Melanie Yencken
Senior Director of Product Design, Growth & Premium at LinkedIn
Leading design for LinkedIn's Growth and Premium sectors while championing the shift toward AI-fluent 'full-stack builders'.
Intro
I'm Melanie Yencken, currently the Senior Director of Product Design for Growth & Premium at LinkedIn. My career has been a journey through the evolution of design, from my early days as a graphic designer to leading global UX teams at Google and Schibsted. I’m deeply passionate about the 'Designer-Founder' era—I believe that as AI levels the technical playing field, human 'taste' and storytelling become our greatest moats. Beyond the screen, I founded LondonTechLadies to support women in tech and I’m an open advocate for neurodiversity, sharing my own experiences with ADHD to help others build their own 'coping systems.' Whether I'm launching the next generation of AI-era builders through our APB program or demoing new tools, I'm focused on breaking down silos between design and engineering. I’m here to connect with fellow builders, talent looking for their next big role, and anyone pushing the boundaries of what AI-native design can be.
Networking
What I can offer
- ›Mentorship on AI fluency and career growth
- ›Guidance on navigating neurodiversity in leadership
- ›Insights into scaling global design teams
- ›Visibility for talent within my professional network
What I'm looking for
- ›Senior Product Design Managers and Staff Designers for LinkedIn
- ›Candidates for the Associate Product Builder (APB) program
- ›expanding my professional network
- ›exploring mutual opportunities in the tech and AI design space
Best fit for
Focus
Current interests
Core competencies
Background
Career
Progressed from freelance graphic design to leadership roles at Gumtree and Schibsted, followed by UX Director at Google and her current senior leadership at LinkedIn.
Education
Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication from Monash University; Website and Digital Design at Grenadi School of Design.
Achievements
- ›Co-defined and launched the first-ever Associate Product Builder (APB) program at LinkedIn
- ›Founded LondonTechLadies and grew it to over 5,000 members
- ›Managed a global UX team of 30 at Schibsted
- ›Led design direction for LinkedIn Games and Mini Sudoku
- ›Delivered live AI design demos to 20,000 employees at LinkedIn Company Connect
Opinions
- The next $1B businesses will be founded by designers because AI makes 'taste' and 'storytelling' the primary moats.
- We must break down walls between Product, Design, and Engineering to create 'Full Stack Builders'.
- Current AI is 'the worst AI we will ever use'—the pace of change is exponential.
- Vulnerability and audacity are essential in leadership.
Personality
Communication style
Professional yet highly personal and vulnerable; balances corporate authority with human storytelling about ADHD and burnout.
Formality — 6/10
Vocabulary