Candescent Appoints Donald Chesnut as Chief Design Officer to Drive Digital Innovation

Candescent, the leading cloud-based provider of intelligent digital and unified customer experience solutions for financial services, announced that Donald Chesnut has been named Chief Design Officer. In this role, Chesnut is guiding how Candescent develops and delivers exceptional digital experiences for its 1,300 bank and credit union clients and the 30 million end users they serve.

Chesnut brings nearly 30 years of experience helping the world’s most recognized brands transform customer experiences through design and innovation. He most recently served as Chief Experience Officer at General Motors, where, under his leadership, the company elevated its NPS by 10 points, redesigned its mobile apps to the top of their categories, and integrated customer-centered design into vehicles. Previously, he was EVP and Chief Experience Officer at Mastercard, where he built enterprise design and CX capabilities and launched consumer and B2B2C products such as Click to Pay and Digital Debit.

Earlier in his career, Chesnut led Publicis’ 1,400-person global customer experience and design organization, creating the AI-based “Marcel” platform to drive collaboration. He has also guided product design for Disney Parks, Target, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Bank, and RBS, among others.

“Strong design isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about creating meaningful products that drive real impact for users and financial institutions alike. Candescent understands this charge and is uniquely positioned to shape the future of digital banking experiences,” said Chesnut. “By applying strategic design and the new tools available like AI, we can reimagine how financial services are delivered, making them simpler, more human, and driving greater value. I am proud of the design-led culture we’re building at Candescent, one that is making those goals a reality.”

“Donald has a remarkable track record of elevating customer experiences and creating tangible bottom-line transformations for some of the world’s largest and most complex organizations,” said Gareth Gaston, Chief Product Officer of Candescent. “As we lean into being a design led organization that delivers industry leading experiences, having a strong design leader who will build a world class design team and capability is a cornerstone of our product strategy. We’re thrilled to have Donald join our team as we empower banks and credit unions to differentiate, grow, and stay ahead of the curve.”