Based in Hong Kong · Working worldwide

Design is not a job. It's how I think.

Michael Tam, arms crossed

Founder of Joyventure. Formerly IBM's first Global Design Principal from Hong Kong — one of 73 worldwide — and Chief Product Officer at Preface.

Let's talk The story ↓
Trusted in rooms at
IBM
HSBC
Samsung
Bloomberg
Cathay Pacific
Salesforce
AIA
Volkswagen
MTR
Three
Prudential
Starbucks
Air New Zealand
Swire Properties
DBS
WPP
Hang Seng Bank
Li & Fung
Reserve Bank of NZ
Asia Miles
Frito Lay
DS Smith
HK Jockey Club
Fubon
IBM
HSBC
Samsung
Bloomberg
Cathay Pacific
Salesforce
AIA
Volkswagen
MTR
Three
Prudential
Starbucks
Air New Zealand
Swire Properties
DBS
WPP
Hang Seng Bank
Li & Fung
Reserve Bank of NZ
Asia Miles
Frito Lay
DS Smith
HK Jockey Club
Fubon
01 — The belief

Everything is a prototype. Including me.

Advertising taught me craft. IBM taught me scale. Preface taught me speed. Every version shipped taught me something the previous one couldn't — that's the point, and that's the practice.

I lead. I craft. I articulate. I iterate.

$150M+
Commercial impact at IBM
1 of 73
Global Design Principals worldwide — first from HK
50+
Enterprise engagements
8K+
Mentoring minutes — World Top 5 on ADPList
02 — The story

Built in four chapters.

The first decade

Craft first.

Advertising taught me art direction. Art direction led me to UX. UX pulled me into enterprise product. Long before the titles, the through-line was already set: make the idea tangible, then make it better.

Art directionUXHong Kong
Michael Tam, black and white portrait on a mountain boardwalk
IBM — 2016 – 2024

Design at enterprise scale.

From Global Design Director at IBM iX — leading engagements for DS Smith, Salesforce, Air New Zealand, and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand — to Associate Partner and Global Design Principal: one of 73 worldwide, the first ever from Hong Kong or Greater China. $150M+ in commercial impact, 50+ enterprise engagements, and proof that design moves P&Ls.

Global Design PrincipalAssociate Partner$150M+ impact
IBM laptop covered in design stickers with an IBM badge
Preface — CPO

The startup gauntlet.

I took enterprise conviction into a Series A EdTech startup: 30 direct reports, 0→1 product lines, service design as the diagnostic tool. Different speed, same discipline — ship the version that teaches you the most, fastest.

Chief Product OfficerSeries A0→1
Team sprint session over large paper canvases at Preface
Joyventure — now

Building for joy.

Joyventure is an AI-driven product venture studio — co-building with venture partners, currently in live testing with Standy: pre-meeting intelligence for teams. Strategic. Beautiful. Human joy, by design. This chapter is being prototyped in public.

Founder & CPOAI productsVenture studio
joyventure.io
Phone showing Joyventure: we build products that people desire, by design
03 — On stage

I speak about building — products, teams, and selves.

Signature talk · Live at HSBC IWPB 2026

Everything Is A Prototype

Twelve lessons from a year of building, leading, and rebuilding — delivered as a fully interactive piece, not a slide deck. Because a talk about prototyping should be one.

12Lessons
InteractiveFormat
HSBCGlobal Design All-Hands
Michael Tam delivering a keynote on stage
Michael Tam speaking at Tech Fest Summit Hong Kong
Stages & rooms
HSBCBloombergSCADiF DesignService Design NetworkPolyU HKCreativeMorningsDesign for GoodTech Fest HKADPList
04 — Work with me

Three ways in.

/01
Keynotes & workshops

Conference keynotes, executive offsites, and design-org all-hands — on prototyping culture, AI transformation, and leading design as a commercial force. Interactive by default.

Book a talk →
/02
Advisory & leadership

Fractional CPO and design leadership for teams facing ambiguous problems with real stakes — product strategy, org design, and turning design maturity into revenue.

Start a conversation →
/03
Build with Joyventure

Co-build AI-driven products with my venture studio — strategic, beautiful, and human. Current flagship: a Customer Reactivation platform for SMBs.

joyventure.io

Also: World Top 5 mentor on ADPList — 8,000+ minutes with 150+ mentees across 15+ countries. Designers, PMs, and career-changers: find me on ADPList.

05 — Let's talk

The next prototype could be ours.

A stage, a product, a team, a transformation — if the challenge is ambiguous and the stakes are real, I'm interested.

LinkedIn
Tam (談) — literally, "talk"