Chuck Ruud

Strategy Design & Innovation Leader

Hi, I’m Chuck - a strategy, design, and operations leader who turns vision into measurable results.

I started in the footwear industry, designing and managing product lines that had to perform in the real world. From there, I moved into innovation consulting, helping brands and organizations reimagine how they serve their customers. Eventually, I found my sweet spot at the intersection of strategy, design, and operations, where ideas meet execution. I’ve spent 20+ years helping global brands, government agencies, and non-profits turn vision into results by:

  • Removing customer friction that quietly kills revenue and loyalty

  • Streamlining messy operations so teams can work faster and smarter

  • Uniting people around impact through storytelling, with a clear roadmap for change

Along the way, I’ve fixed customer and employee journeys so clunky even the CEO complained, turned duct-tape-and-prayer operations into well-oiled machines, and helped teams stop rowing in different directions. My approach blends human-centered design, systems thinking, and operational discipline, so strategy doesn’t just sit on paper, it delivers measurable impact in the real world.

Whether you need to untangle complexity, accelerate growth, or make change stick, I bring the strategic vision, operational discipline, and real-world know-how to get it done.

From the Design Studio to the Strategy Room

My journey started in product design, creating footwear collections for Timberland, Tretorn, and New Balance. I led creative teams, balanced form and function, and proved how thoughtful design and storytelling can drive demand, loyalty, and growth.

Over time, my canvas expanded. I moved into strategy consulting, working with public, private, and nonprofit organizations to lead complex transformations. I’ve helped modernize government services, reimagine healthcare operations, and improve field tools for global NGOs.

No matter the setting, my approach remains the same. I don’t just direct strategy, I design it. That means sensing what’s needed, empathizing with users, and co-creating the future with the people who will live and work in it.

A Few Things That Guide Me

  • Great experiences aren’t accidental. They’re designed.
    The best results happen when design, operations, and technology speak the same language.

  • Customer friction is a revenue problem.
    I help organizations connect small experience issues to big business outcomes and solve for both.

  • Mission matters.
    I’m drawn to work that drives real, lasting change for customers, communities, and systems that need it most.

Overall, my experience has taught me how to drive innovation, strategy, and business design across an organization. If you're looking for a partner who can think systemically, lead cross-functionally, and design what’s next, let’s connect.

Outside of work, I’m a committed dad, weekend chef, mountain-lover, and explorer of all things creative. I bring that same curiosity and energy into every challenge I take on.

I’m a strategy leader, creative problem-solver, and lifelong design thinker who thrives at the intersection of customer experience, innovation, and transformation.

I help organizations remove friction, align teams, and design for what matters most: real people. Whether I’m advising federal agencies, scaling new CX programs, or launching global footwear collections, my work is rooted in one goal: making experiences better so businesses and people can thrive.

  • Real transformation happens when we:

    • Design, not just direct
      True change isn’t just top-down. It starts with empathy, listening, and co-creating new possibilities with those closest to the work.

    • Curate experiences, not just manage outcomes
      Especially for employees. Exceptional customer experiences start with engaged, empowered teams.

    • Imagine beyond the current state
      I use storytelling to help teams move beyond what is and picture what could be — a future that’s clear, inspiring, and achievable.

    • Customer Experience Strategy & Service Innovation
      Designing journeys, services, and systems that put people first and deliver measurable results.

    • Organizational and Digital Transformation
      Leading enterprise change that aligns operations with evolving customer and employee needs.

    • Product and Experience Design
      Creating physical and digital experiences that are intuitive, efficient, and engaging.

    • Cross-Functional Program Leadership
      Bringing structure to complexity by managing large teams and multimillion-dollar initiatives with clarity and momentum.

    • Customer and Market Research
      Turning insights into strategies that are both human-centered and results-driven.

    • Design Management & Leadership

    • Cross-Functional Team Leadership

    • Design Advocacy

    • Mentoring & Building Teams

    • Performance & Budget Management

    • Hiring & Resourcing

    • EX Process Creation & Optimization

  • Item descriBusiness Strategy & Growth

    • Customer Experience Strategy

    • Design Operations

    • Strategic Roadmapping & Execution

    • Process Improvement & Optimization Strategy

    • Performance Measurement & Optimization

    • Stakeholder Engagement

    • Organizational Change Managementption

    • Human-Centered Design (HCD)

    • Service Design / Systems Thinking / Behavioral Design

    • Voice of the Customer (VoC) Programs

    • Product Storytelling

    • User Research

    • Personas & Journey Mapping

    • Data Sense-Making & Data Visualizations

    • Design Workshop Facilitation

  • Publications

    • Awarded a grant from Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health and the white paper was published in Dec 2018.

    Lectures

    • Guest lectured at NYC Net Impact events, SCAD, Parsons School of Design, and Pratt Institute.

    Keynotes & Workshops

    Volunteering

    • Net Impact NYC chapter - Service Corp’s pro-bono consulting committee member, Consultant trainer, Mentor & Consultant.

    • Co-Founded and was the chapter President of Pratt Institute's Net Impact Chapter (2015-16).

    • At Pratt; I was part of a team that won a business plan competition for a new service experience that was presented to a venture capitalist.

    • Shoes Master Magazine published an interview with my about my designs for the Japanese market while at Timberland.

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