Skills
About
Chief Design executive with proven expertise driving the vision, strategy, and implementation of customer experiences and organizational transformation for Fortune 100 companies. I shape product cultures that connect people and make technology more human. Recognized Design leadership and operations excellence, building world-class organizations that integrate human-centered design to drive product innovation. I thrive in highly complex, ambiguous environments, including R&D, innovation labs, and advanced product organizations. I’m drawn to industries ripe for disruption or pioneering to define what’s next. Using a combination of design thinking, product acumen, and business strategy when approaching challenges, I leverage emerging technology and experience design to define the future — and move design into areas beyond solving product problems. As Chief Design Officer for PayPal, I’ve joined at a pivotal moment in the company’s history to reinvent experiences across all surfaces, foster a culture of creativity and innovation, and help define the future of commerce and payments. I’m responsible for the design strategy and execution at scale across all end-to-end experiences for consumers, merchants, developers, and employees globally. Prior to PayPal, I was SVP and Global Head of Design at Expedia Group, where I pioneered a cultural shift towards an experience-led ethos that democratized global travel. At Expedia, I went beyond streamlining processes and optimizing interfaces, establishing customer-centric innovation as a competitive advantage, defining new ways of working, and bringing holistic thinking and cohesion across the ecosystem. Prior to Expedia, I was Head of Design at Bank of America, where I led the Experience Design org, driving the end-to-end transformation of core product experiences, raising the impact of design as strategic asset, and spearheading customer-centric culture change. Previously, I was Head of Studio, New Product UX at Amazon's Human-Centered Design Group, where I led a team of designers, technologists, and researchers working across a spectrum of spaces blending hardware, software, services, and brand experiences. Prior to Amazon, I was Senior Director of UX at Samsung’s Mobile Innovation Lab, where I led a multi-disciplinary group responsible for end-to-end experiences for flagship devices and early product/service concepts. There I helped lead the evolution from incubation lab to advanced product org — championing design excellence and delivering elegant consumer experiences that gained visibility across the industry.
Rachel Kobetz
Published content
expert panel
Apr 11, 2023
Preparing adequately for a team collaboration and brainstorming session is essential to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the session is productive. Collaboration and brainstorming are critical components of many successful projects. However, they can be challenging to execute effectively. Below, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members offers some tips to help you prepare for a team collaboration and brainstorming session that can lead to more successful outcomes. Whether you're working on a project with colleagues or leading a team, these tips can help you get the most out of your collaboration and brainstorming sessions.
expert panel
Implement these latest innovations to help your company thrive. Whether it's utilizing a bold color statement in a rebranding campaign or coming up with an innovative human-centered design that serves current and prospective clients much better, there's a lot for companies to be excited about and engaged in the upcoming years. As the competition continues to escalate, company business leaders and their creative teams need to stay ahead of the forecast so they can be one step ahead in the global market. We asked 13 leading experts from Fast Company Executive Board to share their thoughts on some of the biggest design trends on the rise and why they're so essential.
expert panel
Here's how department leaders are breaking the conversation barriers to improve their team relationships. To encourage ongoing dialogue, and inspire an employee's enthusiasm about their contribution to the job, a leader must be relatable, humble, and willing to show up to support their team on a daily basis. Revealing a sense of humanity and their commitment to staff in the workplace also demonstrates their openness to receive feedback. This, in turn, empowers employees to stay engaged when given a voice—to brainstorm collective solutions that make the organization even better. Below, 13 Fast Company Executive Board members share their best practices to spark some safe, transparent, and meaningful discussions in the office.
expert panel
Consumer psychology 101: Apply these engagement strategies to your sales funnel process. Keeping your fingers on the pulse of what's going on inside the mind of today's consumers, in real-time, doesn't have to be a hit-or-miss situation. If you utilize the proper tools and techniques available, you'll be able to quickly identify ways to elevate the customer's journey and exceed their satisfaction. Once you've discovered what is working, or how to make the necessary tweaks in their experience with your products or services, you'll also be on track to gaining their long-term loyalty, trust, and support when it comes to advocating for your brand. Below are 15 methods that Fast Company Executive Board members are implementing in their business practices to engage with prospects and gather key information, which leads to sales.
Company details
PayPal
Company bio
PayPal has remained at the forefront of the digital payment revolution for more than 20 years. By leveraging technology to make financial services and commerce more convenient, affordable, and secure, the PayPal platform is empowering hundreds of millions of consumers and merchants in more than 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy.