Speakers
Laura Yarrow
Laura is Head of Design for GOV.UK at the Government Digital Service (GDS) - the digital front door to all public services and information in the UK. With millions of visits each week, GOV.UK is a cornerstone of the nation’s digital infrastructure, connecting people to life-changing services when they need them most.
Over the past five years in government, Laura has led design at both GDS and HM Land Registry, applying her expertise in user-centred design to deliver accessible, effective services across the public sector. Her career spans more than two decades in the digital industry spanning web development, user research and design, providing her with deep experience in developing intuitive products that meet real human needs.
What drives her work is a curiosity about people: how they think, what they need, and why they behave the way they do. This people-first approach underpins her commitment to creating experiences that are simple, accessible, inclusive, and genuinely useful.
Outside of work, Laura enjoys time with her family, is attempting to write a book, wrangles an ever-growing garden, collects board games by the hundred, and plays the piano - enthusiastically if not always in tune.
About the talk
Different by design: Leadership in complex times and places
We live in an era of unprecedented disruption - artificial intelligence reshaping entire industries overnight, climate change demanding radical solutions, and global conflicts challenging worldwide stability and progress. The leadership playbooks that carried us through the last century are proving inadequate for the complexity and pace of change we face today. In these unconventional times we need unconventional leaders; those who think differently, challenge established patterns, and bring fresh perspectives to seemingly intractable problems. The very qualities that once made leaders seem "too different" for traditional roles may now be exactly what our organisations and society need to navigate an uncertain future and create lasting, meaningful change.
Yet, many design leaders feel pressure to conform to traditional professional expectations, hiding the very traits that made them creative thinkers in the first place. We tone down our curiosity, suppress our unconventional ideas, and follow established patterns - even when we suspect there might be better ways to approach problems.
This is particularly challenging in the public sector, where the stakes are high and the users we serve represent the full spectrum of human diversity and experience. When you're designing for millions of people with vastly different needs, conventional thinking simply isn't enough. Public services must work for everyone—from the digital natives to those who've never used a smartphone before. The leaders who create truly inclusive solutions are often the ones who think differently themselves.
This talk explores how to strategically embrace your unique leadership style to create more innovative teams and better outcomes for the people you serve.
What you'll gain:
- An understanding of why it’s important to embrace your own design leadership style, especially if that is an unconventional one
- Confidence that being "different" makes them more effective, not less professional
- Practical techniques for turning stakeholder scepticism into curiosity