Join us on Wednesday 13th May in London as we break down barriers to the creative industry and give traditional ‘mentoring’ a fun twist with the global technology company, with an award-winning design system, Wise.
Their wonderful creative team have volunteered their evening to speak with emerging creatives to answer your burning questions, provide some snappy portfolio feedback or just have a general chit-chat.
Event details
Location:
Wise London HQ, Shoreditch
Time:
Arrival from 6pm, kick-off at 6.30pm, wrap-up by 8.30pm
Date:
Wednesday 13th May 2026
So what’s the twist?
Ever been speed dating? No? Neither have we…but the format still works! All mentees at this event will get the chance to speak to three different members of the Wise team, rotating every 10 minutes, with small breaks in between to regroup.
You can be emerging at any age, so there’s no age limit on this event. If you have less than two years of industry experience, you can get involved!
Spaces are limited, so don’t hang about. Applications will close on Friday 24th April at 11pm GMT.
Meet the mentors
Meet the mentors
Ray Phan
Senior Designer
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Ray Phan is a Senior Brand Designer specialising in a multidisciplinary approach to brand systems and emerging technology. Originally from Australia, Ray moved to London seven years ago, starting his career in the fast-paced agency circuit before transitioning into senior design roles within the tech and creative sectors.
His practice is defined by a blend of technical precision and cultural insight, utilising 3D, motion, and AI-driven tools to build expansive, future-facing brand worlds. Ray is also heavily involved in the underground electronic music scene, where he runs an independent record label and event series. This experience allows him to bridge the gap between experimental subculture and commercial design, helping brands maintain a unique creative voice across different industries.
Whether you want to discuss building robust brand systems, leveraging AI tools in your workflow, or navigating the London design scene as a multidisciplinary creative, Ray is happy to help.
Priya Stewart
Group Design Lead
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Hello, I’m Priya. I was born in New Zealand, spent the past six years working as a designer in Melbourne, Australia, until I recently moved to London. That’s where I am now.
I was trained as a traditional graphic designer and illustrator before honing my craft in web and experience design.
My work is nimble and versatile. Having worked at agencies and as a freelancer, I’ve driven large-scale projects for globally recognised brands along with small-scale projects for niche, local companies.
With commercial experience in projects spanning from UX, app, and website design to branding and illustration, my love for exploring all visual languages continues to expand.
Jara Velasco Canning
Creative Designer Senior
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Jara is a Senior Creative Designer at Wise in London, working across branding, campaigns, editorial, and experiential design. She graduated from Loughborough University with a degree in Graphic Communication and Illustration, and has built her career through roles in branding agencies across London, Munich, and Mexico City.
Alongside her industry work, Jara has contributed to emerging talent development by writing and judging the Wise brief for D&AD New Blood—taking part for the second year running. She’s particularly interested in helping people from non-traditional backgrounds find their way into the creative industry and navigate early career paths.
Melicia Chivers
Design Apprentice
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Hi, I'm Melicia! I'm a Design Apprentice at Wise.
My path into design was anything but linear. I'm half Turkish and grew up as an expat, living in 10 different countries. After a decade of self-employment as a circus performer, I navigated a major career change into design — securing the first degree-level design apprenticeship at Wise... while managing ADHD.
This journey has given me a unique, resilient perspective and "big picture" approach to my work.
Great design is about more than just aesthetics — it’s about solving complex puzzles with intuitive, holistic solutions that work for both people and businesses.
I use my experience to provide warm, actionable advice, focusing on values-based networking and strategic portfolio building. I'm humbled to say I've successfully guided numerous career-switchers into their first design roles.
Bring your nitty gritty questions and I look forward to meeting you!
Nayanika Sengupta
Graduate Brand Designer
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Hi! I’m Nayanika, a multilingual brand designer originally from New Delhi, now based in London. I’m currently five months into my first proper job with the Brand Systems team at Wise, so the transition from university to full-time design is still very fresh.
In my work, I strive to strike a balance between branding, strategy and storytelling. Since graduating from AUB last year, I’ve navigated the jump from interning at studios like JKR and Koto to finding my feet as a professional designer. I’d be happy to chat about portfolio tips, navigating the London design scene, or landing your first job as an emerging creative.
Thiago Fontes
Staff Design Researcher
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I'm a Staff Design Researcher at Wise, with over a decade of experience working across tech and brand strategy. Prior to Wise, I held positions at companies from WhatsApp to early-stage startups, as well as advisory roles in accelerators like Kickstart London. As a mentor, I can best lend my expertise to designers looking to strengthen the structure and storytelling of their portfolios — making sure case studies communicate not just what was made, but the thinking and decisions behind it. Much of my background before Wise was in brand strategy, so I'm equally comfortable reviewing product and branding work.
Areas of specialisation: Portfolio storytelling and structure, case study presentation, brand strategy, career navigation in design and research.
Toby Yakubu-Sam
Staff Researcher
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I've always been a curious designer, which has taken me from agency innovation work and product design at Boiler Room to pivoting into UX research at BT/EE and now Wise.
As a researcher, I try to bring a lot of design thinking into how I work. Less sitting in interviews, more workshopping and collaborating so that what we create actually informs the design and product decisions being made.
I'm a big believer that research is a team sport, and I bring that into every project, whether that's a new product launch or just making sure the whole team is in the room for every research session.
Come chat about how UX research pairs with design and the wider product team, or anything in between.
Georgia Weisz
Senior Visual Designer
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Georgia is a Senior Product Designer at Wise, with over 10 years' experience spanning brand, product, and marketing. She brings a thoughtful, design-led approach to every project – from leading the redesign of Bumble.com to helping shape Zoopla's rebrand with Zag. Since joining Wise, she has been leading the London office redesign and developing a global brand playbook to guide how the Wise brand shows up in spaces worldwide.
Georgia is curious about different areas of design, from digital experiences, visual storytelling, and now interior design – and does her best work with mission-driven brands. She has a passion for accessibility and inclusive design. Outside of her day job, she is co-founder of Cheapskate London – an award-winning free weekly newsletter helping 65,000 subscribers discover the best of London's free cultural scene.
She loves meeting new people and is passionate about supporting others in their creative journey – helping them tap into their strengths and find a path that excites them.
Esai Asiaw
Creative Designer
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Esai is a self-taught designer specialised in motion and 2D/3D currently at Wise, following an extensive freelance career working with global creative agencies and clients within the tech, sports and fashion spaces.
With a focus on high-fidelity execution, Esai loves to bridge the gap between technical motion design and fluid visual storytelling, ensuring every frame feels intentional and cohesive.
In his spare time, he enjoys exploring emerging tech to refine his workflow and expand his creative capabilities.
Stephanie Martin
Senior Visual Designer
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I’m a Senior Visual Designer at Wise with a passion for bringing brands to life through movement. From high-impact brand videos to subtle UI micro-interactions, I focus on making every movement feel intentional.
My approach is rooted in strategic brand thinking, ensuring the Wise brand has a consistent motion voice across every digital touchpoint. Whether I'm working on expressive brand videos or web and mobile animations, my goal is always to make movement meaningful and on-brand.
Tatiana Gushchina
Senior Product Designer – Assets
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I've spent 11+ years designing products that people actually use across fintech, travel, and ride-hailing, at startups and studios, in London and beyond. Right now I'm at Wise, working on growth products used by millions. Along the way, I've led design teams, shipped award-winning work, and learned a lot from getting things wrong.
I've put 1,500+ hours of mentoring on record and many more behind the scenes, inside teams and organisations. I care deeply about helping designers find their footing, tell their story, and back themselves.
Richard Spellman
Senior Events Designer, Wise Platform
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I am a Senior Event Designer at Wise, where I shape branded environments and experiences for Wise Platform.
With over two decades in the creative industry, spanning both creative agencies and internal design teams, I’ve learned that while tools and mediums change, the core of great design remains the same: ideas and storytelling.
A career that began in editorial design and has evolved through art direction for print, marketing campaigns and brand before landing in spatial design, allows me to offer a wide perspective on the creative process.
I’m passionate about collaboration and helping designers refine their craft, bridging the gap between ideas and execution to connect with audiences. For me, this is a two-way street, as I really value the fresh perspectives and conversations that propel our collective work forward.
Jordan VanderVeen
Marketing Copywriter
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Jordan VanderVeen is a Copywriter whose love for words has propelled her through marketing teams in both agencies and in-house. Originally from the US, she's passionate about using language to connect with people, wherever they are in the world.
At Wise, she's spent the past two years crafting international campaigns, building localised messaging, and collaborating with global teams to make some really exciting work. Whether it's a hard-working podcast ad or a quippy tram wrap, she loves the creative process and all of its ever-moving parts. Previously, she's had experience in transportation, fashion, food, and non-profit spaces.
Jordan's happy to chat through life as a copywriter, interviews and portfolios, or even the nitty-gritty of building a creative career in a new country.
So what are you waiting for?!