HOHelen Orlando
Founding mentor
🐰 5 sessions
Principal interaction designer @ UK Home Office
3testimonials London London (UTC+1) 15+ 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
UX Designer
UX Researcher
Product Designer
Visual/Brand
Design Manager
Design Lead
Fintech
Healthcare
B2B SaaS
Agency
Consumer/Social
Design systems
Freelancing
Leadership
Negotiation
Interviewing
Graphic Design
E-commerce & Retail
Education & EdTech
Media & Entertainment
Government & Civic
Travel & Hospitality
Nonprofit & Social Impact
Testimonials
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
Helen was wonderful, very kind, helped me organise myself properly to start my graphic journey and answered any questions I had.
Jess · Aug 2026
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