Skills
About
Ganesh Karthik is an award-winning design and innovation leader and international speaker currently at Google, where he leads the design of enterprise-scale platforms within Google Cloud, shaping next-generation AI-native systems and digital experiences at global scale. Over the course of his career across organizations including Google, Amazon, Qualcomm, and Sound Transit, Ganesh has led the design and launch of more than 20 digital products impacting over 20 million users globally and contributing to more than $150M in revenue. As a founding designer across multiple organizations, he has built and scaled enterprise design functions from inception, shaping organizational strategy, establishing foundational product and experience ecosystems, and driving large-scale digital transformation initiatives. Ganesh plays an active role in advancing the broader global design and technology ecosystem. He serves as a Board Member of the Design Forward Alliance, a California-based organization driving large-scale initiatives at the intersection of design, technology, and civic innovation, including San Diego Design Week, one of the region’s largest gatherings of creative professionals. He also serves as President of ACM SIGCHI Puget Sound, part of the Association for Computing Machinery, where he leads community and industry engagement initiatives across AI, accessibility, UX, and emerging technologies, fostering collaboration between industry practitioners, researchers, and academic institutions. Ganesh is an international speaker whose work and insights have been featured in publications including National Geographic, Business Insider, and The Times of India. He has spoken at global conferences such as UX Research Summit and World Usability Congress on topics spanning AI, enterprise systems, human-centered design, and emerging technology. In addition, he mentors the next generation of designers through MentorCruise and academic collaborations with institutions including the University of Washington and the University of California San Diego. His contributions to the field have been recognized through multiple international honors, including the MUSE Design Awards and French Design Awards.