Prof. Franco Lodato
Industrial Design
Franco Lodato is a visionary Chief Design Innovation Officer with over 30 years of experience in driving transformative innovation across various sectors, including healthcare, luxury goods, wearable devices, and consumer electronics. Renowned for leveraging the principles of biomimicry and sustainability, Franco has developed market-leading products that meet the evolving needs of consumers, as evidenced by a robust portfolio of over 80 patents. His impressive career spans leadership roles in global companies including Pininfarina, Herman Miller, DuPont, Gillette, Motorola, and Masimo, where he has consistently aligned product strategies with overall business objectives to foster sustainable growth and innovation.
In his current role as Senior Business Advisor at Pininfarina, Franco has developed a five-year innovation roadmap that expands the company's presence in the United States. By diversifying into architecture and lifestyle products and forming strategic partnerships, he has adapted Pininfarina's European design ethos to American tastes, prioritising sustainability and cross-sector innovation.
Franco's career began with significant successes, including his role as Chief Designer and Director at Motorola, where he was a pioneer in integrating nature-inspired design across the entire Nextel-Sprint product portfolio. As Vice President and Managing Director for the Americas at Pininfarina, he played a key role in creating award-winning luxury automotive designs. Fluent in English, Italian, and Spanish, with additional skills in French and Portuguese, Franco's global perspective and multidisciplinary experience make him a driving force in innovation strategy and design leadership.
AREAS OF INFLUENCE
Innovation strategy, Technological integration, Cross-functional leadership, Product development, Sustainability and innovation assessment, Creation and management of intellectual property, Human-centered design, Agile methodologies, Consumer electronics, Industrial design engineering