Meera Pankhania🇦🇺

About Meera Pankhania

Design Director & Co-Founder at Propel Design

I’m a problem solver. Most of the roles I’ve held didn’t start with a neat job description, they started with something that wasn’t working and needed fixing.

Over my career, I’ve trained, mentored, and coached people across the Australian Public Service, the private sector, and within a Big 4 management consultancy. Alongside leading teams and programs, I regularly coach people one-to-one, helping them navigate career transitions, leadership challenges, and moments where clarity or confidence is needed.

I’ve worked across design, policy, and delivery in both the UK and Australia, including time as a Senior Policy Adviser to the NSW Minister for Customer Service during COVID, where we applied design thinking to help shape the state’s response during a period of extreme uncertainty.

What I’ve learned is that progress rarely comes from frameworks alone. It comes from sound judgment, confidence, and knowing how to work with complexity, people, and systems.

I’ve seen many capable designers and practitioners struggle, not because they lack skill, but because they don’t yet have the support or language to influence, lead, or step into the next level. I’ve been there too.

Today, I mentor and coach designers, researchers, product people, and emerging leaders who want to build confidence, navigate complex environments, and move from doing the work to leading it.

My approach is practical, calm, and honest. If you’re looking for a trusted sounding board or help taking your next step, I’m happy to help.

Expertise

Sessions with Meera Pankhania

• Mentorship Session (30 min): Mentorship session
• Balancing User Needs with Org. Constraints (30 min): A very real conversation about trade-offs, politics, delivery pressure, and still doing good work.
• Confidence, Presence, and Voice in Design Roles (30 min): If you struggle to speak up, hold the room, or back your judgment, we’ll work on practical ways to shift that.
• Anything Goes: Design, Career, Leadership (30 min): A flexible 30-minute coaching session for whatever’s on your mind right now. Bring a challenge, question, or situation and we’ll work through it together.

What mentees say

“Meera is an exceptional career coach. Her practical guidance on navigating today’s job market gave me immediate, actionable steps to put into practice. Above all, her uplifting support and ability to build confidence when it matters most have been invaluable. I’m incredibly grateful for her mentorship!”

“Meera introduced to me another way of seeing my career timeline. It felt helpful because it reminded me of what matters when growing into my career. I was also able to get advice on career planning and job hunting.”