Banafsheh Ghassemi, Founder and CEO
For over 25 years, Banafsheh has built, led, counseled, coached, and grown creative teams that drive product, customer, and service innovation at US-based and global for-profits, NGOs, and governmental entities. Banafsheh focuses teams to build their offerings, customer experiences, employee experiences, and internal capabilities with empathy for the beneficiaries such that they deliver sustainable value. She is an educator, a facilitator of creative collaboration, a big picture strategic thinker with a proven record of success in complex executions. She can translate complex human and organizational challenges into clear plans of action and human-centric solutions.
As an early adopter and practitioner, Banafsheh has been a leader in operationalizing the methods and mindsets of Human Centered Design globally in large and small enterprises, startups, and social impact organizations. She has advised the executive leaders of mobile, Internet, and green technology companies, global economic development institutions, financial inclusion organizations, health and nutrition sector, broadcast and digital media, business process outsourcing (BPO), and manufacturing sectors in systems thinking, design thinking, and human-centered mindsets as the foundations for organizations’ creative and collaborative culture.
Prior to Tangerine Lab, Banafsheh had served in a variety of executive leadership roles at Nextel, Sprint, Nasdaq, and the American Red Cross, where she was responsible for complex design initiatives focused on products and service innovation, customer experience strategies, and digital transformation.
Banafsheh currently serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University School Of Continuing Studies, Integrated Design Management, and on the board of Center for Health and Democracy (CHD), a non profit built on the belief that the American healthcare system should not be designed and motivated by industry's profit motivations, but by the needs and rights of every American to have access to quality and low cost care.
For over 25 years, Banafsheh has built, led, counseled, coached, and grown creative teams that drive product, customer, and service innovation at US-based and global for-profits, NGOs, and governmental entities. Banafsheh focuses teams to build their offerings, customer experiences, employee experiences, and internal capabilities with empathy for the beneficiaries such that they deliver sustainable value. She is an educator, a facilitator of creative collaboration, a big picture strategic thinker with a proven record of success in complex executions. She can translate complex human and organizational challenges into clear plans of action and human-centric solutions.
As an early adopter and practitioner, Banafsheh has been a leader in operationalizing the methods and mindsets of Human Centered Design globally in large and small enterprises, startups, and social impact organizations. She has advised the executive leaders of mobile, Internet, and green technology companies, global economic development institutions, financial inclusion organizations, health and nutrition sector, broadcast and digital media, business process outsourcing (BPO), and manufacturing sectors in systems thinking, design thinking, and human-centered mindsets as the foundations for organizations’ creative and collaborative culture.
Prior to Tangerine Lab, Banafsheh had served in a variety of executive leadership roles at Nextel, Sprint, Nasdaq, and the American Red Cross, where she was responsible for complex design initiatives focused on products and service innovation, customer experience strategies, and digital transformation.
Banafsheh currently serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University School Of Continuing Studies, Integrated Design Management, and on the board of Center for Health and Democracy (CHD), a non profit built on the belief that the American healthcare system should not be designed and motivated by industry's profit motivations, but by the needs and rights of every American to have access to quality and low cost care.
Steve Signoff, Founder & Chief Operating Officer
Steve is an experienced executive leader for companies ranging from Fortune 50 to start-ups. He served as CEO for a publicly held company in the mobile app space and for a start-up in the mobile privacy protection sector. Steve has over 20 years of experience in telecommunications at Sprint and One Communications. He served as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of One Communications.
At Sprint, he served in a variety of executive leadership positions including VP of marketing, strategic business development and held P&L accountability for domestic and international businesses. Establishing new markets has been a key responsibility. Other positions held at Sprint include vice president of the company’s International business unit as well as vice president of its European operations. Prior to joining Sprint, Steve held several finance, strategy and sales positions during his 10+ years with Owens Corning Fiberglass.
Steve has also served on the board of directors of Intelig in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Barak in Tel Aviv, Israel; and nonprofits including The Kansas City Zoo, the Sprint Foundation and CASA.
Steve is an experienced executive leader for companies ranging from Fortune 50 to start-ups. He served as CEO for a publicly held company in the mobile app space and for a start-up in the mobile privacy protection sector. Steve has over 20 years of experience in telecommunications at Sprint and One Communications. He served as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of One Communications.
At Sprint, he served in a variety of executive leadership positions including VP of marketing, strategic business development and held P&L accountability for domestic and international businesses. Establishing new markets has been a key responsibility. Other positions held at Sprint include vice president of the company’s International business unit as well as vice president of its European operations. Prior to joining Sprint, Steve held several finance, strategy and sales positions during his 10+ years with Owens Corning Fiberglass.
Steve has also served on the board of directors of Intelig in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Barak in Tel Aviv, Israel; and nonprofits including The Kansas City Zoo, the Sprint Foundation and CASA.