Design and UX leadership · Singapore · Available now
Xavier Sorribas
Twenty years in UX and design leadership, in Barcelona, Madrid, London, Brussels and Singapore. I created the research function at NTUC Link and grew a global design organisation at Yara. I still build products myself.
I can work in Singapore and the EU without sponsorship
What I enjoy most is working out how technology can make people’s lives better. How it can be accessible and empower people, how good service design builds better experiences, and how to make things simply work better. In the end, I want to deliver things that make a real difference to people.
Outside work: a long-distance runner, a compulsive Gundam builder, and staff to three demanding cats.
How I lead
Four principles behind how I lead.
They come from how I have run teams, and they shape how I work now.
- 01
Clarity and accountability come first.
I give every team a structure people can see and accountabilities they own and respect.
- 02
Operations are the multiplier.
Past a certain size, a team’s output comes from how it’s organised, not from individual talent.
- 03
UX earns its place at the centre of the business.
A team that matters stays embedded and proactive, measures what it ships and how it lands, and stays in the room with stakeholders.
- 04
Never complacent.
I keep teams learning from others and testing new methods and tools, AI included, on real projects, then we decide together what has earned a place.
Career
Twenty years, from research to leading and building
Global Director of UX at Yara until June 2026. Before that, research and UX leadership at NTUC Link, everis / NTT DATA and Betfair.
Barcelona, Madrid, London, Brussels and Singapore. Each stop is a role, in the order it happened. Each coloured line is a discipline. Scroll to travel along it.
- Leadership
- Research
- Design
- Building
-
01 · 2006 to 2012
Earlier roles
Userlab La Salle Barcelona, Santander, everis Madrid
Several roles, 2006 to 2012 -
02 · 2012 to 2015
Betfair
Senior UX ResearcherLondon
Research -
03 · 2015 to 2017
everis / NTT DATA
Senior UX ManagerBrussels
Built a practice billing more than EUR 3M a year, from no permanent UX team.
LeadershipDesign -
04 · 2017 to 2018
NTUC Link
Head of UX ResearchSingapore
Created the research function.
ResearchLeadership -
05 · 2018 to June 2026
Yara International
Senior Manager of UX, 2018 to 2021. Global Director of UX, 2021 to June 2026.Singapore
Grew design from one regional team to a global organisation of more than 120 people across 20 countries.
Cases from this roleOne global design organisationA design systemYara FarmWeatherA rapid design teamBringing AI into UX workLeadershipResearchDesignBuilding, from 2021 -
06 · June 2026
Inkwell
Designed and built solo
Live, used by three Singapore tattoo studios.
ResearchDesignBuilding -
07 · 2026, in beta
CX Studio
A service design tool, designed and built solo
Built with Claude Code and ChatGPT.
ResearchDesignBuilding -
08 · Now
Now
Building, writing, and open to design leadership roles.
LeadershipResearchDesignBuilding -
09 · Next
Next stop: your team
If your design team needs to deliver more, this is where you come in.
The same career, as a plain list
- 2006 to 2012Earlier roles, Userlab La Salle Barcelona, Santander, everis MadridSeveral roles, 2006 to 2012
- 2012 to 2015Betfair, Senior UX Researcher, LondonLines: Research
- 2015 to 2017everis / NTT DATA, Senior UX Manager, BrusselsLines: Leadership, Design
- 2017 to 2018NTUC Link, Head of UX Research, SingaporeLines: Research, Leadership
- 2018 to June 2026Yara International, Senior Manager of UX, 2018 to 2021. Global Director of UX, 2021 to June 2026, SingaporeLines: Leadership, Research, Design, Building, from 2021
- June 2026Inkwell, designed and built soloLines: Research, Design, Building
- 2026, in betaCX Studio, a service design tool, designed and built soloLines: Research, Design, Building
- NowNow, building, writing, and open to design leadership rolesLines: Leadership, Research, Design, Building
Ask about Xavier
Questions, with short answers.
QWhat did you own at Yara?
From 2021 to June 2026 I was Global Director of UX at Yara International. I owned the US$9M annual budget, the structure, hiring and mentoring, and grew design from one regional team into a global organisation of more than 120 people across 20 countries. I also led the creation of UX operations and the design system.
Contact
Open to design leadership roles.
I’m based in Singapore and can work in Singapore and the EU without sponsorship. Available now.