Stefan Manastirliu

Stefan Mans.

Design Leader

Over 16 years of international experience in renowned product studios and in-house teams.

End-to-end design expertise—from user research and service strategy to UX, UI, motion and copywriting. Because great design is the whole experience.

Technical fluency — I’m an ex-senior developer comfortable across web infrastructure, front-end (HTML, CSS, JavaScript), Python, data models, and APIs. It means fewer silos, faster decisions, and smarter AI-augmented teams.

Strategic business partner to founders and boards — I directly own business outcomes, not just design metrics. Currently running the full P&L for the product division, I believe design is core strategy, never just support.

About

35+

B2C & B2B products designed for UK & Italian companies

16+

Years of experience
as a designer

10+

Years in hands-on
senior leadership positions

Years in
leadership positions

Experience

I’ve built startups from scratch. Helped big corporates fix bad products. Personally validated tens of ideas with users across countries, industries, and generations—from kids to seniors. I’ve experienced big wins, made mistakes, and learned plenty from both.

Design & Product Director

—

Dynamo Caffeina

Product Studio

Design & Product Director

Dynamo Caffeina

Product Studio

Design & Product Director

—

Dynamo Caffeina

Product Studio

Co-founder & Design

—

Planet

Startup

Co-founder & Design

Planet

Startup

Co-founder & Design

—

Planet

Startup

Head of Product Design

—

Osper

Startup

Head of Product Design

Osper

Startup

Head of Product Design

—

Osper

Startup

Head of Product Design

—

OVO Energy

Scale-up

Head of Product Design

OVO Energy

Scale-up

Head of Product Design

—

OVO Energy

Scale-up

Lead UX Designer

—

Citysocializer

Startup

Lead UX Designer

Citysocializer

Startup

Lead UX Designer

—

Citysocializer

Startup

Senior Developer & UX Designer

—

Koinema

Product Studio

Senior Developer & UX Designer

Koinema

Product Studio

Senior Developer & UX Designer

—

Koinema

Product Studio

What I bring

Impactful design craft

Designing ambitious futures—clear vision, strategic intent, long-term impact.

Impactful design craft

Designing ambitious futures—clear vision, strategic intent, long-term impact.

Short-term thinking kills great products. I push founders and execs to think decades ahead, creating radical, future-proof ideas rooted deeply in human insight—not just incremental tweaks.

Impactful design craft

Designing ambitious futures—clear vision, strategic intent, long-term impact.

Partnering with founders and senior leadership, I drive Design Strategy & Concepting, to shape business strategies into radical, future-focused products and services—rooted in deep user insights and seamless cross-functional collaboration.

Mentorship & Leadership

Training and inspiring designers through structured reviews, pair design, and direct feedback, while building processes and standards that both elevate craft and business results.

Mentorship & Leadership

Training and inspiring designers through structured reviews, pair design, and direct feedback, while building processes and standards that both elevate craft and business results.

Lean AI-Augmented Design Teams

Training and inspiring designers through structured reviews, pair design, and direct feedback, while building processes and standards that both elevate craft and business results.

I believe in Design Unicorns— exceptional individual contributors —and champion lean, AI-augmented design profiles that empower proactive talent with a strong aesthetic vision & tase to thrive within a shared culture of design excellence.

End-to-end design ownership

From research and concepting to design systems and polished UI, collaborating closely with PMs and engineers.

End-to-end design ownership

From research and concepting to design systems and polished UI, collaborating closely with PMs and engineers.

Drawing on Italy’s rich design and artistic heritage alongside broad experience across diverse industries — especially in launch and growth-stage products — to craft polished, distinctive experiences that drive measurable business growth.

Italian Design Heritage mixed with International Experience

From research and concepting to design systems and polished UI, collaborating closely with PMs and engineers.

Dribbble