Establishing Dexcom’s European Product Design Studio from Zero

Executive summary

This case study covers my dual role as Product Design Studio Manager and Senior UX Design Manager at Dexcom, where I was responsible for establishing and scaling the first Global Product Design presence in Vilnius, Lithuania.

As the first design hire in the region, I built a fully functioning, multidisciplinary product design studio and integrated it into Dexcom’s global operating model. Within the first year:

• A 10-person studio was hired, onboarded, and operational
• The studio reached business-as-usual delivery across multiple global product initiatives
• Vilnius was positioned as Dexcom’s European Product Design hub
• Strong, ongoing collaboration was established with global leadership across the US and EU
• Studio operations, resourcing, and delivery stabilized without disruption to product timelines

The role combines strategic leadership, organizational building, operational oversight, and hands-on people management within a regulated, global health technology environment.

Context & problem

Dexcom was expanding its global footprint and needed to scale product design capacity in Europe while maintaining alignment with its US-based Global Product Design organization.

• No existing design studio, local design leadership, or operational framework in Vilnius
• Global teams required immediate, reliable design capacity
• Organization operated across continents, time zones, and regulated environments
• Design needed tight integration with product, engineering, research, and clinical teams

The challenge was not only to hire a team, but to establish a studio that could operate independently while remaining fully embedded in Dexcom’s global product strategy.

Goals & responsibilities

My task was to build, lead, and sustain a high-performing product design studio while simultaneously contributing as a senior leader within the Global Product Design organization.

Key responsibilities included:

• Hire and scale a multidisciplinary design and prototyping team
• Establish studio operations, workflows, and delivery standards
• Onboard the team into Dexcom’s culture, processes, and product ecosystem
• Ensure consistent, high-quality delivery across global initiatives
• Act as a strategic partner to local and global leadership beyond design
• Balance people leadership with organizational and operational accountability

This required building trust quickly, both locally and globally, while delivering tangible results from day one.

Process & solution

I approached the role across three parallel tracks: studio build-up, global integration, and operational excellence.

Building the Vilnius design studio

• Hired and scaled a 10-person team, including:
  • UX designers
  • UI designers
  • Design systems specialists
  • Illustrator
  • iOS and Android prototyping developers
• Defined roles, responsibilities, collaboration models, and onboarding frameworks
• Established a strong culture focused on ownership, quality, and collaboration

Global and cross‑functional integration

• Embedded the studio into Dexcom’s Global Product Design organization
• Partnered closely with senior leaders across:
  • Product management
  • Engineering
  • Research
  • Clinical and regulatory stakeholders
• Ensured European design efforts aligned with global vision, priorities, and standards
• Acted as a bridge between US and EU teams, aligning expectations, timelines, and delivery models

Operational leadership and delivery

• Introduced operating rhythms, planning cadences, and resourcing models
• Ensured stable delivery while the studio was still forming
• Balanced short-term execution with long-term organizational development
• Maintained visibility into capacity, risks, and dependencies across initiatives
• Supported designers as both people manager and senior design leader

Alongside studio leadership, I continued to operate as a Senior UX Design Manager, contributing to design strategy, mentorship, and decision‑making at the global level.

Outcome & impact

The Vilnius Product Design Studio became a stable, trusted, and fully integrated part of Dexcom’s global organization.

• Successfully established Dexcom’s first European Product Design studio
• Reached business-as-usual operations within the first year
• Enabled global teams to scale design capacity without sacrificing quality or speed
• Built long‑term partnerships across regions and functions
• Created a sustainable operating model for future growth in Europe

Most importantly, the studio transitioned from a greenfield initiative into a reliable strategic asset - demonstrating how thoughtful leadership, strong collaboration, and operational rigor can turn a new location into a core part of a global product organization.