Claudia Zacharias MBA

Experience design leader shaping enterprise digital products, loyalty ecosystems, and customer experiences at global scale. I lead multidisciplinary teams, translate complex business challenges into clear experience strategies, and connect design decisions to measurable outcomes.


Director, Experience Design
VML (WPP) · Ford & Lincoln Rewards and Loyalty - Jan 2025 – Present

Lead experience strategy and design governance for Ford and Lincoln Rewards, a multi-platform loyalty ecosystem serving millions of members.

  • Lead multidisciplinary experience design teams across interconnected products, journeys, and release cycles.

  • Align product, engineering, marketing, and brand leadership around CX strategy, priorities, and measurable business outcomes.

  • Establish scalable UX frameworks, accessibility standards, and AI-enabled design practices across the loyalty ecosystem.

Associate Director, Experience Design
VML / VMLY&R (WPP) · Ford & Lincoln - Jan 2023 – Dec 2025

Directed experience strategy across loyalty, EV retail, guest experience, support, and connected services.

  • Led the redesign of Ford's enterprise web navigation through iterative research, prototyping, and A/B testing, improving discoverability and customer flow.

  • Directed complex self-service experience redesigns across North American and European markets, increasing completion and customer satisfaction.

  • Established UX standards and governance across multi-team, enterprise-scale programs.

Senior Experience Designer
VML / VMLY&R (WPP) · Ford & Lincoln - Aug 2021 – Dec 2022

Designed and optimized global onboarding, ownership, support, and connected-services experiences.

  • Transformed complex automotive and subscription workflows into accessible, intuitive customer experiences.

  • Used research, journey mapping, and usability testing to identify systemic friction and improve task completion and satisfaction.

UX Consultant
Independent - Jan 2020 – Jul 2021

Led end-to-end UX engagements across responsive web and mobile products for clients spanning multiple industries.

Senior Creative Manager
Anderson Arts Center - Jun 2018 – Sep 2020

Led digital experience design, creative direction, and brand initiatives while mentoring junior designers.

Senior Marketing Manager & Designer
JLL - Apr 2015 – May 2018

Led digital product and brand initiatives for JLL Midwest, including commercial real estate platforms that increased engagement by 15% and broker lead generation by 10%.


Experience Strategy · Design Leadership · Loyalty & CX · Enterprise Products · Design Governance · Research & Optimization

Selected Work

Ford + Lincoln Rewards — Missing Points
Redesigned the self-service experience to reduce customer friction and support call-center deflection.

View case study →

Lincoln Rewards — New Member Earning
Led discovery, experience strategy, and iterative testing for a new earning category designed to improve member activation and profile completion.

View case study →


Education

MBA, Marketing & Brand Management
DePaul University

UX Design Immersive
General Assembly

BA, Marketing Communications & Literature
American University