Helen Orlando

Founding mentor

🐰 5 sessions

🎤 Host

Principal interaction designer @ UK Home Office

3testimonials London London (UTC) 20+ yrs in design

About

When we talk about leadership in tech, we often hear words like resilience, ambition, and innovation. But some of the strongest leaders I’ve met lead with something just as powerful: kindness. Kindness doesn’t weaken leadership – it strengthens it, it builds trust, creates space for others to grow, and it helps teams thrive in challenging environments.

How I can help

I can mentor you to achieve your personal best - to become an impactful designer and nurture you to become a leader that aligns with your personal values.

Ask me about

IC to manager

Influence without authority

Stakeholder standoffs

Presenting to execs

Growing into leadership

Freelance to full-time

Agency to in-house

Pivot into design

Negotiating comp

Imposter syndrome

Building a design system

First design hires

Craft to strategy

Layoffs

A failed launch

First or only designer

A reorg

Getting passed over

Returning from a break

Expertise

What mentees say

3 testimonials on Hop

Helen gave me such great advice as a new graduate trying to figure out my next steps in the design industry. She helped me gain clarity around my career direction, portfolio, and how I can continue growing my skills. I really appreciated her encouragement, honesty, and willingness to share her experience!
Ilyse · Aug 2026 · 1:1 session
Helen was wonderful, very kind, helped me organise myself properly to start my graphic journey and answered any questions I had.
Jess · Aug 2026 · 1:1 session
I had a really valuable mentoring session with Helen. She was incredibly thoughtful, insightful, and generous with her advice, and quickly helped me look at things from a different perspective. She has a great ability to listen, ask the right questions, and give practical, honest feedback while still being very encouraging. I came away from our conversation with much more clarity and some genuinely useful ideas for moving forward. I would highly recommend Helen to anyone looking for an experienced and supportive design mentor.
Zahra · Aug 2026 · 1:1 session