According to Gianfranco Zaccai, Chairman of the Board, DMI, and President, Continuum, “We are delighted to have Karen Reuther serve as the next president of DMI. Karen was selected after an extensive international search and careful consideration of several exceptional candidates. The DMI search committee and Board of Directors were unanimous in our conviction that Karen’s international background and extensive experience as an advocate, consultant, and corporate design director for one of the world’s leading brands, coupled with her vision and enthusiasm, is exactly the leadership DMI needs as we expand our global reach and influence as the world’s leading forum for design and design thinking in management.”
Ms. Reuther has global, diverse experience from industry-leading corporations, including twelve years at NIKE, to design consultancies, owning a small design firm in Munich, Germany, to Ziba, a world-class design and innovation consultancy. She is a multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural, experienced design leader who has honed her creative craft through developing her curiosity and passion for people, places, and products, and connecting to ideas and direction beyond design.
Karen introduced Consumer Insights to Digital Equipment, leveraged the power and emotion of trend, color, and materials at NIKE, was the first woman awarded a design patent at Wang Laboratories, and pioneered the emerging benefits of 3-D visualization. She received her Bachelor’s in Industrial Design from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA, and her Master’s in Business from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Thomas Lockwood will remain a member of the DMI Board of Directors and become the editor-in-chief of the DMI Review and Journal, as well as conduct research for the Institute. Mr. Lockwood commented, “Karen is a collaborative, curious, and fun-loving person, a designer at heart! She cares deeply about the advancement of design in business, and I am confident she will add her own perspective to the industry and do a great job carrying on the rich tradition of the Institute.”
On behalf of the DMI Board of Directors, the DMI Advisory Council, DMI members, staff, and stakeholders, we welcome Ms. Reuther, and enthusiastically look forward to her leadership!