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I am a Design Leader.

I shape experiences
bysetting direction, staying hands-on, guiding teams, driving outcomes

My Philosophy

As a visionary leader, I'm passionate about... 

Empowerment

I enable teams to make confident decisions, with or without me.

Collaboration

Align perspectives and achieve
goals through partnership.

Growth

Opportunity plus freedom and responsibility drives success.

Excellence

High design standards create
world-class user experiences.

Cedric Rhodes with his design team

People

My top priority is ensuring my team feels fulfilled and empowered in their work. I establish a structure that fosters ownership, where everyone leads and is accountable for their areas.

I bring extensive experience hiring and leading diverse, talented teams across design, creative, research, and content, spanning the US, UK, Australia, and Japan.

My goals:
  • Champion transparency, clear communication, and purposeful direction
  • Support my team in achieving their professional and personal goals
  • Recognize and nurture growth, motivation, and aspirations.
  • Hire and retain top talent, aligning individuals with projects that advance their career paths

Product

I define a holistic vision that ensures end-to-end touchpoints are considered across the experience and brand (online and offline), so customers can act with ease and confidence.

I help craft business goals with cross-functional leaders in product, marketing, business development, and engineering, and oversee design efforts from concept to launch.

My priorities:
  • Ensure excellence and a cohesive brand identity across all touchpoints.
  • Lead, advocate for, and drive high-impact design initiatives.
  • Define the northstar roadmap and inspire cross-team alignment.
  • Identify strategic opportunities to leverage AI effectively.
Product experiences across devices

Design process and roadmap

Process

I turn strategy into clear direction, and direction into outcomes. I create the alignment, clarity, and momentum a team needs to do its best work, building the right things well.

I lead through collaboration and guidance, partnering with product, engineering, and business to deliver work that drives real impact, from first idea to launch.

My approach:
  • Translate strategy into clear direction the whole team can move on.
  • Align design, product, and engineering early, so we build the right thing together.
  • Elevate the work through feedback and mentorship, raising the quality bar.
  • Ground decisions in research, and measure success by the impact we create.

I make complexity simple.
I turn complex, ambiguous challenges into aligned, data-informed experiences that customers genuinely love to engage with.
I shape end-to-end product visions that inspire teams, align strategy with execution, and drive meaningful, measurable impact.

Projects

Mercari Global Branding

Shaped the multi-region look and feel, and brand rollout.
Mercari Global Branding preview

Go global

connecting fans with goods they love.

Taste. Quarterly

Crafted an in-company culture magazine by Design.
Taste. Quarterly preview

Inspiring

creativity and style, company-wide.

eBay Collection

Turned a small project into a company-wide initiative.
eBay Collection preview

6.5 million

trading cards added at launch.