Timah Kabba is a multidisciplinary creative, design leader, and founder, with over 13 years of diverse experience across various design disciplines at organizations such as IDEO, Airbnb and Meta where she currently leads work-streams on a cross-company design system team. Outside of a busy role in tech, she leads an R&D venture called Book-Object, exploring the art of printed matter curation, and crafting limited editions and rare collectibles that intertwine literature and visual art.

She has honed her skills at the crossroads of visual design, product design, storytelling, strategy, writing, and organizational leadership. Her career is built upon a strong commitment to aligning with business needs while championing equity, human-centered practices, and unwavering standards of creative and visual excellence. An advocate for bringing equity-based methodologies and anti-oppression values into her practice, she routinely leads projects that employ participatory design practices.

Throughout her career, she has informed research and shaped strategies, brought venture models to life, authored manifestos for cultural shifts, developed brand and visual language systems, crafted scripts for short films, developed storytelling models for interactive experiences, and collaborated deeply with engineering teams to design both B2B and consumer applications and platforms.

In recent years, she has focused on design leadership, managing diverse teams comprising content writers, product designers, researchers, and creatives. Even as senior roles often entail less visual output, she has maintained a close connection to the creative process, leaning into her craft to inspire, execute, and advocate for her broader vision within organizations. Transitioning into senior leadership, she has prioritized team well-being, strategic hiring and management, instilled cultures of play and creativity, restructured organizations, and driven equity-centric strategic priorities. She has integrated collaborative design and research methodologies, developed ethical frameworks for hiring and creative practices, and established robust contracting networks to fortify organizations.

Ultimately, her journey reflects a balance of empathy and excellence, navigating complex environments as a dynamic visual leader and expansive strategic thinker.