Tiago Machado designs teams, products, and futures at the intersection of design, technology, and business

He focuses on building transformative products, services, and operations at scale — unlocking new value and shaping next-generation ecosystems. He excels at connecting mission, vision, and strategy, bridging disciplines and leading through ambiguity.

Currently, he serves as Product Design Lead at Nokia within Cloud and Network Services (R&D), transforming an ecosystem of platform automation tools powered by emerging technologies and agentic AI. Previously, he drove software innovation for consumer and enterprise products at the Volkswagen Group.

Tiago holds a PhD in Design — with a specialization in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) — and an MFA in Communication Design and New Media from the University of Lisbon, and a BA in Graphic Design and Advertising from the Polytechnic University of Porto.

He co-founded and directs the Postgraduate Program in Digital Experience Design at the University of Lisbon, combining teaching and research to shape the next generation of designers and digital leaders. In addition to being a pracademic, he helps shape the design discipline through collaborations with peers and global organizations such as the International Council of Design (ICoD).

Building on this dual background in industry and academia, Tiago thrives in roles that demand strategic vision, operational excellence, and cross-functional leadership. He is passionate about empowering teams and shaping systems that enable innovation to scale sustainably.

Tiago brings a global, cross-cultural lens to design — one that bridges languages, disciplines, and perspectives. Even his name travels well: in the original Portuguese, it’s spelled Ti-á-gu Ma-shá-du. Elsewhere, it becomes James Axe (English), Jacques Hache (French), Giacomo Ascia (Italian), Santiago Hacha (Spanish), Jakob Axt (German), Jakob Öxi (Icelandic), ヤコブ・斧 (Yakobu Ono, Japanese), 雅各·斧 (Yǎgè Fǔ, Chinese), 야곱 도끼 (Yagop Dokki, Korean).

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Get in touch! mail@tiagomachado.com
Portfolio available upon request.