Samuel Mikel Bowles
Summary
Samuel is a business and technology leader with more than 20 years of experience guiding executives and teams in building high-performing organizations and delivering impactful software. He has led cross-functional groups through the creation of hundreds of products used by major enterprises and millions of users worldwide. With deep expertise in strategy, human-centered design, agile delivery, and lean principles, Samuel helps leaders align vision with execution and move complex initiatives forward with clarity and momentum.
Experience
Balance & Co.
Senior Consultant, Partner
- Provide executive coaching and strategic advisory across multiple industries
- Support leaders in refining business, product, and technology strategy
- Guide hiring, team development, and organizational design decisions
- Help teams strengthen product-market fit and pursue new revenue opportunities
- Work with executives to remove organizational barriers and improve execution
Slalom Build
Senior Director of Software Engineering & Location Lead, Northern California
- Led software engineering and product teams across four Northern California offices
- Managed major enterprise client accounts for some of Silicon Valley’s largest companies
- Oversaw $30M+ in budgeting, operations, recruiting, and regional business planning
- Directed delivery of enterprise-scale software used by millions of users worldwide
- Co-led the creation of a career development framework for 1,000+ technologists
Pivotal Labs
Director, San Francisco Labs
- Managed key client accounts for American Express, The Gap, Chevron, GE, Intel and more
- Lead a software delivery team of over 100 managers and invidual contributors
- Presented to business leaders from more than a dozen countries in over 160 Executive Briefings
- Worked with other directors to implement an effective change management system
Mutually Human
Vice President
- Managed key client accounts for Apple, Toro, Dematic, the American Red Cross, and more
- Systematized sales and increased bookings by 50%
- Increased both top and bottom line revenue by 100%
- Improved the hiring process and managed the team through 150% growth
- Led a brand and marketing project leading to 25% increase in deal flow
Atomic Object
Director of User Experience
- Consulted key clients including X-Rite, Fiserv, The World Bank, and multiple startups
- Built the design team at this engineering-lead company
- Established a set of best practices for integrating User-Centered Design and Agile
- Developed an estimation framework for integrated design and development work
Six Voices
Director of User Experience
- Launched over 30 iPhone applications with 4-plus-star reviews
- Established and managed a team of ten international designers and editors
- Built a scalable production system including people, tools, and processes
- Designed the company's full brand identity, mobile platform, and iPhone applications
Duovox
Owner, Interaction Designer
- Ran a profitable small business including all sales and business development
- Provided business and product strategy for national and international clients
- Delivered interaction design for clients across diverse industries
The Image Group
Information Architect
- Delivered information architecture and interaction design for small to Fortune 50 companies
- Conducted new-technology research for clients and internal teams
- Organized team training and marketing events
Greymatter Group
Production Artist
- Performed letter-by-letter kerning for best-selling book covers
- Coordinated pre-press production for book covers, magazine ads, and point-of-purchase displays
- Designed and wrote an ad placed in a national campaign
Service
- Local Leader—IxDA Grand Rapids
- Co-Chair—Midwest UX 2013
- Board Member—Academy of Business, Leadership & Entrepreneurship (GRPS Innovation Central)
- Committee Member—Grand Rapids Community College CIS Program
- Board Member—Board of Advisors, Human Practice, Inc.
- Adjunct Instructor—Kendall College of Art & Design; WMCAT
Skills
Samuel has guided senior leaders and teams in adopting modern Agile practices and building resilient, high-performing engineering and product organizations. He brings deep expertise in human-centered design and uses it to inform product direction and strengthen design capability. By applying lean and iterative methods in both startup and enterprise environments, he has helped organizations accelerate learning, improve execution, and innovate at scale.