Tamara Chehayeb Makarem

It has led to me working in three different countries over the past decade. I was employed as a graphic and interaction designer in Lebanon before moving to New York in 2010 to do an MFA in Design and Technology at Parsons, as well as tapping into the many opportunities available within its much bigger market. The move paid off as I got to work for Fortune 500 clients including Microsoft, designing native and hybrid mobile apps and managing a design team across the US. 

I moved to the UK in 2015 after getting married and once here, began job hunting. I came across a vacancy for a UX Designer at Scott Logic and liked the tone and language of its ad and website. The subsequent interview was great too as I was able to speak to Gary Scott, the founder of the company, who was really open and down to earth.

The company was also quite small at the time and I was set to be employee ‘No. 3’ in its London office. That really appealed to me as it felt as if I would be joining a start-up that I could help to grow. I’d already received a job offer from another company – which I was all set to accept – but after being interviewed and offered the job on the same day, I went with Scott Logic and haven’t looked back since.

I have now been here for over six years and have worked across several sectors including FX, commodities, equities and the public sector for clients including Bank of America, NatWest Markets, DWP, and more.

My responsibilities on a typical project are split into three key stages. First, leading the design team, defining the UX strategy and establishing good practices. Second, leading the discussion with the business stakeholders and conducting research with end users. And third, delivering and validating high-quality designs that meet the needs of the business and users.

The other big part of my job is nurturing my team by providing feedback and mentoring. It’s something I am so passionate about that I started our UX mentorship programme to help junior designers build their confidence and skill sets.

As for the future, I want to expand the design team, encouraging practices that continue to nurture our great talent. I also want to keep shaping and promoting Scott Logic's UX capability in the market. Ultimately, my goal is simple – to build on our reputation for offering a premium UX service to all our clients.