Ambition Conference 2026: All you need to know

The Ambition Conference is where product, CX, and design leaders come to sharpen their craft, compare notes with peers, and bring home ideas that actually change both decisions and delivery.

It’s the annual in-person gathering for Ambition Empower, a membership that helps teams and individuals build stronger product, CX, and design capabilities through one hour of curated learning or live workshops per week. Stay aligned, keep improving, and turn insights into better decisions and delivery, without the content overload. Conference access is included in membership.

Dates & venues

Choose the city and date that suits you best:

  • Gothenburg, 19 MaySurr Arena
  • Stockholm, 26 MaySödra Teatern

What to expect

Expect insightful talks connecting experience quality to real business outcomes, practical methods you can use with your team, and great conversations with peers across Product, UX, and CX, plus a warm, member-driven atmosphere.

Announced sessions (so far)

  • The hidden cost of bad CX: Connecting experience failures to the bottom line
    Astrid Kowalczyk, Global Head of CX Data & Insights at Volvo Cars
  • Assert your UX impact: Bring strategy into every UX conversation
    Torrey Podmajersky, author of UX Skills for Business Strategy
  • [TBA]
    More speakers and topics will be revealed over the coming weeks, and this page will be updated as announcements go live.

How to attend

  • Already a member? Log in to the app and select Gothenburg (19 May) or Stockholm (26 May).
  • Not a member yet? Join Ambition Empower to attend the conference (included) and get year-round access to the program and community.

If you have questions, reach out to Nathalie Tindsjö or Jane Murray.

Afterwork with Ambition Empower at Minc Malmö

Join us for a Afterwork with Pontus Wärnestål and Ambition Empower! The topicWhat happens to design when interaction is no longer just visual?

For years, UX and product design have been centered around screens. We’ve refined how we design visual interaction. We’ve built design systems for components, patterns, and flows. We know how to think in layouts, states, and interfaces.

But something is changing.

As AI becomes part of real products and complex environments, interaction is no longer only visual. Designers and product teams are now facing a new challenge:

  • How do we design conversations?
  • How do we design behaviors?
  • How do we design personality?

And perhaps most importantly: how do we do this in a systematic, professional, and reusable way?

This shift is already happening in industries where attention, safety, and speed are critical, such as the automotive industry, where AI voice assistants are becoming part of the driver environment. In these contexts, there is no room for vague interaction. Dialogue must be precise, predictable, and well-designed.

This is where the idea of a Conversational Design System (CDS) emerges, applying design system thinking not only to screens, but to dialogue and voice interaction.

On February 26 in Malmö, we invite designers, UXers, product people, and innovators to an afterwork at Minc where we explore what this shift means in practice.

We are very happy to welcome Pontus Wärnestål (PhD), designer, researcher, and author of Designing AI-Powered Services, who will share hands-on insights from his work with AI voice assistants in the automotive industry and explain how conversational design can become more systematic, accurate, and effective.

We will also introduce Ambition Empower and how we create spaces for continuous growth, shared learning, and meaningful conversations for design and product teams who want to stay ahead of where the profession is heading.

This is an evening for anyone working with design, product, UX or innovation who is curious about what’s next and who values learning together with peers facing similar challenges.

Thursday, 26 February
Minc, Anckargripsgatan 3, 211 19 Malmö
Light refreshments and drinks will be served

➡️ Registration is required – Sign up here!

Program
16:30 Welcome & mingle
17:00 Presentations begin

  • Ambition Empower – Continuous growth for design and product teams
    Jane Murray, Co-founder of Ambition
  • Designing for Conversation
    Pontus Wärnestål, Domain Leader at Ambition Empower
  • Q&A

18:00 More mingling
19:30 Thank you for today

If you have any questions contact Jane Murray on

➡️ Registration is required – Sign up here!

Save the date: 19 May (Gothenburg) or 26 May (Stockholm)!

Once a year, all Ambition Empower members meet to share experiences, learn from inspiring speakers, and discuss current topics in product, CX, and design. This year, we’re hosting our annual gatherings at Surr Arena (Gothenburg) and Södra Teatern (Stockholm).

Last year’s event received an average rating of 4.5 out of 5:

  • “A wonderful afternoon that gave me lots of energy. A good, just-right level of ambitious agenda. You’re awesome!”
  • “Great job! I’m already looking forward to the next conference!”

Registration opens soon. At the same time, we’ll start revealing this year’s topics and speakers.

If you’re already a member, make sure to block 19 May (Gothenburg) or 26 May (Stockholm) in your calendar. If you’re not a member yet, now is a great time to join!

Learn more about Ambition Empower, membership, and the conference here.

Questions? Feel free to e-mail Jane Murray or Nathalie Tindsjö.

Nine Exciting Ambition Empower Topics in September

We have an incredibly exciting fall ahead of us at Ambition Empower. Already in September our 500 members will have access to nine incredibly interesting topics:

  • From Data to Product Vision: Ensuring that user needs & behaviors drive design
    Product Management with Kim Goodwin
  • Strategic Customer Experience: Position CX as a driver of business growth
    Business Impact & CX with Pontus Wärnestål
  • Secondary Research: Getting value from what’s already out there
    Research with Steve Portigal
  • Contextual Intelligence: AI that can read the room
    Artificial Intelligence with Pontus Wärnestål
  • Rewards: The science behind rewards and why they do and don’t work
    Behavioral Design with Susan Weinschenk
  • Design Systems and Governance: Building, scaling, and managing design systems
    DesignOps with Georgiy Chernyavsky
  • Designing for Circular Service Systems: Regenerative futures
    UX and Service Design with Pontus Wärnestål
  • UI Kits and Design Systems Designed in Figma
    UI Design with Georgiy Chernyavsky
  • Design Leadership Fundamentals: A mindset and a set of skills
    Leadership with Kim Goodwin

Interested in joining Ambition Empower? Follow the link, or reach out to Nathalie Tindsjö or Jane Murray for more information.

Please Welcome… Sandra Larsson!

She is a true competitor, from assistant coaching the Australian national floorball team to never letting go of the karaoke mic once she has it. And now she is joining us at Ambition. Welcome, Sandra Larsson! 🎉

Sandra, you have been in the industry for years. How did it all start?

“I began in the fintech world, starting on the marketing side before moving into business and digitalization. I spent several years developing services for e-commerce merchants, from optimizing sales with smoother payment flows to digitizing financial services and processes.

Eventually, I moved to the public sector. My focus shifted from boosting sales to increasing satisfaction among citizens and businesses through digital transformation and internal efficiencies. From improving building permit processes to streamlining back-to-school forms for parents. The latter was actually one of my favorite projects, turning seven different letters and forms into one single process. Parents were happier, and things ran more smoothly internally as well.

After that, I returned to the commercial side, this time in the automotive industry as CX Manager at Lynk & Co. I worked on opening new sales channels, handling more car models, and offering more financing solutions, all while improving customer satisfaction and clarity.

The common theme throughout my career has been collaboration and change. It is challenging but also rewarding, especially when you see that lightbulb moment in someone who was initially resistant to change.”

What about life outside of work?

“Sports have always been a big part of my life. I played a lot of floorball and football when I was younger. These days I prefer padel and stand-up paddleboarding. It is calmer, but the competitive spirit is still there. I also enjoy being outdoors and spending time with family and friends.”

And, I heard something about karaoke?

“Oh yes. I love it. I once received a golden microphone as a farewell gift from a job. Once I have the mic, I do not let it go.”

We are thrilled to have you on board, Sandra! Here is to what we will achieve together!

The Ambition Conference 2025

Want to expand your impact as a designer or leader and drive real change in your organization? Don’t miss Ambition Conference 2025 – this year’s most inspiring event for design, design leadership, and product management professionals!

On May 7th in Stockholm and May 13th in Gothenburg, top UX, CX, and product management experts will come together for a day packed with inspiration, actionable insights, and hands-on learning. You’ll get:

  • Practical tools for integrating design into your organization
  • Insights on scaling a customer-centric approach
  • Strategies for leveraging customer journeys in decision-making
  • Best practices for using design systems to improve collaboration
  • Expert perspectives on future-proofing your organization
    and much more…

Speakers

We’ve gathered some of Sweden’s most experienced designers, leaders, and educators, along with internationally recognized experts:

Plus, Kim Goodwin (joining online), one of Empower’s most appreciated educators, will share her insights on creating experiments and MVPs.

Nathalie Tindsjö, Pontus Wärnestål, and Kristina Lj. Christensson will be our hosts and guide us through the day(s).

Program

  • 11:00 – 13:00
    • Registration & Welcome Lunch – Check-in, network, and enjoy a light lunch
  • 13:00 – 17:00
    • Introduction – Kick-off and setting the stage
    • Ignite Talks – Inspiring short talks from industry leaders
    • Community Creation – Let’s split up into groups and explore together
    • Empower Awards – Celebrating outstanding achievements
    • Closing Keynote – A thought-provoking finale
  • 17:00 – 20:00
    • Evening Social – Snacks, drinks, and networking in a relaxed atmosphere

Tickets

If you’re already an Ambition Empower member, you can relax—your ticket is included in your membership. Not a member yet? Now’s the perfect time to join!

🎟️ Join now & secure your spot: https://ambitiongrp.com/empower/

Questions?

Email us at .

Ambition Empower over the years

When we started Ambition Empower, our vision was to create a never-ending feed of carefully curated content that members could read or listen to each week. By spending just one hour per week, our members could grow continuously within the area that was most important to them.

We began with a few exceptional teachers, who were assigned “tracks” to publish their content. They became known as our “Track Leaders.”

The first version of the Ambition Empower app was released in September 2021. It involved manually updating a static WordPress page each week so that our members could access this valuable content. This process also required us to manually scheduling our live meetings for all members and keeping pages up to date every week.

Fortunately, we only had a few tracks and a limited number of members at the time, but it was still a lot of manual work.

The second version was launched on May 16, 2022. With the help of our friends at Matic Tribe in Gothenburg, we developed our first functional web application 🎉

This version introduced dynamic features, such as automated email notifications and content that updated within the app based on the current date. Members could subscribe to tracks and instantly add all relevant meetings to their calendars—and the app looked amazing.

The app was (and still is) built with React, powered by an SQL server on Azure, and supported by a backend written in .NET Core. This transition freed up more time for us to focus on improving and developing the app rather than manually updating content.

From interviews and usability studies, we learned that members appreciated how easy it was to find content. However, they felt there wasn’t a clear sense of accomplishment. To address this, we introduced Topics—essentially breaking down tracks into monthly chunks with a clear beginning and end. This also led our Track Leaders to group related articles into more cohesive packages.

We redesigned both the frontend and parts of the backend to support this change. This third version (3.0) was released in mid-summer 2023. Customers could now complete topics within tracks and receive a diploma upon completion. 🏆

Building on this version, we added automated emails, weekly reminders, and other nudges to help our members stay on track with their professional development. Since building new habits can be challenging, we aim to provide as much support as possible. Some emails were still sent manually due to time constraints, but automation continued to improve.

Since summer 2024, we’ve been working on the redesigned version that launched today: Ambition Empower 4.0.

Empower

This new version moves away from the track-based concept, allowing topics to stand independently. Users no longer need to follow a specific track to access all available topics.

This change required a bigger overhaul of both our backend and frontend. And, as is often the case in software development, we had to “replace the engine while the car was still running.” It was a massive undertaking for our development team, and we’re proud to have completed the transition without any major issues. All track subscriptions were successfully migrated to the new topic-based system.

We have an extensive roadmap ahead, with plans to make Ambition Empower even better for our members. Stay tuned for more. 🚀

“Vi har nu lyckats höja vårt totala upplevelseindex till nästan 5 av 5”

Säg hej till Johannes Söderqvist, Head of Digital Workplace på Volvo Cars!

I höstas höll vi vår årliga AW-turné där vi presenterade aktuella case med fokus på Journey Management. I Malmö pratade min kollega Lotta om Volvo Cars Digital Workplace. Det var ett imponerande arbete, och jag blev nyfiken och kontaktade Johannes för att få veta mer.

Hej Johannes! Kan du berätta lite om din avdelning och vad ni gör?

– Självklart! Jag har arbetat med Volvo Cars nästan hela min karriär, först som konsult och nu anställd sedan 10 år tillbaka. Idag leder jag vår Digital Workplace-organisation, där vårt ansvar är att se till att alla våra medarbetare har de digitala verktyg de behöver för att kunna arbeta effektivt och innovativt. Vi är ett stort team på runt 300 personer som tillsammans hantera datorer och telefoner, utvecklar våra samarbets- och produktivitetsverktyg som Microsoft 365, samt erbjuder support globalt.

Ni verkar ha kommit långt med er strategiska resa! Hur tog allt fart?

– Det började på allvar 2017 när vi formulerade våra första gemensamma vision och strategi för Digital Workplace som i första skedet i mångt och mycket handlade om en teknisk transformation. Parallellt inledde vi också en ny och ganska unik satsning på Change Management i syfte att “paketera” våra nya och förbättrade tekniska lösningar i ett mer användarvändligt format. I Januari 2023 tog vår resa återigen en ny riktning när vi beslutade oss för att ersätta tidigare arbetsätt kring Change Mangement med ett mer UX och design thinking-baserat arbetsätt där vi i ännu större utsträckning försöker sätta användarens upplevelse i centrum och anpassa tekniken efter medarbetarnas behov och inte tvärtom.

Vad innebär det konkret för er idag?

– Idag har vi byggt upp en kultur och ett sätt att arbeta där vi är “user perception driven”. Vi samlar in data om våra medarbetares upplevelser och agerar på feedback. Målet är att göra rätt från början, vilket sparar både tid och resurser. Att ställa om från ett tekniskt fokus till användarbehov har varit utmanande, men vi ser nu resultat i form av en bättre användarupplevelse, och det har varit värt ansträngningen.

– Vi kan ta ett konkret exempel. Att ge alla nyanställda på Volvo Cars en bra upplevelse på den allra första arbetsdagen är så klart väldigt viktigt och leveranserna från Digital Workplace just den dagen, i form av ny dator, telefon, applikationer och support, har väldigt stor inverkan på den totala upplevelsen av och känslan för Volvo Cars. Genom att göra en user journey map för en nyanställd så fick vi bättre förståelse för och insikt kring var vi både kan och behöver förbättra upplevelsen för vår nya kollega. Genom både process- och teknikrelaterade förändringar har vi nu lyckats höja vårt totala upplevelseindex till nästan 5 av 5 möjliga poäng.

Hur hjälper kundresor er att förbättra användarupplevelsen?

– De är väldigt användbara för att förstå varje steg våra anställda går igenom, t.ex. från kontraktskrivning till att arbetsverktyg är på plats. Det gör att vi snabbt kan identifiera problem och direkt förbättra upplevelsen.

Använder ni KPI:er för att mäta alla steg i kundresorna? Hur följer ni upp?

– Inte än, faktiskt, men vi siktar på att nå dit. Vi följer upp kontinuerligt, men vi är inte så data-drivna som vi skulle vilja vara. Våra experience-leads samlar in och analyserar data från sina områden och ledningen prioriterar baserat på det, men det är ännu inte integrerat i kundresorna.

Vad står på agendan framöver?

– Det är mycket spännande på gång! Vi har just påbörjat ett nytt strategiarbete för att sätta riktningen för de kommande två åren. Vårt fokus kommer fortsatt vara att sätta medarbetarupplevelsen i centrum och använda data för att göra smarta förbättringar. Målet är att skapa en digital arbetsplats som verkligen hjälper våra medarbetare att lyckas.

Tack för att du delade med dig, Johannes! Vi ser fram emot att följa utvecklingen!

Welcome, Malin and Fredrik!

New colleagues! New office! Hard to imagine a better start to 2025!

First, a warm welcome to Malin Bjelle and Fredrik Palmblad, who are joining our team! We’re so happy to have you on board.

Second, we’ve officially moved into our brand-new office at Kungsgatan 57 in Gothenburg!

If you’re in the area, don’t hesitate to drop by and say hello—we’d love to see you!

January Topics at Ambition Empower

Here are the Ambition Empower topics for January (starting January 6th, 2025). If you’re not a member already, we’d love to have you onboard! Sign up here, and reach out to Jane Murray, or Nathalie Tindsjö if you have questions.
 

DesignOps with Georgiy Chernyavsky

Foundations of DesignOps: DesignOps plays a vital role in enabling efficient and effective design practices. This month, we’ll dive into the core principles, frameworks, and strategies that empower design teams to streamline processes and deliver greater value. 
 

Design Research with Steve Portigal

AI and User Research: AI, an umbrella term for many different techonlogies, has captured our attention for its potential to impact many aspects of our lives. For user research, as with many other areas, we might be feeling some mix of caution, curiosity, fatigue, confusion, and excitement (among others, no doubt). This month, we’ll look at a range of perspectives and advice and form our own perspective.
 

Design Leadership with Kim Goodwin

Building a Team – Hiring: Hiring the right people at the right time is a crucial part of building a successful team. Whether you’re a hiring manager or part of the process, this month we’ll focus on evidence-based practices to reduce bias and improve your success in finding the best candidates.
 

UX Writing and Content Strategy with Torrey Podmajersky

Improve Accessibility with UX Content: Accessible and inclusive design is more important than ever in creating digital products. This month, we’ll focus on how UX content can enhance accessibility, helping your products meet and exceed growing standards for inclusivity. 
 

UI Design and Prototyping with Figma with Georgiy Chernyavsky

Great Figma Habits: Designing better experiences starts with great habits. This month, we’ll explore foundational UI design concepts in Figma, dive deeper into advanced techniques, and push Figma’s limits to create more efficient and effective workflows.
 

AI and Design with Pontus Wärnestål

Designing for Imperfection: In AI-powered systems, machine learning models are never perfect – they inevitably produce false positives and false negatives. This month we will explore how designers can understand and address these inaccuracies to create robust and usable experiences.
 

Service Design with Chris Risdon

Ecosystems in Service Design: Ecosystems and systems thinking are essential to designing effective services. This month, we’ll explore what defines an ecosystem, how to communicate its components, and how to apply this understanding to improve service design.
 

Behavioral Design with Susan Weinschenk

Unconscious Decision-Making: Research shows that most decisions are made unconsciously, with the brain working behind the scenes. This month, we’ll delve into the latest findings on decision-making and explore what they mean for design.
 

Product Management with Kim Goodwin

Making Good Decisions: At the heart of product management is the ability to help organizations make, deliver on, and learn from great decisions. This month, we’ll explore what defines a “good” product decision, how individuals and organizations approach decision-making, and the critical role PMs play in guiding the process.
 


If you’re not a member already, we’d love to have you onboard! Sign up here, and reach out to Jane Murray, or Nathalie Tindsjö if you have questions.