WHO I AM
A strategic design leader deeply committed to advancing circular innovation and sustainable futures.
For 25 years, I’ve helped create products and systems that are sustainable, intuitive, and commercially viable.
Drawing on innovation experience from California to Japan, I work with teams to focus on the right problems and align decisions so sustainability sticks.
My superpower? Bringing together design’s transformative power, analytical rigor, and deep consumer insight to reduce carbon, cut costs, and launch products people genuinely love—and make sustainability actionable at scale.
MY JOURNEY
I learned by making
Industrial design taught me to think in systems and through a user-centred, empathetic lens—how things are made, used, felt, and sustained. This maker foundation still powers my work.
I grew by leading
From Silicon Valley to global teams at McKinsey, I learned to bring clarity to ambiguity, unite disciplines, and guide organizations through complex design challenges.
I deliver impact through design
Partnering with major brands and the C-suite, I turn circular principles into measurable return. I use design to cut carbon and cost, speed up launches, and unlock new growth. My work has led to over 70 patents and helped launch breakthrough, consumer-loved products for global leaders.
WHAT I STAND FOR
Reframe what matters
I challenge the status quo by asking, “Does this deserve to exist?”—combining creative problem-solving, analytics, and circular principles to drive meaningful impact.
“Lea was instrumental in unlocking new opportunities for sustainability at a major consumer goods company. She pushed us to generate bold ideas in an unexplored category.”
—Partner, McKinsey & Company
Move ambitions into action
I translate sustainability goals into concrete steps—guiding stakeholders through tough trade-offs and embedding circularity in day-to-day decisions and measurable results.
“Amazing push and drive—our client had been struggling to reinvent their supply chain for months, but Lea pulled it off in just three weeks with exceptional process management, aligning both internal and external teams. They love the design and are already implementing it.”
—Partner, McKinsey & Company
Energize people and progress
I cultivate momentum by uniting diverse teams around a clear direction—bringing positive energy and resilience so perspectives align and work keeps moving.
“I love the way she has been leaning forward and really orchestrating our global Design for Sustainability community—driving knowledge‐sharing and new thinking across the pond.”
—Partner, McKinsey & Company
My commitment to advancing sustainable systems thinking and user-centered design extends to the next generation of leaders.
I spent five years as an Adjunct Professor at California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco and currently mentor Master's students on high-impact circular design thesis projects at The Sustainable Design School (Besign) in Nice, France.
ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP & MENTORSHIP
FLAMENCO AS A CREATIVE FORCE
Flamenco has taught me to listen deeply, move boldly, and build cultural bridges—insights I carry into every design program and cross-functional team.
When I’m not designing for circularity, you’ll find me dancing flamenco or producing shows at Bissap Baobab and around the Bay Area.
Reel by Bissap Baobab
WHAT’S NEXT
Bringing circular innovation home
After 30 years in California, I'm returning to Switzerland to help mission-led partnerships and organizations reduce impacts on new products and grow responsibly.
LET’S CONNECT
If you are working on:
Embedding circular principles across product portfolio
Designing next-gen green-tech solutions to cut carbon & cost
Creating refill-ready and zero-waste packaging systems
I’d love to help turn your ambitions into tangible impact.
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RESUME
Strategic Design Leader | Circular Innovation & Sustainability
Designs and leads teams to deliver scalable, low-carbon solutions that reduce costs by up to 35% and drive market differentiation. Brings 25 years of experience in end-to-end product and packaging innovation across consumer goods, technology, and life sciences. Aligns cross-functional teams—from engineers to the C-suite—to bring innovations to market 40% faster and create award-winning, consumer-loved products with 4.8-star ratings.
CORE COMPETENCIES & TECHNICAL SKILLS
Strategy Design & Leadership
Cross-Functional Leadership | Executive Collaboration | Strategic Project Scoping | Business Development | Workshop Facilitation & Capability Building
Sustainable & Circular Innovation
Circular Business Models | Design for Sustainability (DfS) & Circularity (DfC) | Net Zero & Decarbonization | Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-Informed Decision Making
Packaging Innovation & Sustainability
Sustainable Packaging | LCA-Based Eco-Design | Material Innovation | Packaging Optimization (cost, CO₂ & logistics)
User-Centered Product Development
Industrial & Product Design | Design Thinking | Consumer & Market Research | AI Concept Generation | Experiential Brand Language (XBL) | 3D CAD, Rapid Prototyping & Usability Testing
EXPERIENCE
McKinsey & Company
(Management Consulting) – San Francisco, USA (2015-2024)
Design Director (2017-2024) | Senior Creative Lead (2015-2017) (management consulting), San Francisco, CA (2015-2024)
Sustainable Packaging & Circular Innovation
Enabled 95% plastic reduction across 6 SKUs by building a CO₂-impact/cost/scalability framework assessing 15+ Private Brand packaging formats for a global retailer; delivered a supplier-ready scale-up playbook.
Cut packaging costs by 25% and CO₂ emissions by 51–95% for a global FMCG brand across seven household and personal care categories through LCA-optimized packaging design and refill strategies.
Reduced 300+ shoebox formats to 40 by creating a universal packaging design system for a footwear group, delivering 14% CO₂ reduction and 15% cost savings; built SOPs and rollout toolkits across brands and regions.
Product Development & Market Differentiation
Owned end-to-end development of Leslie’s first at-home water testing device, achieving 4.8-star ratings and a 23% BOM cost reduction; led industrial design, UX, and engineering, advised the CEO, secured stakeholder alignment, and tripled PaaS subscriber revenue. GOOD DESIGN® Award 2023
Launched a $50M EBITDA breakthrough product for Keurig, leveraging in-home co-creation to address emerging coffee trends. Led Experiential Brand Language (XBL) and design-for-manufacturing (DFM) in a 6-month sprint. Red Dot Winner 2020
Accelerated time-to-market 3x for Black & Decker, enabling entry into the quick-cleaning category with powered counter-worthy products. Led consumer insights & prototyping, launching 3 products in 12 months, in a $3B market.
Sustainability & Circular Economy Transformation
Championed McKinsey’s “Design for Sustainability” Forum, uniting 15+ global design & sustainability experts to accelerate circularity strategies for Fortune 500 clients, boosting project impact and conversion rates.
Built an in-house Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) team and led the redesign of a water-testing PaaS product, demonstrating 40% lower CO₂ emissions and 24% lower costs vs. the pro store unit; codified a Net Zero roadmap.
Designed and facilitated circular-business-model workshops for a premium appliance brand, helping leadership and design teams define MVP guiding principles and remove key blockers to embed circularity across the business.
Partnered with Bill McDonough to reimagine the customer experience for a global theme park client—using design to unlock and catalyze sustainability transformation and inspiring leadership to adopt future-facing solutions.
Lunar
(Global Design Consultancy, acquired by McKinsey in 2015) – San Francisco, USA (1998-2015)
Senior Creative Lead (2010-2015) | Industrial Designer (2001-2010) | 3D CAD Sculptor & Animation Specialist (1998-2001)
Brand Identity & Industry Transformation
Designed the Varian Halcyon system, revolutionizing radiotherapy for emerging markets: cut workflow steps from 30 to 9 and increased patient throughput by 23%; led an 8-person cross-functional team from vision to OEM handoff. Green Innovation Award 2023, ACES Awards
Created and scaled Illumina’s genomic sequencing portfolio and visual brand language, driving 90% market share across 12+ platforms; led design & UX, streamlined lab workflows, and secured decade-long partnerships. GOOD DESIGN® Award, I.D. Magazine Honorable Mention
Designed 30+ HP products, refining the market-leading aesthetic for home and enterprise PCs (e.g., Pavilion PCs, Notebook Mini 210, MediaSmart Server), contributing to HP’s #1 retail ranking. GOOD DESIGN® Award, iF Design Award
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
Teaching
Adjunct Professor, Besign School – The Sustainable Design School – Nice, France (2025-present)
Advises and challenges Master’s students on sustainable-systems thinking in their thesis projects.Adjunct Professor, California College of the Arts (CCA) – San Francisco, USA (2014-2019)
Taught User-Centered Design & Design Expressions to undergraduate Industrial Design students.
Creative & Extracurricular
Flamenco Producer & Performer, Misión Flamenca & Baobab Flamenco – San Francisco, USA (2008-2025)
Led a 7+-member ensemble, producing monthly shows and managing bookings, PR, and media strategy.
EDUCATION
ArtCenter College of Design – Pasadena, USA (1994-1997)
Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design with Honors (Full tuition scholarship)
Schule für Gestaltung Basel – Basel, Switzerland, (1993-1994)
Preparatory course in Art & Design
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