22 years designing at scale.

Anil, known to many as Neelakandan, is a seasoned user experience (UX) design leader with over two decades of experience in building meaningful digital products, shaping UX teams, and mentoring design talent across industries. He currently serves as the Design Manager and Head of Studios for Data & AI at IBM, where he operates at the crossroads of complex enterprise systems and deeply human and agent-centered experiences.

Before joining IBM, he held the position of Design Director at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), where he led strategic design initiatives and scaled multidisciplinary teams across global platforms. His leadership journey has consistently centred on not only delivering impactful products but also empowering individuals to grow into confident, thoughtful designers and leaders.

Outside of the design world, Anil is an award-winning wildlife photographer. He often retreats into nature, camera in hand, drawn to the quiet rhythms of the wild. It is in these silent, patient moments — waiting for a glimpse of an elusive species or observing the nuanced behaviour of a bird — that he finds the same balance between observation and action, a principle that equally applies to design and life.

You can see his photography at neelakandan.com.