get out from this programme?

"I moved into the Global Leadership Team, bringing business and creative worlds together"
"Happy to report that I implemented operations strategies taught in the programme and saved over £20,000 in costs"
"I launched a creative agency after leaving Netflix and gained a first big client through the programme"
"We leveraged programme connections and worked with Don Norman on a major project"
"I have been able to build a team successfully using insights from the programme'
And more...

Our programme is recognised by industry leaders:

Michael Wolff, Co-Founder and former Creative Director of Wolff Olins
Steve 'Buzz' Pearce, VP Product Design Monday.com, Ex TravelPerk, Checkout.com, Skyscanner, Skype, Microsoft.
John Sinclair, Co-Founder of ustwo
Bidisha Sinha, Associate Director at Zaha Hadid Architects
Don Norman, the legendary designer who coined "User Experience" and served as Apple's VP
Rachel Hepworth, Advisor at Clay, former Notion, Slack and Linkedin
Design Leader

"You want to be disrupting an industry that has been status quo for a long time and has lots of layers of bureaucracy, of alternate solutions, of complexity built up. And as a design leader, being able to come into a space, untangle what that is and lead a team through not only the ambiguity, but be able to arrive at a solution that's not only compelling, but also gives a competitive advantage to the company."

— Jade Tan, Design Lead at Wise

Follow this year’s delegates as they are studying:

Answers to the most frequent questions about the programme

Learn more about how this programme can help you:

Schedule a call with our Admissions Coordinator, Abbee:
abbee@futurelondonacademy.co.uk