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Listen "Charlie Sutton on Leading Atlassian’s 600+ Design Team | From Nokia & Silicon Valley to AI Design"
Episode Synopsis
In this episode of All Things Design, I sit down with Charlie Sutton, SVP of Design at Atlassian, to unpack his journey from far north Queensland to Helsinki, Silicon Valley, and now Byron Bay, where he leads a global design team of over 600 people.
From shaping iconic mobile experiences at Nokia—including the legendary Nokia 8110 (the ‘Matrix’ phone) and the Nokia 3310—to building Atlassian’s design culture, Charlie shares leadership lessons that span continents, companies, and eras of design innovation.
We explore how Atlassian fosters connection in a distributed workforce through 2–3 “Intentional Togetherness” events each year, alongside in-person sprints, business meetings, and design gatherings that strengthen culture and collaboration.
Charlie also reflects on his leadership philosophy “Calm is smooth. Smooth is fast,” the role of rituals in team culture, the future of AI in design systems, and why great leadership is about creating environments where people can thrive.
Key Topics Covered
Charlie Sutton’s design journey: Queensland → Nokia → Silicon Valley → Atlassian
Nokia classics: 8110 (Matrix phone) & 3310 — design milestones
Leadership insights from Nokia Advanced Design Studio (article by Rhys: No Dickheads
)
Leading Atlassian’s 600+ person global design team
Why Atlassian runs 2–3 “Intentional Togetherness” events per year
Rituals that matter for teams big and small
How design systems accelerate efficiency
Balancing remote work with in-person collaboration
Atlassian’s approach to AI in design & avoiding hype-driven adoption
Leadership mindset: Calm is smooth. Smooth is fast
🔗 Resources
— Article by Rhys (Head of Nokia Advanced Design):
https://medium.com/@rhysys/no-dickheads-a-guide-to-building-happy-healthy-and-creative-teams-7e9b049fc57d
— Connect with Charlie Sutton on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliesutton/
— Connect with Joe Woodham on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-woodham-torii-uxdesign/
⏱️ Timestamps:
— Introduction to Charlie Sutton
— From North Queensland to Silicon Valley & Helsinki
— Lessons from Nokia’s design era
— Moving to the Bay Area & design culture shifts
— Leading Atlassian’s global design team of 600+
— Building rituals for small vs. large teams
— The power of design systems for efficiency
— Running global design events across cultures
— Startup lessons for small design teams
— Atlassian’s approach to AI in design
— Avoiding the AI hype trap in product design
— The future of AI-driven design systems
— Leadership mantra: Calm is smooth, smooth is fast
— Making time for team connections
— Closing reflections & key takeaways
#CharlieSutton #AtlassianDesign #uxdesign #designleadership #aiindesign #GlobalDesignTeams #designsystems #productdesign #futureofwork #humancentereddesign #LeadershipInDesign #uxstrategy #designculture #remoteleadership #designinnovation
From shaping iconic mobile experiences at Nokia—including the legendary Nokia 8110 (the ‘Matrix’ phone) and the Nokia 3310—to building Atlassian’s design culture, Charlie shares leadership lessons that span continents, companies, and eras of design innovation.
We explore how Atlassian fosters connection in a distributed workforce through 2–3 “Intentional Togetherness” events each year, alongside in-person sprints, business meetings, and design gatherings that strengthen culture and collaboration.
Charlie also reflects on his leadership philosophy “Calm is smooth. Smooth is fast,” the role of rituals in team culture, the future of AI in design systems, and why great leadership is about creating environments where people can thrive.
Key Topics Covered
Charlie Sutton’s design journey: Queensland → Nokia → Silicon Valley → Atlassian
Nokia classics: 8110 (Matrix phone) & 3310 — design milestones
Leadership insights from Nokia Advanced Design Studio (article by Rhys: No Dickheads
)
Leading Atlassian’s 600+ person global design team
Why Atlassian runs 2–3 “Intentional Togetherness” events per year
Rituals that matter for teams big and small
How design systems accelerate efficiency
Balancing remote work with in-person collaboration
Atlassian’s approach to AI in design & avoiding hype-driven adoption
Leadership mindset: Calm is smooth. Smooth is fast
🔗 Resources
— Article by Rhys (Head of Nokia Advanced Design):
https://medium.com/@rhysys/no-dickheads-a-guide-to-building-happy-healthy-and-creative-teams-7e9b049fc57d
— Connect with Charlie Sutton on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliesutton/
— Connect with Joe Woodham on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-woodham-torii-uxdesign/
⏱️ Timestamps:
— Introduction to Charlie Sutton
— From North Queensland to Silicon Valley & Helsinki
— Lessons from Nokia’s design era
— Moving to the Bay Area & design culture shifts
— Leading Atlassian’s global design team of 600+
— Building rituals for small vs. large teams
— The power of design systems for efficiency
— Running global design events across cultures
— Startup lessons for small design teams
— Atlassian’s approach to AI in design
— Avoiding the AI hype trap in product design
— The future of AI-driven design systems
— Leadership mantra: Calm is smooth, smooth is fast
— Making time for team connections
— Closing reflections & key takeaways
#CharlieSutton #AtlassianDesign #uxdesign #designleadership #aiindesign #GlobalDesignTeams #designsystems #productdesign #futureofwork #humancentereddesign #LeadershipInDesign #uxstrategy #designculture #remoteleadership #designinnovation
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