About

Marina Watson
Marina Watson

"The way Marina helped us think about and prioritise customer impact was inspiring. She's adept at packaging and presenting very complex information into clear and concise boards, and brings keen insights to every discussion."

— Doug Hagan, Tech Lead

From visual design to product leadership

From visual design to product leadership

Product and UX leader with 15+ years’ experience shaping customer-facing digital products across marketplace, B2B and SaaS environments. Currently leading UX strategy at Reece Group across a large-scale, multi-channel ecosystem supporting 650+ branches across Australia and New Zealand.

Previously operated at Head of Product & Design level within a SaaS business, partnering closely with the Founder/CEO to define product strategy, build a reference customer-led growth engine, and scale a platform that became business-critical for customers and contributed to acquisition.

Known for aligning design with business strategy, building high-performing teams, and delivering measurable impact through research-led, data-informed and AI-assisted product experiences. Strong track record of driving end-to-end journey improvements, influencing senior stakeholders, and embedding design as a strategic capability within organisations.

In my current role as Principal User Experience Designer at Reece Group, I lead the design strategy for customer-facing B2B digital products across Australia and New Zealand. My work includes establishing a research-led culture, overseeing the design vision of our web and mobile apps, and embedding design-led thinking into product and engineering practices. Close proximity to customers at Reece has enabled me to champion a customer-first approach, ensuring design decisions solve real customer problems while supporting business growth.

Previously, as Product Design Lead at 321 Ignition, I applied direct response and conversion-focused design strategies that

What I'm known for

Championing design

With extensive experience in product and UX design leadership in SaaS, enterprise and agency environments, I bring a proven ability to set strategic design vision and deliver customer-first outcomes.

Focussing on results

I'm all about data - if you can't measure it, you can't improve it. You'll often spot me analysing analytics, and the design process is not done until we've reached our success metrics.

Leading successful teams

I lead by empowering and enabling designers and product managers, elevating design and product maturity, and ensuring my team’s work has measurable impact across the organisation.

As Principal, UX Design at Reece Group, I lead design strategy for customer-facing B2B digital products across Australia and New Zealand. I champion a research-led, customer-first culture, guide the vision for web and mobile experiences, and embed design thinking into product and engineering practice.

Previously, as Head of Product & Design at 321 Ignition, I headed mobile-first, conversion-focused design to deliver a 324% average uplift in dealership lead conversions. At Whippet, I led performance-driven campaigns that contributed to a substantial increase in sales revenue for Coles Financial Services.

Coaching team members is a core part of my leadership practice. I support designers and product managers in building confidence, sharpening their craft and growing into strong product thinkers. Seeing careers progress and capability deepen across a team is one of the most rewarding aspects of the role.

delivered measurable outcomes. I drove a 324% average uplift in lead conversions for dealerships and significantly reduced mobile bounce rates. At Tarazz, I designed conversion-driven eDM and social media campaigns that contributed to a 220% increase in sales revenue. These roles strengthened my ability to connect design craft with tangible business results.

I thrive on mentoring designers and creating an environment where teams can excel. Having led and coached designers in both corporate and agency contexts, I understand the importance of building confidence, clarity and collaboration within teams.

How others see me

"An incredible leader inspiring other designers, lifting the design practice across all teams, and fostering a true customer centric approach to the product and business."

Reece Group

"An incredible leader inspiring other designers, lifting the design practice across all teams, and fostering a true customer centric approach to the product and business."

Reece Group

"An incredible leader inspiring other designers, lifting the design practice across all teams, and fostering a true customer centric approach to the product and business."

Reece Group

"Hire Marina for her leadership capabilities, even above her expertise in design."

Reece Group

"Hire Marina for her leadership capabilities, even above her expertise in design."

Reece Group

"Hire Marina for her leadership capabilities, even above her expertise in design."

Reece Group

Marina Watson

Product and design leader

I'm based in Melbourne, Australia on the land of the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation

2026

Marina Watson. All Rights Reserved

Marina Watson

Product and design leader

I'm based in Melbourne, Australia on the land of the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation

2026

Marina Watson. All Rights Reserved

Marina Watson

Product and design leader

I'm based in Melbourne, Australia on the land of the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation

2026

Marina Watson. All Rights Reserved