Mikal Hallstrup
- United States
- Member since 2016
Mikal Hallstrup is the founder and global CEO of Designit, one of the world’s largest strategic design firms. As part of Wipro Digital, Designit unlocks the magic at the intersection of strategy, technology and design.
As the driving force behind Designit’s unique vision, values and creative culture, Mikal is passionate about the power of design to improve the way we all live, work, and do business.
For more than two decades, Mikal and the now 460+ team at Designit have been working together with clients to translate user needs into compelling, human-shaped products, services and experiences. Design is no longer about beautification. It’s about transformation, driving growth and change across industries and societies.
Besides being an active speaker at global design and business conventions, Mikal also chairs the jury at INDEX:Award, the world’s largest monetary design award, focusing on design that improves life at a global scale.
Mikal Hallstrup CV
Award-winning industrial designer and entrepreneur at the intersection of products, services and digital experiences. Focused on usability, user experience, and creating a radically simplified and human-shaped world with design and technology.
Education
1985 – 1986: University of Aarhus, Law school
1986 – 1988: Aarhus School of Architecture
1988 – 1989: Università IUAV di Venezia
1989-1991: Aarhus School of Architecture,
MA in Design and Architecture
Professional Performer, certified by Danish Technological Institute
Professional background
1991 — Founding Designit
Various managerial roles during startup years, including leading the futurist, design research and innovation practice, shaping Designit’s basic ‘design philosophy’
2008 — Chief Visionary Officer — Building thought leadership and strategic design approach
2013 — Global management and CEO’s Office — Chief Visionary Officer / acting CMO
2015 — Global CEO
Relevant experiences
Jura Chairman at INDEX:Design to Improve Life Award
Strategic advisor at Umeaa University, Umeaa Institute of Design
Strategic advisor at Lund Univ., Ingvar Kamprad Design Center
Ex-board member, Danish Design Association
Ex-advisor for the Danish Ministry of Culture on design education
Recent speakings
KBS Keio Business School, Tokyo, Japan, 2014
Social Innovation – Smart City Week, Yokohama, Japan, 2014
Future design – Innovating in a Digital World, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2014
Cross Innovation Final Conference, Birmingham, UK, 2014
Design Indaba — A better World Through Creativity, Cape Town, South Africa, 2014
Pune Design Festival, Pune, India, 2014
Nasscom India Leadership Forum, Mumbai, India, 2014
UX Salon Leadership Conference, Tel Aviv, 2015
SDCG2015, New York, NY, 2015
Gartner ITxpo, Orlando, FL, 2015
Experience Fighters, Madrid, 2016
About Designit
Designit is a global strategic design firm, part of the leading technology company, Wipro. We match big-picture thinking with creativity and technology, to drive change and growth across businesses, industries, and societies.
Our vision is to make a human-shaped world, where everything is designed around real human needs. With a team of 460+ designers, researchers and business designers across 13 offices worldwide, we make products, services, and experiences that improve the way we all live, work, and do business.
Designit became part of Wipro Digital in 2015, believing the future of business lies at the intersection of design and technology. Together with Wipro Digital, Designit dreams and delivers people-centred and human-shaped experiences for a digital world.
As a part of Wipro, Designit offers its strategic design expertise together with Wipro Digital’s state-of-the-art technology capabilities; a unique partnership capable of designing and delivering transformative, digital solutions.
Designit’s work has been recognised by the world’s leading design awards, including the Red Dot Award, iF award, FX Design award, IDEA and Good Design award.
Contact Mikal.
