David du Plessis

Human-Centered Innovation

I help businesses reimagine how they serve customers and create value by combining deep human insight, business strategy, and AI-enabled product design and management.

Portrait of David du Plessis

I'm David du Plessis, a growth and innovation strategist whose path has spanned design, product, and business strategy — each chapter teaching me how to connect human insight with technological feasibility and operational and financial impact.

I've spent over 15 years working across industries including aviation, healthcare, commercial real estate, hospitality, financial services, and mining in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia. From McKinsey to Deloitte, and now at A&MPLIFY (Alvarez & Marsal), I help leaders shape and scale digital businesses — from early-stage MVPs to modernized product and end-to-end service lines.

Customer insight fuels strategy, design, and growth

Value Proposition Design

Define what truly matters to customers, translating human needs into sharp value propositions and testable business models that differentiate and drive growth.

Product Design & Management

Translate human insight into products that perform, blending design thinking, product strategy, and execution discipline to deliver solutions that delight customers and drive results.

GTM Strategy

Bridge product and market with precision, crafting positioning, launch plans, and commercialization strategies that accelerate adoption and sustain momentum.

CX Transformation

Reimagine customer and employee experiences end-to-end, aligning journeys, systems, and culture to deliver measurable impact and loyalty at scale.

Writing

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Talks & Workshops

I love facilitating workshops and delivering talks on design. Get in touch to learn more.

Featured talks

The Lost Art of the Critique

An exploration of the different modes of thinking and how to apply them to get more out of our everyday conversations at work.

A New Vision for UX Design in South Africa: Becoming Design Activists

An industry with empathy at its core can't ignore the big problems facing South Africa and the continent. A look at the mindsets, skills, and attitudes designers need to shift from merely doing design to becoming design activists.

The UX of Agriculture

Drawn from research into agritech and urban farming — how digital technology could disrupt aspects of mass food production and reshape the future of food.

Featured workshops

Design Thinking & Improv

A hands-on session, co-facilitated with actor/director Sjaka Septembir, using user-centred design and improv to spark innovation and build strong, collaborative teams.

Make Design Critique Part of Your Process

How to identify different types of feedback, give and respond to it well, and plan, run, and act on effective design critique sessions.

Design Websites and Apps like a User-Centered Designer

A practical walk-through of applying user-centred design and design thinking to real web and app projects.

Selected appearances