Charlotte Parnefjord Gustafsson

Product & UX Lead | Bridging Design, Engineering & Business | Ex Novo Nordisk & Volvo Cars | MBA | Driving User-Centric Innovation

Copenhagen Metropolitan Area

About

I’m a Product leader and designer who connects the dots between engineering, design, and business. With a background in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design, and an MBA in Management, I bring a unique ability to translate between disciplines - turning strategic goals into human-centered products that work in the real world. I’m passionate about building and guiding cross-functional teams that create meaningful user experiences. Whether aligning engineers and stakeholders around a shared vision, or coaching designers to deliver their best work, I focus on creating clarity, collaboration, and momentum. My leadership style combines strategic thinking with hands-on design expertise. I thrive in the space where design meets business strategy - defining direction, setting priorities, and ensuring that every decision connects back to user value and measurable outcomes. If you’re looking for a leader/manager who can unite people, process, and purpose to drive impactful results - that’s exactly where I add value.

Experience

  • Product Manager at Nets
    Apr 2026 - Present · 3 mos

    Working as an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Product Manager at Nets, Nexi - the leading European PayTech company, aiming to drive the transition towards a cashless Europe.

  • Senior Digital Innovation & UX Lead at Novo Nordisk
    Dec 2024 - Apr 2026 · 1 yr 5 mos

    Digital Products & Software Engineering | Design Hub | Innovation, Discovery & Ideation Led UX strategy and early-phase innovation initiatives for new digital health solutions supporting diabetic patients through their first 100 days of treatment. UX & Research Leadership: Defined and drove the UX vision for an innovation project exploring GLP-1 medication support tools. Led a cross-disciplinary design and research team through five rapid prototyping cycles, validating solutions with real patients in Brooklyn, New York, within 24-hour feedback loops. Design Thinking & Facilitation: Planned and facilitated a company-wide Design Sprint with 11 stakeholders (medical experts, senior management, developers) to align on patient-centered outcomes and strategic direction. Innovation & Partnerships: Built and managed collaborations with external startups to test digital health concepts, ensuring alignment with patient needs and Novo Nordisk’s business objectives. Stakeholder Engagement & Strategy: Presented findings and strategic recommendations to executive and U.S. partners in Princeton. Secured 2.5 M DKK in research funding by developing data-driven business cases and demonstrating measurable patient-impact potential. Cross-Functional Leadership: Maintained project momentum through multiple pivots by balancing evidence-based decision-making with transparent communication and stakeholder management. Result: Delivered a validated set of user-tested digital concepts, established a scalable research framework for early-stage innovation, and strengthened Novo Nordisk’s UX-driven innovation capability.

  • Volvo Cars (4 yrs 5 mos)
    • Product Manager and Lead UX Designer
      Jul 2022 - Dec 2024 · 2 yrs 6 mos

      Digital Product Development | UX Leadership | Innovation & AI Integration | Open Innovation Arena UX & Product Leadership: Led the design and delivery of a scalable web platform using AI and knowledge graph technology with six integrated applications, serving over 5,600 engineers globally. Combined strategic UX direction with hands-on design in Figma and Adobe Suite to ensure usability and adoption. Team Management & Mentorship: Managed a cross-functional team of 10 engineers, designers, and data scientists, creating a collaborative and outcome-driven environment. Mentored three junior team members (two designers and one developer), supporting their professional growth and helping them develop strong UX and product thinking skills. Innovation & Digital Transformation: Drove the integration of knowledge graph technology and generative AI into engineering workflows, improving efficiency and saving an estimated 5% of work time weekly across 5,600 users (roughly half a million hours per year). Design Thinking & Facilitation: Planned and facilitated 15+ workshops with 3–100 participants, helping teams align on priorities, co-create new ideas, and turn complex challenges into actionable solutions. Stakeholder Collaboration: Worked closely with product owners, engineering leads, and senior management to define clear product goals, communicate design rationale, and ensure UX priorities were reflected in development roadmaps.

    • Project Manager - Sustainability Initiatives
      May 2022 - Jul 2022 · 3 mos

      Introduced and initiated a new strategy and tool to measure CO2 emissions across the 92 UK dealerships, aiming to reduce carbon emissions and achieve Volvo Cars net zero goal by 2040. In collaboration with the National Sales company in Maidenhead, UK. Part of the Volvo Cars Global Graduate rotational program.

    • Data Analyst and Business Intelligence Strategist
      Jan 2022 - May 2022 · 5 mos

      Data Analytics & BI Strategy: Led a digital transformation and Business Intelligence (BI) initiative at the Volvo Cars National Sales Company in Lisbon (5 months). Enhanced decision-making processes and through the implementation of advanced analytics. As part of my 4th rotation in the Volvo Cars Global Graduate rotational program.

  • Next Generation Women Leaders 2020 at McKinsey & Company
    May 2020 - Jan 2021 · 9 mos

    Selected as one of McKinseys Next Generation Women Leader, an exclusive three-day workshop that explores the importance of women in leadership. The program also includes case coaching and mentorship throughout the year.

  • Tetra Pak (1 yr 3 mos)
    • UX/Digitalization Consultant
      Sep 2019 - Aug 2020 · 1 yr

      • Project leader for a digitalisation project (UX) designing and developing an online tool for a customisable product catalogue. • Developed a Power BI (Business Intelligence) tool to create real-time sales data to identify market potential • Researcher in new materials for biodegradable straws

    • Master's Thesis Student
      Jan 2020 - Jun 2020 · 6 mos

      Developing a new solution for biodegradable drinking devices (straws) through UX and material development at Tetra Pak New Materials for Openings and Closures. Registered a report of invention.

    • Summer Worker
      Jun 2019 - Aug 2019 · 3 mos

      • Designed a catalogue and sales material for the product lines by extracting data from technical machine specifications. • Identified business opportunities and worked with clusters (markets) worldwide.