Today I lead The Nest, Canada Life's design system: 160+ components, 9 Figma libraries and 10 reusable flow modules used across insurance and wealth products.

My work sits where product design meets systems. I've launched a native benefits app on iOS and Android, rebuilt Tangerine's public site on a component-based template system, and turned messy, multi-stakeholder problems into patterns teams can reuse.

I'm at my best when a problem is ambiguous and cross-functional: aligning legal, engineering and business on one solution, then holding a high bar for accessibility and craft. I manage and mentor designers and run weekly design office hours.

Lately I'm exploring how AI changes both sides of the work, like using AI to audit component usage and draft system documentation and what AI-native patterns should feel like in financial products.

Outside work you'll find me painting, hiking with our dog, or stargazing.

Design leader with 11 years of experience designing digital products in financial services.

Capabilities

Product design: product strategy, UX/UI, interaction design, prototyping, user research and testing, accessibility (WCAG)

Systems: design systems, tokens, component architecture, documentation, governance, design–engineering workflows

Leadership: mentoring and managing designers, design office hours, stakeholder alignment, project scoping

Tools: Figma, Storybook, Zeroheight, AEM, Salesforce, Figma Make, Claude, Copilot.

Experience

Design Lead / UX Manager
Canada Life

2023 - present


Product Designer
Tangerine Bank

2023


Sr. User Experience Designer
Canada Life

2022 - 2023


Sr. Digital Designer
Canada Life

2015 - 2022


Digital Content Producer
Bell Media

2010 - 2015


What people are saying πŸ’¬

  • Her meticulous attention to detail was what made her a strong designer in both visual and UX. Honing both skills to perfection, is what sets her apart from the rest.

    β€” Joseph Lee, AVP, Digital Customer Experience at Canada Life

  • Sasha's proactive approach to work, seeking out answers and devising new solutions to keep projects progressing is a rarity.

    β€” Julie Rosso, Creative Services Director and former leader at Canada Life

  • A self-starter, Sasha has the proven ability to succeed in a fast paced, high pressure environment, with constantly changing priorities and multiple stakeholders...

    β€” Tom Irwin, Director, Digital and former leader at Bell Media

Things that make me happy

  • Getting my hands dirty πŸͺ΄

  • Long hikes with our dog πŸ•

  • Exploring a new city πŸ™

  • Stargazing ✨

  • Watching a good film 🍿

  • A perfectly ripe mango πŸ₯­