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Stella Mbaka

Stella Mbaka

Design leader turning complex problems into clear strategy and better experiences.

Toronto, Ontario

Hello, I’m Stella, a strategist, systems thinker, and design leader.

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Selected work

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Reimagining a complex investment ecosystem
Transfers in - Web & Mobile

How mapping the end-to-end transfer ecosystem across clients, advisors, operations, and external financial institutions helped uncover service gaps, align teams, and shape a more connected future-state experience.

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Scaling a measurement-driven design practice
RBC Digital Design Org

I led a multidisciplinary design working group to establish and adopt a common approach for evaluating experiences across journeys and teams, supported by a reusable measurement practices.

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Creating strategic direction from ambiguity
RBC Mobile App x AVION offers  

I helped turn an ambiguous opportunity into a shared strategic direction, connecting client insight, behavioural data, business priorities and cross-functional perspectives to create clarity and alignment.

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Redesigning how teams collaborate in a regulated environment
RBC Invesment Mega Journey

How I helped create clearer collaboration models and working practices across Design, Product, Technology, Business, Legal, and Compliance bringing design earlier into strategy, discovery, prioritization, and decision-making.

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Scaling Consistency Through Design Systems
RBC Invesment Mega Journey

I helped strengthen the adoption and evolution of shared design foundations, aligning teams around reusable patterns, improving consistency across experiences, and creating clearer ways to scale design decisions across products.

Coming soon.

About

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My goal is to create stronger partnerships, better decisions, stronger teams, and experiences that create meaningful value for both customers and the business.

I’m Stella, a design leader, strategist, and systems thinker who enjoys making complex problems clearer and helping teams do their best work.

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I’ve spent nearly 20 years across digital, UX, and product design, including the last 7 years at RBC shaping mobile and web strategy, digital investing, payments, and experience measurement.

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I lead with curiosity, clarity, coaching, and collaboration, and care deeply about growing people, strengthening design practice, and building strong partnerships across disciplines.

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Outside of work, I’m a mixed-media artist, and I enjoy exploring the intersections of art, technology, design, and human behaviour.

Let’s Connect

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