CV - Santiago Peña Prieto

Jul 2025 – Present | Mexico City

Lead the Design function for Openbank, owning the design vision, strategy, and roadmap as a member of the product leadership team.
Set the experience strategy for the bank's core journeys, prioritizing where design investment drives acquisition, activation, and retention.
Introduced AI into the design practice: an AI-assisted discovery process with autonomous agents that compresses research and concept validation from weeks to days, presented to Santander's board.
Established design's role in decision-making with Product, Engineering, Risk, and Compliance leadership, from roadmap definition to launch governance.
Built the team's operating model: hiring, rituals, quality standards, and career paths.
Define and track design KPIs tied to business outcomes, making design impact measurable at leadership level.

Jul 2022 – Jul 2025 | Mexico City

Lead the design team for the largest job search platform in Mexico, managing a multidisciplinary team focused on delivering high-impact experiences.
Defined and executed the strategic product design vision aligned with business goals, collaborating closely with C-level and key stakeholders.
Redesigned the end-to-end experience for job seekers and recruiters, increasing conversion, engagement, and user activation metrics.
Scaled and consolidated the institutional Design System in collaboration with Frontend and Product teams, improving operational efficiency and reducing design debt.
Implemented a design culture focused on continuous user research, including discovery phases, co-creation workshops, and usability testing.
Fostered team growth through mentoring, career development paths, onboarding, and performance evaluation processes.

Sep 2021 – Jun 2022 | Mexico City

Built the UX team from scratch for multiple e-commerce brands (Luuna, Nooz, and Mappa), establishing UX as a strategic pillar in the organization.
Designed a scalable multi-brand design system based on design tokens, enabling consistent cross-brand component reuse.
Led checkout and purchase flow optimization, reducing cart abandonment and increasing conversion through user-centered insights.
Implemented A/B testing, interviews, and user validation processes to inform product decisions.
Collaborated with stakeholders from Product, Tech, and Marketing to align priorities, roadmap, and experience vision.
Successfully launched the ERP system and a scalable multi-brand frontend platform, streamlining operations and improving brand experience consistency.

Apr 2019 – Sep 2021 | Mexico City

Led product design strategy for key mobile banking services including transfers, payments, Apple Pay, insurance, investments, and payroll portability.
Collaborated with cross-functional teams to deliver secure, compliant, and user-centered solutions in a highly regulated environment.
Drove improvements across onboarding, registration, login, and the payments ecosystem (transfers and bill payments), optimizing key user journeys to boost mobile adoption, reduce friction, and support acquisition and retention goals.
Defined design KPIs aligned with business objectives and user engagement goals, driving continuous iteration and measurable improvements.
Participated in strategic planning and product roadmap discussions to ensure UX priorities supported corporate goals.
Managed and mentored a high-performing design team, fostering a culture of experimentation, continuous learning, and accountability.

Oct 2018 – Apr 2019 | Mexico City

Jul 2017 – Oct 2018 | Mexico City

Designed interfaces for financial products (onboarding, international transfers, cardless withdrawals, help center, among others), focusing on usability and accessibility.

Santiago Peña Prieto