Connector Spotlight: Hilary Hayes
January 3, 2019

Whether designing software experiences, deadlifting barbells or blogging about the next great skincare product, Hilary will make your life better.
Tell us a little bit about the project you’re working on.
After helping a leading US media organization bring their music streaming service to the world of voice, we’re now helping them iterate on and refine that service post-release. As the project’s Conversation Designer, my days are largely occupied with documenting a conversation map for the current production state of the Amazon Alexa skill as well as designing conversation flows for roadmap features.
Cool! What about prior to joining Connected?
I worked as a Product Designer at Scotiabank, Telus, and Heist. While at Telus, one of my biggest projects was doing a complete redesign for Telus.com. Oh, I also worked for a gene-editing company called Synbiota on an in-browser genetic code editor.
Sounds like you’ve been all over. What advice would you give to someone just starting here at Connected?
Don’t worry about not knowing how to do the things you’re eventually going to be expected to do. We work with so many new, emerging, and non-normative technologies that it’s really okay if you don’t know what you’re doing for the first little while. There are lots to learn, and you’ll learn it. Just give yourself time.
That’s good advice. What about downtime? How do you like to disconnect?
I love being with nature and spending time with my family. I also love exploring the Gallery of Minerals at the Royal Ontario Museum (trust me, it’s awesome).
Aside from that, I’m passionate about several forms of self-care: mental health, skin care, and taking care of my body through nutrition and weightlifting. In fact, I’m training for my first powerlifting meet coming up this spring! Fun fact: my deadlift max is almost 300 lbs!

For skincare and mental health (psychodermatology), I have a blog where I write about everything from my past and current mental health journey to moisturizers and other skincare products that I’m enjoying.

Any weird talents?
I have very, very fast reflexes. Maybe that’s why “Feel The Lightning” by Dan Deacon is a song on repeat for me.
What’s your favourite Toronto restaurant?
La Banane. They serve French-influenced dishes, and I highly recommend you try their Petit Plateau seafood tower, Tartare de boeuf, and their specially-made and hand-painted Ziggy Egg for dessert. It’s legit.
This is the seventh entry in our Connector Spotlight series. Stay tuned for more profiles about the great people here at Connected.
Related Posts

Fri Jun 2
Thoughtworker Spotlight: Priscila Araújo
Priscila Araújo has worn many hats across multiple countries, and we’re lucky to have her at Thoughtworks Canada. With over 10 years of experience from Brazil to Canada, she has engineering, delivery and product experience, just to name a few. Currently, as a Lead Product Manager, she works collaboratively with Thoughtworkers to build great software, driving impact by helping clients scale and grow. Priscila also shares her thought leadership by speaking at conferences and providing mentorship at Thoughtworks. As a strong believer in taking risks and trusting the process, find out in her Thoughtworker Spotlight how visiting Toronto on a scholarship and doing a Thoughtworks internship ten years ago influenced her trajectory from software engineering into the realm of product. When she’s not helping clients scale and grow or sharing tasty Brazilian treats with the office (the bolo de rolo she brought back from her recent Brazil trip was devoured in minutes), you can find her playing basketball, taking her dog out to play in the sun, biking by the lake and doing stand up paddleboarding in Toronto. If the weather calls for the indoors, she is a passionate plant parent and a coffee aficionado. With all of these interests, can you guess what her favourite product is? Hint: It definitely works as a great pair with any of these hobbies! Find out more in this week’s Thoughtworker Spotlight.

Fri May 26
Thoughtworker Spotlight: Jagbir Lehl Singh
Some may know him as Canada’s Head of Delivery, but Jagbir Lehl Singh is also a writer (check out some of his articles!), a foodie and a runner. His team would add aspiring rapper to the many hats he wears – you’ll have to join the team to see why! As a builder of high performance teams, he is laser-focused on driving his teams to deliver impact to clients by achieving their business goals. When it comes to scaling agility in organizations and creating structures where teams thrive, Jagbir uses his 18+ years of experience to support the growth of Thoughtworkers, developing them into leaders through his mentorship. If he’s not exploring Toronto’s latest gems for unique cuisine and beverages, you can find him outdoors, taking long weekend walks with his family. As a continuous learner who enjoys staying on his toes, can you guess what his favourite product is? Hint: It has been a constant companion of his for the last five years.