About us
Why @Design Global
Where We Work
Headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, @Design Global works with businesses moving between New Zealand, India and Australia, in both directions. An active network on the ground in India means partners and local knowledge are already in place when a business needs them. Shaan also has connections in the global tech and venture capital community, which come into play when the work calls for it.
Our Team
Shaan began his career in brand building, where he would translate complex business problems into simple, actionable brand positionings that drove creative execution and commercial growth. That habit stayed with him, and it defines how he approaches life today. No matter how tangled a problem looks, Shaan has a knack for breaking it down into something straightforward.
His background in strategy was built at Leo Burnett India. In 2016, he received the Star Youth Achiever Award, an honour judged on leadership, strategic perspective and business acumen. Later, he transitioned to growth and market strategy in New Zealand. For close to a decade, he built market access and commercial strategies for emerging-tech ventures from scratch. As Chief Strategist of a fintech startup, his business smarts landed him a feature in M2 Magazine’s ‘Man on the Street’ section. Shaan has guided several portfolios through high-stakes launches, including a stretch as Head of Global Markets for a prominent venture.
Today, Shaan brings this mindset to both tech ventures and niche, high-value businesses. Through the ACBD Framework®, a proprietary diagnostic method he developed, Shaan untangles complex roadblocks so founders can focus on running the business.
Outside client work, Shaan advises strategic investors and serious collectors on fine art, and creates content about art, culture, capital and wealth on Instagram. The rest of his time goes to family, research into ancient holistic philosophies, a chaotic golf swing, and his very large lap dog, Romeo.
Shaan Bhattacharya, Founder & Principal Consultant, @Design Global
Our Team
Darius is a veteran enterprise executive and transformational leader with over 30 years of experience at the absolute peak of New Zealand’s information technology sector. As a strategic architect of high-growth corporate infrastructure, he specialises in commercial turnarounds, bottom-line optimisation, executive advisory, and sustainable shareholder value. His career is defined by operational resilience, fiscal precision, and the steady governance needed to grow companies securely.
His foundation in operational leadership was built at global tech giants HP, Wang, and Apple, followed by a highly decorated 32-year tenure as CEO and business owner of Imagetext IT Specialists. Under his executive leadership, the enterprise scaled its revenue from $1.2M to over $10M, grew its profitability by 600%, and achieved a five-year consecutive streak as the nation’s Best Run Apple Business. His career achievements culminated in his 2024 induction into the prestigious IT Reseller News Hall of Fame.
Today, Darius brings this massive institutional weight and enterprise scale experience to the firm as a Senior Consultant and Strategic Advisor. He provides high-level corporate governance and commercial oversight on major interventions, which offers clients access to decades of battle-tested enterprise wisdom.
Outside his advisory work, Darius is a dedicated community leader, recognised with four Paul Harris Fellow Awards for his decades of service with Rotary New Zealand. The rest of his time goes to his family, global travel, and classic motorbikes, where he safely executes the high-speed maneuvers he usually avoids in corporate boardrooms.
Darius Mistry, Senior Consultant & Strategic Advisor, @Design Global
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