Shalini Raghunathan is a design strategist, storyteller, and co-founder of 3 Big Things, a behavioral design studio. With over two decades of experience at global tech leaders like Autodesk, Salesforce, and Cisco, she is an expert in guiding organizations through complex digital transformations. Her methodology uniquely blends deep people-centered research, design strategy, and cultural insight to create experiences and cultures that endure.
Throughout her career, Shalini has held key roles at the forefront of digital innovation. At Salesforce, she was part of the customer-facing Ignite team, where she led significant innovation journeys that helped global clients re-evaluate their technology strategy through a human-centric lens. At Cisco, as part of the global design leadership team for AppDynamics, she championed a user-centered design process for technical developer workflows, creating more seamless and intuitive experiences. Her pioneering work on the distributed team for Fusion 360 at Autodesk earned her a special CEO Award and showcased her ability to design for digital collaboration.
Shalini is a certified facilitator of the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method and a certified Workshop Provider for the Stanford d.school’s Design Your Life program. This expertise allows her to guide teams in leveraging creative collaboration to solve difficult problems. She is also deeply engaged in studying Indic aesthetics, mythology, and philosophy, holding a postgraduate diploma in Indian Aesthetics. This passion for culture and storytelling is a core element of her approach, helping teams build not just better products, but better ways of working and thriving.
As a speaker, Shalini Raghunathan provides a compelling framework for navigating change with a focus on human insight. She helps audiences understand how to simplify complexity, align with purpose, and co-create impact. Her talks are invaluable for leaders, designers, and innovators seeking to build a culture of genuine, people-first transformation.
