Growth Notes
Live Experiences Lead

Jenna Barclay

A design leader who makes sense of complexity to shape what’s next, working where strategy, human behaviour and emerging technology meet.

Absa GroupService Design Network award
LinkedIn
Jenna Barclay
Service Design NetworkService Design Network AwardsBest Professional Commercial
“Adaptability is the ultimate competitive advantage.”

The story

Jenna’s design career started with mentorship: one of five people chosen in Cape Town for the first graduate programme in Absa’s digital design department, a year of four team rotations with training and mentors throughout.

Then came UX design at Absa, product design at OfferZen, and a small team serving ten African countries: rebranding three digital channels from Barclays to Absa, rebuilding Absa Africa online banking and launching Timiza in Kenya.

As Design Project Lead, Jenna released ChatWallet, an entry-level, inclusive banking product on WhatsApp that won Best Professional Commercial at the Service Design Network Awards. Today Jenna is Interim Experience Design Director, leading experience design for Absa’s WhatsApp, AI and Service Migration work.

At a glance

At Growth Notes
Live Experiences Lead
Now
Interim Experience Design Director, Absa Group (since May 2026); Design Project Lead (since 2023)Absa
Before
Design Specialist supporting ten African countries; Product Designer at OfferZen; UX Designer and Graduate Designer at AbsaOfferZenAbsa
Studied
LLB, University of South Africa; LLM in International Tax, University of Cape Town; IMD Leap Accelerated Development Programme; Systems Thinking, Service Design Network AcademyService Design Network
Strengths
Pattern recognition, cause-and-effect thinking, analysis
Based in
Cape Town

Selected work

  • ChatWalletAwardAbsa · WhatsApp · Entry-level, inclusive banking. Best Professional Commercial, Service Design Network Awards
  • TimizaAbsa Kenya · Instant loans, payments, savings and insurance that reward good transacting behaviour
  • From Barclays to AbsaAbsa Africa · Three digital channels rebranded and online banking rebuilt for ten countries

“Impact isn’t just about what you know. It’s about how you think, how you connect, and how willing you are to evolve.”

Jenna Barclay
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