With over 30 years of experience, Banafsheh has excelled in building, leading, and expanding creative teams that drive innovation in products, customer experiences, and services across both US-based and global enterprises. She specializes in guiding teams to enhance their mission delivery capabilities with a deep empathy for beneficiaries, ensuring sustainable value. Known for her strategic vision and success in managing complex projects, Banafsheh translates intricate human and organizational challenges into actionable, human-centered solutions.

A pioneer in applications of Human-Centered Design, systems thinking, and more recently, futures thinking, Banafsheh has championed these principles across diverse settings, including large and small enterprises, startups, social impact organizations, and governments in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. She has provided strategic counsel to executive leaders in sectors such as global economic development, financial inclusion, health and nutrition, mobile and Internet technology, green technology, media, business process outsourcing, and manufacturing. Her expertise has been crucial in fostering innovative and collaborative cultures within these organizations.

Prior to founding Tangerine Lab in 2014, Banafsheh held executive roles at Nextel, Sprint, Nasdaq, and the American Red Cross, leading design initiatives focused on product and service innovation, customer experience strategies, and digital transformation.

She is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and serves on the board of the Center for Health and Democracy, which aims to transform the US healthcare system to prioritize individual rights and access to affordable care.