Design leader. Product thinker. Builder.

UX leader and founder. 10+ years across product design, design systems, and AI-driven product strategy. Currently building Checkin. Sydney.

Bilbo Baggins the Cavoodle

About

I'm a design leader with over a decade of experience across product design, service design, and design systems. I've led teams at Compare Club, shaped disruption communication at Sydney Metro, and built design systems that made entire product portfolios feel like one product for the first time.

Right now I'm building Checkin. What started as an observation (people sitting in the same room, open to connection, with no way to signal it) became a company. I designed the product, wrote the code, and shipped the platform. The whole stack. It turns out the best way to understand engineering constraints is to be the engineer.

But work is only half the story.

I'm endlessly curious about how things connect. From human behaviour to systems design to the inner workings of steam locomotives (yes, the old-school kind). I have a deep love for Italy: the people, the pace, and of course, the food. You'll usually find me planning my next Italian meal before I've finished the one in front of me.

And then there's Bilbo Baggins. Six-year-old Cavoodle. Part dog, part shadow, full personality. He keeps me company during late-night Figma sessions and has strong opinions about my design decisions.

Based in Sydney. Available for UX leadership roles.

niel.nx@gmail.com · LinkedIn