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An exceptional
team makes all the difference.
Outwitly Inc. is a Canadian service design consultancy that has been providing outstanding user experience, service design, and design thinking since 2016. After years working for big tech companies in Silicon Valley, Sara Fortier founded Outwitly on the philosophies of ingenuity, hard work, and quality.
Outwitly is proud to boast an impressive roster of human-centered design and research experts.
Our team members have advanced postgraduate degrees across disciplines, including interdisciplinary design, psychology, policy, communications, and history. Each has extensive knowledge and experience delivering outstanding transformational change through service design, UX design and research, and change management.
We are a lean, remote team, working from across Canada, travelling to work in-person with our clients and using the latest digital tools. By structuring our company this way we are able to save where it counts and provide our clients with access to reliable top-tier talent that is not restricted by location. For every project, we assemble the perfect team to suit your organization’s particular needs.
Sara Fortier
Sara Fortier is a design strategist and CEO/founder of Outwitly Inc. She is an expert in ethnographic research methods, workshop facilitation, and design-thinking, and she is passionate about human-centered approaches to innovation.Kristin Swan
Director of Strategic Design
Shanna Small
Director of Administration and Finance
Marion Verschaeve
Director of Client Success
Lucas Lazdins
Key UX Account Manager
Danielle Mallett
Marketing Manager
Meaghan Gorchynski
Senior Graphic Designer
Chinedum Achebe
UX/UI Designer
Aday Sami-Orungbe
Senior Service Designer
Amy Sullivan
Senior UX Researcher
Janine Loo
Experience Designer and UX Researcher
Abigail Lautan
Social Media Coordinator
Lena Strumos
Senior Talent Strategist
Rachaela Van Borek
Content Specialist/Copywriter
Michelle McCune
Senior Service Designer & Leader
Zuna Amir Dhanani
Senior Graphic Designer (Contract)
Katie Costello
Executive Assistant and Office Manager
Tanya Panesar
Talent Coordinator
Claire Latham
Social Media Coordinator
Outwitly Inc. is a woman-owned and operated corporation committed to diversity, equality, and inclusion.
Over 70% of our team members are women and 54% are Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour (BIPOC)
Interested in working with the talented Outwitly team?
Book a discovery call today.
Claire Latham
Social Media Coordinator
Claire Latham is an Honours Media and Communications student at Western University with a passion for storytelling, digital marketing, and content creation. As the Social Media Coordinator at Outwitly, she supports the marketing team by managing social media content, driving engagement, and assisting in strategic campaigns. Claire is eager to apply her skills in storytelling and content development to help Outwitly connect with its audience and enhance its online presence.
Tanya Panesar
Talent Coordinator
Tanya is a Talent Coordinator with a strong background in recruitment as well as social media marketing. Leveraging her dynamic skill set, she excels at engaging top talent while ensuring a positive, seamless candidate experience. Tanya is passionate about building unstoppable teams and helping individuals find golden opportunities that match their goals and potential.
At Outwitly, she is focused on supporting the growth of design teams by cultivating a diverse and skilled talent pool that aligns with innovative and collaborative missions. She finds joy working in a fast-paced environment and supporting ambitious people as they thrive in their careers.
Tanya holds an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Human Resources from the University of Waterloo, as well as a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation. Tanya is based in Ontario.
Katie Costello
Executive Assistant and Office Manager
Katie brings extensive experience in executive assistance and administration, and thrives in creating well thought-out systems and optimizing workflows. She’s adept at combining strategic thinking and creative problem-solving, and insists that efficiency doesn’t have to be dull. She’s known for her organizational skills and attention to detail, and loves helping others succeed.
Katie takes pride in looking after a team and making sure everyone has what they need to do their best work. Outside of the office, she’s an avid lover of the great outdoors, and believes in balancing hard work with a love for life’s simple pleasures. She brings that same energy and positivity into everything she does.
Zuna Amir Dhanani
Senior Graphic Designer (Contract)
Zuna Amir Dhanani is a Toronto-based graphic designer with a passion for transforming ideas into visually captivating experiences. With over seven years of experience in brand development, graphic design, and digital marketing, Zuna blends strategy and artistry to craft branding that resonate across diverse industries.
Zuna has honed her expertise by working with clients to deliver design solutions that tell compelling stories. Her approach combines a deep understanding of design principles with a strategic mindset, ensuring each project stands out and makes a lasting impact. Known for her fresh perspective and meticulous attention to detail, Zuna creates work that not only captivates but also drives meaningful connections.
She is a graduate of OCAD University with a Bachelor of Design, majoring in Illustration and Graphic Design.
Lucas Lazdins
Key UX Account Manager
Lucas is a versatile UX account manager & practitioner with seven years of combined experience in UX research and IT Staffing. With a degree in psychology and a post-graduate diploma specializing in UX design (Honours), Lucas’ education and expertise have helped him enable businesses across North America to achieve better product-market fit, create better user experiences and exceed business goals.
As a UX researcher, Lucas enjoys working with UX and product leaders to inform strategic goals, improve product KPIs, and enable confident, user-centred decision-making. When he’s not helping product teams achieve their goals of creating better user experiences, Lucas can be found mentoring aspiring UX researchers and teaching UX design principles as a UX design instructor.
Rachaela Van Borek
Content Specialist/Copywriter
Rachaela Van Borek is a versatile writer and strategist with over a decade of combined experience in the marketing, entertainment and tech spheres. Her control of language and flair for impactful messaging have helped both B2B and B2C brands increase their reach and conversions via thought leadership, case studies, customer success enablement, user education, SEO, and digital advertising, among other approaches.
She holds a BA Honours in English and Creative Writing from Concordia University in Montreal, and got her start editing adaptation scripts and managing projects in animated TV with clients and partners, including LEGO, Nickelodeon and Netflix. Her passion for writing and effecting positive change then led her to pursue a full-time career in digital marketing, where she could use storytelling to help great brands grow and make people’s lives better. Behind everything Rachaela does is a fascination with human connection and a love of pushing ideas to their highest potential.
Lena Strumos
Senior Talent Strategist
Lena is an experienced talent strategist with a background in Anthropology and Sociology, enabling her to establish authentic connections with a diverse range of talent. Transitioning to a sales role six years ago, she discovered her passion for talent acquisition, dedicating the past three years to building numerous adaptable and diverse IT teams within the private sector.
Her pride stems from guiding individuals to their desired roles and witnessing the outstanding work her consultants consistently deliver. Lena has been recognized with multiple awards for “talent retention” and “talent service experience,” consistently exceeding client and consultant expectations and ensuring sustained employment opportunities for her team.
In her current role, Lena focuses on nurturing relationships within the design community, collaborating with top-tier talent to align their career aspirations. Her joy lies in securing dream job placements for practitioners and witnessing their growth and success over time.
Lena holds a Joint Honours Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Sociology from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Marion Verschaeve
Director of Client Success
Marion Verschaeve is an accomplished sales professional with a wealth of experience, underpinned by a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from HEC Montreal, specializing in B2B sales. During her 15-year tenure at notable firms like Nespresso, DAVIDsTEA, and a renowned pharmaceutical company, Marion has excelled in leading sales and marketing teams, crafting strategies that consistently surpassed growth targets.
At Outwitly, Marion’s mission is clear: to articulate the unparalleled value of Outwitly’s services and catalyze our growth. In her current role, Marion is dedicated to understanding the intricate needs of customers and clients, ensuring a positive experience for all. Her responsibilities encompass leading client success initiatives and designing strategies, building, nurturing, and strengthening relationships, and maintaining a stellar customer/client experience.
Abigail Lautan
Social Media Coordinator
Abigail Lautan is a Communications and UX Design student studying at Wilfrid Laurier University. Based in Ontario, she is Outwitly’s Social Media Intern, working on maintaining and monitoring a strong brand presence across all of Outwitly’s social platforms. Her passions include creating impactful content for the audience and helping to build meaningful connections. She is constantly striving to learn and implement new strategies to enhance engagement and foster a strong community through various social media platforms.
Abigail’s social media experience includes working as a Marketing Director at UX Laurier. She develops and maintains the team’s brand identity, ensures consistent messaging across all marketing channels, and implements marketing strategies to promote the team’s products and services.
Janine Loo
Experience Designer and UX Researcher
Janine is a UX Designer with a background in Industrial Design. She is an expert in product design, UI design, and qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Janine is passionate about solving problems and looking outside the constraints of tools and media to design exceptional experiences.
Janine has had a wide range of experience within the field of design. She began her career as an Industrial Designer within the aerospace industry. Following her time as an Industrial Designer, she worked in the public sector as a Graphic Designer and Analyst with the Department of Canadian Heritage. She made her transition into UX Design in 2021, where she continues to develop human-centered solutions.
Janine will graduate in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Industrial Design from Carleton University.
Amy Sullivan
Senior UX Researcher
Amy is a Service Designer with a specialty in User Experience Research. Her design thinking approach is informed by her background in exhibition curation, ethnography, digital experience strategy, and workshop facilitation. She is an advocate for diversity, equity, accessibility, cross-disciplinary teamwork, and building with foresight. Amy enjoys sharing research findings throughout organizations in ways that allow others to connect with the humanity of users.
She holds an MDEI, Digital Experience Innovation, from the University of Waterloo, and a BA (Hons), from the University of Toronto.
Kristin Swan
Director of Strategic Design
Kristin is a leader in Design Strategy with 16 years experience across design, organizational strategy, and complex program management roles, spanning the public, private, and non-profit sectors across the US, Canada, and Finland. She is an expert in co-creation and building collaborative teams, workshop design and facilitation, and organizational strategy.
Kristin began her career in manufacturing, supply chain, and operations management. She grew up working at her family’s small manufacturing business, completed her Bachelor’s in Supply Chain Management, and then joined Microsoft Operations working in large-scale software program management, eventually leading the global launch of Office 2010.
Transitioning from the world of operations, Kristin discovered Design Thinking while completing her Master’s in Business Strategy at Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland. Studio courses like Aalto’s Design for Government and Stanford’s Global Design Innovation (ME310) convinced her that Service Design was her true calling, and the rest is history.
Aday Sami-Orungbe
Senior Service Designer
Aday is a Nigerian-born, Ontario-based service designer. Her work meshes human-centered design practice with her extensive background in the strategic development of interactive experiences.
She is an expert in design planning, qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, and product design. Ayomide is passionate about connecting people, businesses and the world through inspiring design. Aday has had a diverse career in the public service including the Federal Immigration and Citizenship sector of Canada and pharmaceutical companies.
She holds a BASC of Industrial Design in the Department of Applied Science from the University of Toronto as well as a MDES of Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University.
Sara Fortier
CEO, Founder
Sara Fortier is a design strategist and CEO/founder of Outwitly Inc. She is an expert in ethnographic research methods, workshop facilitation, and design-thinking, and she is passionate about human-centered approaches to innovation.
Prior to founding Outwitly, Sara worked in Silicon Valley for Fortune 500 clients such as Apple, AT&T, and Microsoft. She is also the former User Experience Director for one of the top ten media companies in the United States where she led the consumer products design and research teams.
Transitioning from her experience in the tech world, she now helps organizations improve systemic issues surrounding user and customer experiences by applying the same human-centered and innovative practices used in product and service development.
Sara received a Master of Interdisciplinary Design and a Bachelor of Industrial Design from Carleton University. She continues to work closely with the University as a sessional lecturer and advisor to the School of Industrial Design.
Michelle McCune
Senior Service Designer & Leader
Michelle McCune is a design leader with over 15 years of experience in consulting. She is passionate about making sense of messy, ambiguous problems and building inspired-yet-practical solutions to improve people’s lives.
Her work has helped numerous global pharma and healthcare organizations to bring new service solutions to market while establishing the internal capabilities, systems and tools for delivering better patient and physician experiences. She is passionate about healthcare and understanding how the complex interactions between patients, professionals, and families impact care.
Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial design, and her work has garnered award recognition from the Design Exchange, Neocon, and the Chicago Athenaeum (Good Design Awards.)
Shanna Small
Director of Administration and Finance
Shanna Small is an administrative professional with 15 years of experience in bookkeeping and office management. She holds a Business Administration Certificate from the University of Victoria and is QuickBooks trained and certified.
Shanna brings balance, loyalty, and companionability to her work. She believes that “you must begin from where you are,” remaining committed to your goals while learning to enjoy the flow through the ups and downs of life.
When she is not on her yoga mat or working behind a computer, you can usually find her at the lake as she loves being on the water with friends and family.
Danielle Mallett
Marketing Manager
Danielle Mallett is an experienced marketing professional who specializes in building brand awareness, crafting engaging content, and developing comprehensive marketing strategies that resonate with diverse communities. As Marketing Manager at Outwitly Inc., Danielle is responsible for leading the marketing team in the creation and execution of integrated campaigns across social media, newsletters, blogs, and other communication channels.
Danielle joined Outwitly in 2021 as a Social Media and Communications Coordinator, where she played a pivotal role in establishing a strong brand presence and thoughtful communication strategies. In her current role, she oversees the development of content that educates and engages Outwitly’s growing community and business.
Danielle holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba.
Meaghan Gorchynski
Senior Graphic Designer
Meaghan Gorchynski is a graphic designer based in Brandon, Manitoba. As Outwitly’s in-house graphic designer, Meaghan specializes in branding and creating compelling digital materials for Outwitly’s social media channels, newsletter, blog, and more.
Meaghan’s educational background includes graphic design, web design, and video production studies. She worked for five years as a designer for a growing media company and has created branding and web design projects for small businesses in her community.
Meaghan’s creative style centers around clean and sophisticated aesthetics, with a dedication to elevating clients’ experiences through a thoughtful approach to design.
Chinedum Achebe
UX/UI Designer
Chinedum Achebe, also known as Nedu, is a talented UX & UI Designer. She specializes in delivering seamless user experiences, well-researched brand identities and beautiful user interfaces for Outwitly’s clients.
Possessing a comprehensive and multi-faceted design experience, Nedu has designed for several industries, including healthcare, fashion, law, e-commerce, and technology. In 2020, she worked with Hackworks as a UI/UX Designer, IBM as a Visual Designer, Danna Nicole, and HackerGal as a Graphic Designer.
Nedu holds a B.Eng in Information & Communication Engineering (Covenant University, Nigeria) and a Masters degree in Digital Experience Innovation (University of Waterloo, Canada). In addition, she has received qualifications as a Google Analytics Individual, an IBM Design Thinking Practitioner, and holds a certificate in Mimic Pro Digital Marketing.