Transformational Coach, Mentor & Advisor
Helping people and teams move from where they are, to where they want to be.
I’m a product and user experience leader with over 20 years in tech, SaaS, and creative industries. I’ve built and led teams across Ireland, Europe, NZ and the US through transformation - from the dot-com shift to the AI era.
Now, I bring that experience into career coaching, UX mentoring, and product advisory work. I work with individuals and teams who want to find clarity, confidence, and fulfilment through change - whether that’s a career crossroads, AI disruption, or the next big chapter for their company.
About me
I have spent my career at the intersection of creativity, people, and technology - from composing film soundtracks to leading global design and product teams. Along the way, I’ve seen every kind of transformation: dot-com crashes, acquisitions, AI revolutions, and leadership transitions.
My professional background:
I am based in Dublin, Ireland and I have led global product design, research, and UX organisations at Verizon, HMH, Fleetmatics, Riverdeep, and Contentful, helping teams navigate global scale, acquisitions, and AI-driven transformation.
I hold a B.Sc. in Management, two M.Sc. degrees (Digital Media and UX) and a Professional Diploma in Coaching & Mentoring.
Coaching
Transformational Coaching for Life, Work, and Fulfilment
Coaching is about helping you get unstuck - moving from reaction or burnout to energy and creative flow. Many of my clients come to coaching during times of stress or transition: layoffs, leadership changes, AI uncertainty, or simply a loss of fun and purpose in their work. Together, we design your next chapter around what truly matters to you and what you can truly control and influence.
Purpose in Every Chapter:
I believe happiness is found in the now, not the next milestone, and I partner with tech leaders to discover their unique purpose, so they can lead with clarity and shine wherever they are on their journey - from the strategy kickoff, to the new job, to the family dinner table.
Who it is for:
Leaders managing through uncertainty, AI or redundancy cycles.
Mid-career professionals feeling stuck or looking to advance their career.
Anyone seeking balance, clarity, and renewed purpose.
Mentoring
For Product, UX and Tech Professionals
I help Senior Product and UX Design professionals navigate the twists and turns of their journey in Tech.
We focus on topics like:
Navigating leadership transitions or team growth.
Building trust, influence, and design maturity.
Communicating strategy and purpose clearly.
Leading creative teams through transformation.
It’s grounded in empathy, storytelling, and practical design leadership - shaped by my own experience scaling teams across continents.
Testimonials
"Working with Dónal was a hugely valuable experience for me. He mixes a wealth of experience with practical tools that enables you to really reflect on where you are and where you want to get to. His insight and guidance helped me identify my goals and develop clear actions to achieve them.
I would highly recommend Donal for anyone looking to grow professionally or personally"
Eoin Loughney | SVP & CFO
“Dónal genuinely cares about people and the culture they’re working in. He brings a lot of thoughtfulness to conversations about values, team dynamics, and what it means to lead in a human way.
If you’re looking for a coach who listens deeply and helps you reflect on how you show up at work, he’s a great partner.”
Mithila Fox | Product leader 
“Dónal has a wealth of experience in organisation culture and leadership and is a transformational coach. Whether we met for coffee, connected online or walked and talked in nature, we always reached new insights and clarity in our sessions.
If you are seeking a coach who will support you in shaping a life of meaningful work-life balance, I'd highly recommend working with him.”
Brian Desmond | Content Strategist Advisory roles in an Age of Change
I help leadership teams create clarity around customer focus, product direction, and customer centred design culture. Having led through multiple waves of disruption - from dot-com to generative AI - I bring a calm, strategic, and human-centred approach to transformation.
Focus areas:
- Building or augmenting design and product teams
- Integrating AI, UX and human-centred innovation
- Aligning leadership, culture, and customer value
Public Speaking
I’ve presented at conferences such as Google IO, Makers conference & UXDX. My talks combine storytelling with practical frameworks to help audiences navigate uncertainty and lead with confidence - especially in the midst of rapid technological change.
Topics include:
- Leading through disruption
- The human side of AI and design
- Finding purpose through transformation
“Whether you think you can,
or you cannot,
you are right”
Henry Ford
FAQs
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Sessions are 60 minutes and can be conducted via Zoom, in person (Dublin), or in the wild such as walking or coffee chats.
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Thre is a wide array of tools that we can use but here are some of my favourites:
Wheel of Life: A visual tool to assess balance across key life or career areas.
SOAR: Focuses on your Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and measurable Results to build a positive growth plan.
Positive Psychology: Evidence-based practices that build resilience, optimism, gratitude and motivation.
Force Field Analysis: Helps you weigh driving and restraining forces around a change to plan effective action.
Journey Mapping: Visualising your career or life path to identify key milestones and future possibilities.
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Coaching is a collaborative process focused on your growth, clarity, and accountability, often using tools like GROW, journey mapping and positive psychology.
Mentoring offers targeted guidance based on lived & shared experience, in my case especially tailored for creative, UX, product management, and software professionals.
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I coach anyone, across all industries and roles who want to grow, pivot, or find clarity.
Mentoring is more specialised for creative industries, UX designers, product management, I coach professionals across industries and roles who want to grow, pivot, or find clarity.
Get in touch
Whether it’s exploring coaching, mentoring, or a collaboration, I’d love to connect.
You can use the meeting scheduler to book a free call at a time that suits you.
Or alternatively email:
Dublin, Ireland