Born in Tanzania,
designing for the world
I'm Suhail, a Tanzanian-born product designer with a keen interest in leveraging design to solve problems and realize business goals. My experience across various industries, and multiple disciplines that complement design enable me to create accessible experiences that allow the end-consumer to do more. My impact through design has been global and I wish to continue playing a part in solving problems that matter to millions across the world.
I studied Global Business and Digital Arts at the University of Waterloo where I learned to combine business, design, and technology to tackle the problems of today, and tomorrow.
In my free time, you can find me playing golf or soccer, reading non-fictional literature, or endlessly scrolling through my Netflix watchlist.
Feel free to say hello through my Email or LinkedIn!
D&AD New Blood Portfolio Pick (2022)
Pangea.app Top Emerging Talent Class of Summer (2021)
Landor & Fitch Next Generation of Brand Transformers (2020, 2021)
My holistic approach to problem solving
Inclusive & Collaborative
Working with a diverse team paves the way for success. Including stakeholders at every step of the process strengthens this further.
Design for the users
I use design thinking to synthesize requirements and stakeholders’ needs to create a solution that meets business goals and enables users to do more.
Data Oriented
What good is designing solutions if they aren’t tailored for the consumer? Data helps me make informed decisions by using insights to understand user needs.
Build to implement
Effective problem solving requires a good implementation plan. I work closely with teams to ensure the solution is feasible and works for its users.
“Suhail took the time to understand our internal processes, customers and existing platform in depth before suggesting changes and working on his assignment. He generally goes beyond what is expected of him to deliver something holistic and complete.”
— Taha Jiwaji, Founder, Beem Africa
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Books I recommend
(Apart from The Lord of the Rings)
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
David Epstein
In a world where people strive to be increasingly specialized in their fields, David Epstein argues that the world needs “…people who start broad and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives while they progress.” He touts Rodger Federer as an example, noting that as a young kid, he didn’t focus on tennis until he was a teenager. Instead, he played a wide range of different sports, including skateboarding, swimming, ping pong, soccer, and badminton.
I consider myself a generalist. While I am focused on problem-solving through design, I engage in broad experiences, from practicing other fields such as development and project management, to tackling challenges in industries from insurance to manufacturing. I enjoy doing this as it opens up different perspectives and approaches to problem-solving.
Lights Out: Pride, Delusion, and the Fall of General Electric
Ted Mann and Thomas Gryta
Lights Out is a story that takes you through the decades of events that resulted in the mismanagement of General Electric, once highly paraded as a truly American company. Towards the end of the 20th century, GE was thriving. With a credit rating as good as the American government, it enjoyed its status in investment portfolios as a company too big to fail. Continuous mismanagement throughout two CEOs and the 2008 financial crisis changed that.
I really enjoyed this book as it highlights how a seemingly successful corporation can slip into trouble with little overt notice. It also shows how always chasing numbers and targets can actually be detrimental to maintaining and growing your business.
The Ride of a Lifetime
Robert Iger
Robert’s recollection of his time at Disney has taught me about the inner workings of building one of the largest conglomerates in the world, from working on its strengths and weaknesses, to handling crises situations while thousands of miles away from home. His display of his decision making process and lessons learnt from his failures has taught me a great deal on leadership and how to manage people in a way that enables them to do more.
