Tyler Wanlass is Buffer’s VP of Design

I like to share that Tyler Wanlass recently became VP of Design for Buffer. 🎉

Tyler has now been on the Buffer team for over five years, initially as a product manager before moving to our first Head of Design.

Throughout 2020 when we hired a new product manager, Tyler has since taken on that role and has done an incredible job. I was impressed by the way he juggled so much, acted at a high level and contributed on levels from the management team to the individual 1: 1 level with the members of the product team. He did a great job of running the product, introducing new processes and directions, and putting things in a fantastic place for Maria, our CPOto come and take us to a new level. He has formed a strong partnership since working with Maria and they have already reached some incredible milestones and together brought new energy to our approach to the product as a whole.

One important consideration I’ve had over the past six months is that at Buffer, we’ve always talked about the product being at the heart of Buffer. We are a truly product-oriented organization that puts the product at the center of everything we do. We don’t have a sales team and much of our growth comes from word of mouth based on our customers’ experience. With this in mind, it occurred to me that two product managers, Maria and Tyler, would be the most suitable structure for the future within the leadership team and would help us find the right balance and strategic approach over time. VP of Design isn’t a role that we previously had at Buffer, and for those first few months it felt all natural and very impactful. This decision reflects the emphasis we place on product innovation and quality, which are fundamental to many of the outcomes we seek.

I’m so grateful for everything Tyler does for Buffer and our customers. Tyler has been a great partner in some big decisions this year. I believe our customers, and all of us at Buffer, are better off because of Tyler’s significant contributions.