Growing Designers: Teaching, Mentoring and Community
Six years teaching design at SAP, co-organizing a mentoring program, and a regional design community that grew 77% in a year
Client
SAP
Service
Mentoring
Role
Co-organizer
Year
2020 – Present
Alongside my product work, I help other designers get better. For six years I’ve been a certified instructor in SAP’s internal design training programs. In 2026 I co-organized SAP Design Hub’s Mentoring Program and mentor in it 1:1, I co-led our regional design community, and I lead SAP Design Talks, which brings external design experts to SAP.
Work Details
Teaching
I’m a certified instructor in SAP’s internal design training programs and have taught for six years, delivering sessions across locations and time zones. Today I run trainings for colleagues once or twice a quarter, with about 20 people per class.
Mentoring
In April 2026 I started co-organizing SAP Design Hub’s Mentoring Program. We set everything up so the program could kick off in August, and I also mentor in it 1:1, working with junior designers, career changers and students. People kept coming to me for career advice, so helping make it official felt natural.
1:1 sessions built around the topics each mentee brings.
Tasks or activities after most sessions, so the learning continues between meetings.
Progress checks along the way.
An open inbox between sessions for anything that can’t wait.
Community
I co-led our regional design community and grew its membership by 77% in a single year.
I also lead SAP Design Talks, a series that brings external design experts to SAP. I resumed the program in 2026 and lead a team of eight volunteers through the full planning and organization of each event. So far we’ve hosted two talks, both to a full auditorium of 100 to 120 people: one with iFood, and one with a PhD in Design and professor from Unisinos University.
Why It Works
I didn’t start in design. Coming from marketing, events and operations taught me to listen and to translate between people who don’t speak the same language. That background is an asset, not a gap: it helps designers see their work from the business side.
Results & Learnings
Results So Far
Co-organized SAP Design Hub’s Mentoring Program, from planning in April 2026 to kick-off in August.
Resumed SAP Design Talks in 2026: two talks so far, with iFood and with a design professor from Unisinos University, each to a full auditorium of 100–120 people, run by a team of eight volunteers.
Six years as a certified instructor in SAP’s internal design training programs.
About 20 colleagues per training class, once or twice a quarter.
+77% membership in our regional design community in a single year.
What’s Next
My first group of mentees is still in the program. When it wraps up, I’ll add what they achieved.