Alex Burke

Alex Burke — CEO at Optimal. Talks and sessions delivered at UXDX.

Alex Burke

CEO

Alex is a CEO with a proven track record in building high-performing teams and culture.
With a 20-year track record of growing and scaling businesses, he is committed to driving technical excellence, digital transformation, and world-class delivery. As a leader, he has built teams focused on people, culture, continuous improvement, and innovation to help drive growth.

Past talks

4 talks · 4 events

2026

UXDX EMEAMay 2026

Scaling Impact: Building High-Performing Product Teams Across Borders

Join Alex Burke as he interviews Romain Berthomé, Head of Product at Booking.com. Leading 80+ people across London, Amsterdam, and Bangalore, Romain has learned that scaling product impact starts with scaling culture. He reveals how Booking.com builds high performing cross-functional teams grounded in trust, shared understanding, and business-driven decision making. Outcomes: - Learn how to prioritise focus and resources when managing large distributed teams. - Build a culture rooted in customer understanding, data literacy, and product thinking. - Enable autonomy while maintaining alignment across time zones and disciplines. - Discover how to grow leadership capacity without losing team cohesion or velocity.

Romain Berthomé

Alex Burke

2025

UXDX USAMay 2025

Driving Transformational Business Results: The Role of Design Across the Org

Join Alex Burke as he interviews Daniela Jorge, Chief Design Officer at Capital One. This session will unpack Daniela's perspectives on building world-class design organizations at some of the world's most iconic brands. It will dive into how design at Capital One is helping drive meaningful value for the company and its 100+ million customers, and share Daniela's thoughts on aligning design initiatives with broader organizational strategies. The session will also explore how design collaborates with business-critical functions to ensure a cohesive approach to product development and organizational growth that is customer-backed and grounded in business priorities. Key Discussion Points: - Understanding the strategic role of design in product development - Aligning design initiatives with company-wide business goals - Leveraging UX and design to drive business transformation - Examples of successful design integration throughout Daniela's career and up to now - what’s worked and what hasn’t - Best practices for creating a unified strategy for design that resonates across the organization

Daniela Jorge

Alex Burke

2024

UXDX EMEAOct 2024

Design for Tomorrow vs. Design for Today

Should UX designers prioritise designing solutions for the ever-changing future (Design for Tomorrow) or focus on delivering practical solutions with immediate benefits (Design for Today)? Practicality vs. Investment: Do the costs of deep futurism outweigh the potential benefits? Agility vs. Vision: Can a long-term vision hinder an organization's ability to adapt to change?

Jod Kaftan

Alex Burke

UXDX USAMay 2024

Forum

Measuring the Value of UX Research

This forum dives into the critical topic of UX research (UXR) impact, exploring its value from both an industry-wide perspective and within individual companies and teams. Join UX researchers, designers, and decision-makers for a rich discussion on measuring and demonstrating UXR's effectiveness. Discussion topics include: 1. Metrics that Matter: How do you measure UXR's impact on sales, customer satisfaction, and design influence? 2. Challenges & Strategies: What are the roadblocks to measuring UXR impact, and how can we overcome them? 3. Beyond ROI: We'll explore UXR's value beyond just financial metrics.

Ella Fielding

Alex Burke