Franco Lodato is a visionary Chief Design Innovation Officer with over 30 years of experience in driving transformative innovation across diverse industries including healthcare, luxury goods, wearables, and consumer electronics. Renowned for leveraging biomimicry and sustainability principles, Franco has developed market-leading products that meet evolving consumer demands, evidenced by a robust portfolio of over 80 patents. His impressive career spans leadership roles at global companies including Pininfarina,Herman Miller, DuPont, Gillette,Motorola, and Masimo, where he consistently aligned product strategies with overarching business objectives to foster sustainable growth and innovation.

In his current role as a Senior Business Advisor at Pininfarina, Franco has developed a five-year innovation roadmap that expands the company’s U.S. footprint. By diversifying into architecture and lifestyle products and forming strategic partnerships, he has adapted Pininfarina's European design ethos to American tastes while prioritizing sustainability and cross-industry innovation.

Franco’s early career is marked by significant achievements, including his role as Chief Designer and Director at Motorola, where he pioneered the integration of nature-inspired design across the entire portfolio of Nextel-Sprint products. 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 expertise make him a driving force in innovation strategy and design leadership.

AREAS OF INFLUENCE

Innovation Strategy

Technology Integration

Cross-Functional Leadership

Product Development

Sustainability & Innovation Assestment

Intellectual Property Creation & Management

Human-Centered Design

Agile Methodologies

Consumer Electronics

Industrial Design Engineering