Nicolas El Azzi

From CHAOS TO CALM

Strategic Design Leader & CALM Framework Creator
Transforming Scaling Teams into High-Performing Design Organizations

The challenge I solve

Growing companies experiencing design CHAOS:

  • Cross-functional friction slowing product development
  • Hand-offs breaking down between design, product, and engineering
  • Arbitrary decisions without systematic frameworks
  • Operational bottlenecks in research and design reviews
  • Siloed expertise that doesn't scale across the organization

I systematically transform these predictable scaling challenges into competitive advantages.

My leadership framework: CALM

  • Connect - Weekly 1:1s and cross-functional rituals that build team alignment
  • Autonomize - Trust-based frameworks enabling autonomous decision-making
  • Lead by example - Transparent processes and hands-on collaboration when needed
  • Measure what matters - Team velocity tracking and business impact quantification

Proven results

  • Salsify - Streamlined the designer onboarding process, enabling individual contributors to become productive more quickly.
  • Schneider Electric - Reduced rejected orders by 30% and decreased the workload for publishing orders by 50% through the development of a data governance platform.
  • Ippon Technologies - Implemented a new flex office policy, allowing for two remote workdays per week, based on research conducted to improve post-COVID working conditions.
  • Galeries Lafayette - Generated €300K in revenue within the first three weeks and doubled the targeted order volume by implementing a new process for shipping products from Galeries Lafayette’s flagship.
  • Concorde Hotels - Achieved a 40% increase in global conversion rates and a 430% increase in product page conversion rates through a comprehensive website redesign.
  • AOL France - Accelerated the launch of new channels by 30% by creating a modules catalog, which standardized HTML structures and components.

Experiences

  • 2022 - NowSalsify (previously Alkemics) - Senior Manager, User Experience
  • 2018 - 2022Ippon Technologies - Design Lead
  • 2016 - 2017Napoleon Agency - Lead UX Designer
  • 2014 - 2015Commonwealth Bank of Australia - Senior UX Designer, My Wealth
  • 2008 - 2014Axance - Senior UX Designer
  • 2001 - 2008AOL France - Graphic / UI Designer