AI Strategist · Product and Innovation Leader

I
reframe things.

I work at the intersection of AI strategy, creative and user engagement leadership - shaping how organisations understand, build and adopt intelligent products. Whether shaping AI capability frameworks, directing product strategy or designing human-centred digital experiences, I bring the clarity that makes hard things happen.

Explore what I do → What I’ve done
7+
Years experience
AI
Strategy & frameworks
MA
Strategic Design

What I bring

Four domains -
one common ground

My work sits at the crossroads of four interconnected fields - AI strategy, design, business and digital strategy.

AI Strategy
Design
Business
Strategy

Experience

Where I've
shaped things

2025 - Present

Totalkredit

Senior Product Owner / Product Manager

  • Responsible for both customer-facing and advisor-facing platforms supporting the full customer journey
  • Own and prioritise product direction, roadmap and initiatives across business, technology, UX and specialist teams
  • Implemented AI-enabled solutions: AI meeting summaries, advisor AI search and conversational chatbot capabilities
  • Designed an AI framework for internal design processes - helping teams explore, qualify and shape AI opportunities
  • Initiated AI capability-building programme for Product Owners; works closely with AI CoE and UX community

2021 - 2025

Nykredit

Lead Service & UX Designer

  • Led service design and UX across complex financial customer journeys
  • Designed the first and highest usability-scored self-service solution for private customers
  • Designed and co-led implementation of Nykredit's online meeting-booking platform
  • Facilitated workshops and decision-making processes with stakeholders across the organisation

2022 - 2025

The Royal Danish Academy

External Examiner, MA Strategic Design

  • External examiner at master's level within strategic design
  • Assessing student work on design strategy, business understanding, process and concept development

2021

The Capital Region

Service Designer & Change Management Consultant

  • Service Design and Change Management in a complex public-sector context
  • Designer and project lead on a digital platform for PhD grants in the Danish health sector

2020 - 2021

hatch & bloom

Service & UX Designer

  • Designed services and digital experiences for hospitals and water management organisations
  • Facilitated workshops, user research and concept development

2016 - 2019

Urbanbear Studio

Founder & Designer

  • Founded and ran an independent design studio in Copenhagen - working across furniture, home electronics and industrial products
  • Designed products with a focus on function, craft and lived experience - for us, good design means things that work great in every aspect
  • Facilitated workshops and design education courses alongside physical product development

2018 - 2020

EGGS Design

Junior Designer & Project Lead

  • Strategic design, service design and project coordination
  • Cross-functional projects across airports, LEGO, industrial harbours and public sector in Denmark and Norway

Core skills

How I
operate

AI Strategy & Implementation

Shaping AI capability frameworks and implementing AI-enabled products - from chatbots and advisor AI to cross-functional AI literacy programmes.

Product Management & Roadmap

Translating strategic priorities into actionable roadmaps. Prioritisation, delivery planning and stakeholder buy-in across business, technology and design.

Strategic Design & UX

Service design, UX and concept development. Highest usability-scored self-service solutions. Turning complex ambiguity into clear, human-centred direction.

Stakeholder & Change Management

Creating alignment and shared understanding across business, technology, UX and specialist communities. Facilitating the decisions that drive real change.

Service Design & Facilitation

End-to-end service design from user research through to implementation. Workshops, decision-making processes and concept development across public and private sector.

Financial Services & Regulation

Deep understanding of financial services products, regulatory context and compliance considerations - from mortgage platforms to customer-facing digital banking.

Education

The
background

The Royal Danish Academy

2018 - 2020

MA - Strategic Design & Entrepreneurship

The Royal Danish Academy & Copenhagen Business School

Kolding School of Design

2013 - 2016

BA - Industrial Design

Kolding School of Design

2012 - 2013

Architecture, Industrial & Graphic Design

Den Skandinaviske Designhøjskole

Get in touch

Curious?
Let's talk.

I'm always interested in conversations about AI strategy, design leadership, product and the organisations navigating all three at once.

esben.l.hougaard@gmail.com
Write to me → LinkedIn ↗

Blog

Travel of Thoughts

Writing about AI strategy, product leadership and design thinking - from someone at the intersection of all three.

Written between journeys, revisions, and distractions.

Work in progress

More will come soon.

Esben Lyhne Hougaard

Product Manager • Customer Experience & AI Strategy

esben.l.hougaard@gmail.com • +45 31 21 39 30 • Copenhagen, Denmark • LinkedIn

Professional Experience

Totalkredit (Nykredit Group)

Senior Product Owner / Product Manager

Jan 2025 - Present
  • Responsible for customer-facing and advisor-facing platforms collectively receiving 15,000-2,000,000+ annual visits across the Totalkredit customer journey
  • Own and prioritise product direction, roadmap and initiatives across business, technology, UX and specialist teams - translating strategic priorities into actionable product decisions
  • Drive cross-functional stakeholder alignment across business and technical domains, influencing direction without formal authority; built cross-organisational networks spanning DCI (500+ people) and Banking Tech
  • Established a cross-organisational AI forum in Totalkredit, bringing together AI specialists, product and strategy profiles to drive shared direction and maturity
  • Initiated and led an AI capability-building programme for the Product Owner community - reaching 15-20 Product Owners and project leads with practical methods and tools adopted across the organisation
  • Responsible for establishing structure, ways of working and processes within the customer-facing product team

Nykredit

Lead Service & UX Designer

Mar 2021 - Jan 2025
  • Led service design and UX across complex financial customer journeys on platforms with 80,000+ users
  • Designed Nykredit’s first self-service solution for private customers - achieving a SUS score of 85, the organisation’s highest usability result, handling 70+ weekly applications for electric vehicle financing
  • Designed and co-led implementation of Nykredit’s online meeting-booking platform - adopted by close to 100% of advisors serving the private customer segment
  • Part of core team implementing AI-enabled solutions: AI-generated meeting summaries, AI search for advisors and conversational AI chatbot capabilities
  • Developed U.N.I.T.E. - a proprietary innovation framework combining Double Diamond and Board of Innovation’s Stingray model - now adopted across Banking Tech and Totalkredit to guide AI and digital product development
  • Designed an AI framework for internal design processes, helping teams explore, qualify and shape AI opportunities in a structured way

The Royal Academy

External Examiner, MA Strategic Design Programme

Sep 2022 - Jun 2025
  • Assessed master’s-level students on design strategy, business understanding, process and concept development - a senior advisory role held alongside primary employment
  • Informally advised the programme on AI integration in design education and on where strategic design curricula should be heading in an AI-driven landscape

Earlier Experience

Capital Region of Denmark

Service Designer & Change Management Consultant

2021
  • Service design and change management in a complex public-sector context. Led design and build of a digital platform for PhD grant applications in the Danish health sector.

Hatch & Bloom

Service & UX Designer

2020 - 2021
  • Designed services and digital experiences for hospitals and waste management clients. Facilitated workshops, user research and concept development.

EGGS Design

Junior Designer & Project Lead

2018 - 2020
  • Strategic design, service design and project coordination across airports, LEGO, industrial harbours and public sector clients in Denmark and Norway.

Urbanbear Studio

Founder & Designer

2016 - 2019
  • Founded and ran an independent design studio in Copenhagen working across furniture, home electronics and industrial products.
  • Designed products focused on function, craft and lived experience; facilitated design workshops and education courses alongside physical product development.