After 13 years in various User Experience roles at Vanguard I have decided to leave to pursue a new opportunity. I enjoyed my time there, I made a lot of good friends, and I learned a lot – the most important thing being the importance of an organization’s mission, it’s reason for being, WHY it exists.
While looking for a new opportunity it became clear to me that i’d consumed enough Vanguard “client-owned” kool aid that I would struggle to work in an organization that focused mainly on making money for it’s owners or stock holders. I was open to moving away from the financial services field – in fact I thought I would have to – I used to joke with friends that there was really only one other financial services organization that I could work for, since they were also required by their corporate structure to put the interests of their clients first.
That organization is USAA, and fortunately for me they thought I could add value to their talented UX team. I’ll be joining them in late July as Assistant Vice President of User Experience. See you in San Antonio!
Congrats, Richard! Best wishes to you and your family. I hope you enjoy your new adventure!