Join us for a conversation with Alison Rand, author of Sentido and a pioneer in design operations. We recently interviewed Alison, exploring her concept of radical humanity and the heart-driven nature of designops, and now we’re bringing Alison back for a live Q&A.


Bring your questions about building healthier team dynamics, navigating organizational transformation, or challenging the conventional wisdom of design leadership. Whether you’re wrestling with how to lead with both courage and compassion, or curious about applying organic intelligence to your work, this is your chance to dig deeper.

Alison Rand is a seasoned design leader, strategist, and author with over two decades of experience driving design operations and organizational transformation at global companies including frog, Automattic, and SAP. Her work focuses on building systems that integrate creative excellence with operational rigor, helping design teams scale sustainably and align with business strategy. Known for her expertise in design leadership and inclusive systems thinking, she has collaborated with industry figures such as John Maeda and led initiatives advancing equity and culture within design organizations.

She is the author of Sentido: Finding Sense and Purpose in Design Leadership (MIT Press, 2025), which explores how identity, empathy, and systems design intersect to shape effective leadership. In addition to her consulting practice, Rand co-founded Forty Fifty, a platform dedicated to supporting women in midlife through community and design-driven storytelling. Based in New York, she continues to advise companies on building mature design organizations and fostering more equitable creative ecosystems.

AMA: Alison Rand on DesignOps and healthier teams