From leading teams of soldiers to building research functions, my operational background taught me to invent creative and efficient frameworks; under pressure, zero-to-one and at scale.
I’ve led research across a global Fortune 500, a fintech start-up, and digital consultancy; shaping product decisions for millions of users through strategic systems and AI-native workflows.
Hi, I’m Drew Hopkins.
Leadership in Product and Consumer Insights
Built the consumer research function 0 to 1 for a new digital financial institution, Jenius Bank, establishing research frameworks, team strategy, intake / prioritization, and cross-team collaboration.
Led a transformational front-end redesign for global fintech leader, FIS, establishing personas, customer-first information architecture, and scalable research processes.
Led generative and evaluative research shaping brand identity, target customer, go-to-market strategy for new, innovative digital products.
Introduced AI-assisted workflows and standards for research that accelerated project preparation, concept ideation, competitive analytics, and insight generation.
Scaled research toolsets and market-learning systems to equip teams with structured insights on market positioning and emerging opportunities.
0→250K
customers acquired through research informed brand / marketing funnels
$0→$4B
gained in assets shaped by research-driven product strategy
4x
faster insights through AI-native workflows
Featured Projects
Jenius Bank
Director of Research and Innovation
Jenius Bank needed a structured way to understand customers and guide product decisions as a new digital platform. I built the UX research function from the ground up—establishing research processes, stakeholder collaboration models, and research programs that informed product strategy across the organization.
Digital Banking Accelerator (FIS)
Lead of Consumer Research
Through the Digital Banking Accelerator initiative, I helped shape a customer-first redesign—using research insights to guide UX opportunities, information architecture, and reusable experience patterns that enabled our teams to build digital banking products more effectively.
Want to see other projects I’ve worked on?
AI Frameworks and Strategy
Some words from the people…
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"Drew is one of the most passionate and knowledgeable researchers I have had the pleasure to work with… He leans into to new ways of working and is always thinking of new tests or new technology he can use to improve speed and results. During his time at Jenius Bank, he led a team of 5 other researchers, many of whom were promoted under his leadership due to the guidance he gave them. Drew would make a strong addition to any research team and add value from day one."
— Andrew Harris | Head of Product, Marketing, and CX at Jenius Bank
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"Drew is a skilled leader in business partnership, team leadership, and analytical rigor. One specific project that we worked on together was developing an enterprise segmentation. He helped oversee qualitative and quantitative research to develop consumer profiles that helped rally the organization and centralized jobs to be done."
— Amanda Givens | Head Brand Strategy