I am pleased to recommend my colleague and good friend, Mat, as a great Design manager. I had the privilege of working closely with him for over two years at Aviv Group, where he consistently impressed me with his creativity, leadership, and collaborative spirit.

From day one, Mat brought a unique ability to merge data-driven insights with strong design sensibility. He never approached design in isolation; instead, he worked hand-in-hand with peers across functions, ensuring that every decision was grounded in both user experience and measurable impact. His creative problem-solving and sharp eye for detail played a key role in driving projects forward and delivering designs that resonated deeply with our users.

What stood out most to me was his supportive nature as a peer. He was always approachable, generous with his time, and committed to elevating those around him. Whether through constructive feedback, brainstorming sessions, or simply sharing his perspective, Mat fostered a collaborative culture that made working together both productive and enjoyable.

I have no doubt that Mat will bring the same passion, creativity, and leadership to any team he joins. He is not only an outstanding design leader but also a trusted colleague and partner. I wholeheartedly recommend him for any design leadership role and am confident he will make a lasting impact wherever he contributes.

Sona Dagesyan

Director of Product at Aviv Group

Mat led our design team over the last 2 years at AVIV Group boldly, empathetically, strategically and always with a great joke. I had the pleasure and honor of being in that team and getting the chance to work with Mat. I truly mean this - that all designers in our team will miss Mat's support, clarity of thought and leadership. Not only did our product design team create our best work under Mat's guidance, but we always did it with a laugh too.

We levelled up as a team of product designers in all aspects from our creative ideation, our end-to-end thinking, our research methodologies, our production-ready designs, our UX success metrics to our partnership in the organization with our peers, thanks to Mat's example and leadership.

What stands out to me the most is both Mat's support and critical thinking. In our 1:1s, Mat would both listen to me and challenge me earnestly. He would challenge my approach and line of thinking in ways that sparked my curiosity and desire to learn and grow.

Mat is literally the best design leader you could ask for! Thanks Mat! And I really do hope I get the chance to work with Mat again.

Sasha Shumarayeva

Sr Product Designer at Aviv Group

I worked with Mat extensively in my capacity as Snr, Director of Product for Aviv’s B2B products and in my role as interim Chief Product Officer at Aviv.

Mat is a well rounded and grounded design leader. He has a wealth of knowledge and is able to guide designers to use the right tools to decompose complex design challenges, cut to the core of the problem/opportunity, and then focus on delivering effective solutions. While at Aviv I witnessed Mat tackle complex challenges like the overhaul of our admin tooling, harmonization of visibility products, and call tracking. He is a sparring partner for product and every interaction with him led to a stronger and more successful product.

Given the opportunity, I would work with Mat again in an instant.

Peter Gerber

Sr Director of Product/Interim CPO at Aviv Group