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Iain Roberts
People / Strategy / Design / Innovation
Professional Background
Iain Roberts is a design-led operating executive with an impressive and diverse career spanning over 20 years. His expertise lies in bringing innovative products to market while leading transformative initiatives centered on customer experience within noteworthy organizations. A skilled collaborator, Iain has partnered with CEOs and senior executives, driving growth across multiple sectors such as automotive, mobility, consumer technology, data, and direct-to-consumer apparel. His extensive background encompasses a well-rounded mix of product development, design, strategy, marketing, operations, and finance.
Throughout his career, Iain has held several prominent positions that highlight his exceptional leadership skills and design acumen. As the former Vice President of People & Culture at Airbnb, he played a vital role in shaping the company’s culture and enhancing employee experience, which has been critical in attracting top talent to the organization. His contributions to the company have significantly influenced how Airbnb fosters an inclusive environment that supports innovation and growth.
In addition to his role at Airbnb, Iain served as the Chief Operating Officer at IDEO, one of the leading global design firms. Here, he leveraged his strategic foresight to guide product development and ensure that design capabilities aligned with the firm’s mission to create meaningful and transformative solutions. Iain's leadership at IDEO was characterized by a strong emphasis on harnessing creativity to solve complex problems for clients, thus elevating the overall standard of design excellence in various industries.
As a co-founder of Greenfield Labs and D.Ford at Ford Motor Company, Iain drove collaborative research and development projects focused on transportation innovation and sustainability. His work led to the creation of groundbreaking solutions that adapted to the ever-evolving mobility landscape, reinforcing Ford’s commitment to forward-thinking design and engineering.
Iain also has a notable background as a Strategic Advisor for product development at Allbirds, a company renowned for its environmentally conscious products. His expertise contributed to shaping Allbirds' product strategy while ensuring alignment with their broader sustainability mission. Furthermore, he has been a strategic advisor for Techstars, where he mentored emerging startups on product development and market positioning, fostering a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship.
His tenure as Senior Partner for New Products at IDEO showcased his ability to manage complex projects that required cross-disciplinary collaboration, allowing him to navigate the challenges of launching new products successfully. Additionally, as a former Partner and Managing Director at IDEO, Iain’s leadership skills were further emphasized in driving large-scale projects that aimed to enhance both client satisfaction and business performance.
Notably, Iain began his professional journey as the Director of Experience Design at IDEO before advancing to the role of Head of Design Engineering at Dyson. Each of these positions has helped him solidify his reputation as a forward-thinking design executive committed to integrating design and technology to realize extraordinary product outcomes.
Education and Achievements
Iain Roberts's impressive educational background forms the foundation of his extensive expertise in design and engineering. He holds a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Industrial Design Engineering from the esteemed Royal College of Art, where he honed his skills and approach to design thinking and innovation. This advanced degree has equipped him with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary to lead design initiatives successfully.
In addition to his master's degree, Iain earned a Diploma of Imperial College (DIC) in Industrial Design Engineering from Imperial College London. This rigorous program enabled him to gain a profound understanding of the methodologies and technologies used in industrial design, further supplementing his technical arts background.
Iain also holds a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering from the University of Southampton. This engineering background highlights his abiding passion for technology and innovation, which has continued to fuel his career in product design and development—a vital asset in today's increasingly tech-focused marketplace.
Achievements
Iain's career is marked by a succession of prestigious roles and notable achievements that reflect his commitment to excellence in design and leadership. His contributions to top-tier organizations, such as Airbnb, IDEO, and Ford Motor Company, have set benchmarks in design excellence and organizational culture.
As a thought leader in the field of design and operational strategy, Iain's insights have propelled businesses to adapt and transform amidst changing market dynamics. His strategic guidance has enabled organizations to enhance their products while creating meaningful connections with their customers.
Moreover, Iain’s role in nurturing new talent as a mentor has influenced budding entrepreneurs and design professionals. His extensive network and collaborative approach foster a culture of creativity that inspires the next generation of innovators. Through his leadership at various startups and established firms alike, he demonstrates a unique ability to marry functional design with business objectives, leading to sustainable, customer-focused growth.
In summary, Iain Roberts is a highly accomplished design-led operating executive whose vast experience and expertise have made significant contributions to the industries he has engaged with. His profound understanding of design, combined with an ability to drive organizational transformation while focusing on customer experience, has solidified his reputation as an industry leader. He continues to inspire others with his vision for innovation and excellence in product development and organizational culture.
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Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
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