Everett Hagan
Product Strategy. Innovation Leadership. Organizational Transformation.
Empowering organizations to discover new opportunities, align cross-functional teams, and turn complex challenges into market-ready solutions.
Discoverying Opportunity. Aligning Teams. Delivering Results.
Over the past 20+ years, I’ve led innovation initiatives, built high-performing teams, and delivered transformative products across agency, startup and enterprise companies.
20 yrs
Innovation Catalyst
5 yrs
Innovation Programming
15 yrs
Product Strategy & Design Leader
6 yrs
Espresso Afficiando
Value Proposition
The most valuable opportunities rarely come with clear answers. Organizations often face uncertainty, competing priorities, evolving customer expectations, and pressure to innovate faster than ever.
I help leaders navigate these challenges by combining strategic thinking, customer insight, emerging technology, and collaborative leadership to create solutions that drive measurable business outcomes.
Product Strategy
- Led the GTM for a digital banking product
- Accelerated product discovery thru agile research practices
- Align cross-functional teams to collaborate early and often
- Improved customer experiences qualitative & generative research methods
Design Leader
- Built and led high-performing product design & strategy teams for fortune 500 & enterprise companies
- Led the User Experience practice for ISOBAR (Boston) creative agency
- Introduced Lean UX and modern product practices at scale
Innovation Catalyst
- Co-founded ALPHALAB innovation accelerator
- Launched a global innovation program across 4 countries
Ev-isms on Leadership
Creative teams aren’t built on templates.
Get to know each person—how they think, what they need, and where they want to go.
Lead with respect and humility.
Today’s direct report could be tomorrow’s hiring manager.
The table always turns.
If your only connection to your team is through scheduled 1:1s, you’re already disconnected. Leadership happens in the moments between the meetings.
Hiring is leadership’s highest-leverage move.
Get it right, and the team thrives. Get it wrong, and everyone feels it.
As a mentor, I’m here to get you ready for what’s next—whether that’s a bigger role here or your next big thing elsewhere.
1:1s aren’t for you to vent—they’re for your team to feel heard. Listen with intent. Talk less. Coach when invited.
Expertise
Innovation & Transformation
Creating systems and programs that help organizations continuously innovate.
Experience Design
Designing products and services that deliver measurable value.
AI Strategy & Enablement
Helping organizations identify practical opportunities for AI adoption and transformation.
Discovery & Research
Turning customer insights into product direction and business decisions.
Design Leadership
Building teams, processes, and cultures that consistently deliver results.
Product Strategy
Connecting customer needs, business objectives, and market opportunities.
Impact
INNOVATION PROGRAM
Accelerating People & Ideas
SS&C ADVENT | PROGRAM MANAGER
Founded and scaled a global innovation program across 4 countries and 3,000+ participants, embedding a culture of experimentation across multiple business units.
12
Global Hackathons
962
Innovation Ideas
4
Continents
INNOVATION PROGRAM
New Venture Accelerator
SS&C ADVENT | PROGRAM MANAGER
Co-founded a corporate innovation accelerator at SS&C, creating a structured framework to validate and launch new products and services, accelerating time-to-market.
58
New Venture Ideas
42
participants
6
Tech Accelerators
Product Innovation
Raising the Bar for Wealth Advisors
SS&C Black Diamond | Dir, Product Design & Strategy
Built and led a high-performing design team, establishing a culture of craft, accountability, and customer-centricity that elevated product quality across the Black Diamond Wealth Platform.
Trusted Partner
Trusted partner to executive teams leading digital transformation across fintech and enterprise solutions.
Testimonials
Everett was instrumental in shaping both my career and the entire design culture at SS&C Advent. During my time working under his leadership, I witnessed firsthand how exceptional design leadership can transform not just a team, but an entire organization's approach to product development.
When Everett took on the role of Product Design Director, our design team was small and still finding its footing within the company. Through his vision, creativity, and unwavering passion for innovation, he built us into a powerful and influential force that became integral to SS&C Advent's product strategy. His ability to elevate design thinking across all levels of the organization was remarkable to witness and be part of.
What sets Everett apart is his natural ability to mentor and develop talent. He didn't just manage our work—he invested in our growth as designers and strategic thinkers. His guidance has continued to influence my approach to design challenges long after our time working together, and I consider myself fortunate to have had him as a mentor during such a formative period of my career.
"I’ve worked with Everett on a number of projects and learned that he never takes a ‘cookie cutter’ approach in terms of planning or creative execution. He truly immerses himself in a client’s business before recommending a solution.
And in terms of creative brainstorming and ideation, there is quite simply no one else I want in the room more than Everett. There is no limit to his creativity and no account beyond his aptitude.
Everett’s managerial style also helps to set him apart. He is open, inviting, and extraordinarily willing to invest the time to listen to and accommodate the needs of his direct reports."
As a UX visionary, Everett cares deeply about the customer problem and demonstrated strong problem solving skills by designing the user experience that makes our tools intuitive and consistent.
As a manager, he leads by example and always finds ways to energize the team. He is a strong influencer that drives the growth of an organization. I have enjoyed working with Everett as my partner, mentor and friend!
Creative, clever, and fun!. Those are the first words that come to mind when thinking of working with Everett.
Everett brings fresh perspective and energy to even the most rigorous or challenging of projects
Working with Everett Hagan is like having an idea generator, motivational support and user-centered experience – all wrapped up into the most enthusiastic person you have ever met.
Whether it is launching the Innovation Society, creating a Design System approach, helping other teams ideate and problem solve – Everett is the multi-faceted energy – the flux capacitor, if you will – that can really bring you forwards (and back) to the future.
Two words to describe Everett: jazz hands. Ok, two more: creative leader. Ev's energy is both boundless and infectious. His "idears" (as he would say...) excite and inspire clients and peers alike.
He's got a permanent place on my brainstorming dream-team...which is to say that I dream of working with him again!
Everett is an extremely competent strategist / designer / consultant... he can do it all. He has a unique combination of skills that allow him to confidently enter any situation and help define and lead a well designed, well articulated solution.
He consistently presents forward thinking ideas and can sell the story to a senior level audience.
In addition, he is a great advocate of his peers and knows how to grow and foster talent.
I had the pleasure of working with Everett at Molecular and then Isobar for nearly 2.5 years. I interviewed him, highly recommended we hire him, and it proved to be a great success...I think for both Molecular and for Everett.
Together we lead the ideation and conceptualization of the award-winning adidas.com home page media mosaic. Everett is a wonderful creative thinker, always pushing the envelope when it comes to stretching his imagination, and that of those he works with. I can safely say that brainstorming, idea generation and insight synthesis, and sketching are his favorite activities and fortes!
I enjoyed my time with Everett, hope we get to work together again, and if you, dear reader, have the opportunity, I am sure you will enjoy it too! Best of luck with your future career, Everett.
Let's Build What's Next
Whether you’re launching a new product, scaling innovation, transforming customer experiences, or exploring the impact of AI, I’d love to connect.