Design-London appointment marks the dawn of a new design age

Creating a stir - innovative collaboration between design, engineering and business

Changing the way businesses bring ideas to market is the vision behind the new Design London project, says director, Nick Leon, who is formally appointed on 1 October 2007. 

Nick is the first appointment to the project that was created in July this year, bringing together the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London, with £5.8 million of backing from HEFCE and NESTA.  The initiative follows the recommendations made in the Cox Report on Creativity in Business.

He joins the project from Imperial's Tanaka Business School, where he is a Visiting Fellow and teaches on innovation studies.

The project has been set up to combine the disciplines of design, engineering, technology and business to address the challenges of future innovation.  It brings together expertise in design from the Royal College of Art, engineering from Imperial College's Faculty of Engineering and the business of innovation from Imperial College's Tanaka Business School.
 
Nick Leon explains:"Successful innovation demands a systemic not a component approach to designing new products and services. Edison didn't just patent a light bulb - he delivered an entire new system that changed our world. He was an engineer, a master systems thinker, conceptualizer and entrepreneur. Design London may not find the next Edison, but we can stir together those same domains of expertise in multidisciplinary teams." 

Nick adds: "Our aim is to disseminate new practice in innovation by creating new teaching programmes, conducting top-level research, incubating new business ideas and pioneering the next generation of innovation technology."

Nick began his career as an industrial designer at IBM, moving from designing products then services, through to developing entire new businesses in his role as Business Development Director for IBM's Global Services division in Europe.

His work in the Tanaka Business School addresses the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the social and economic vitality of cities.

Recent projects include: advising the Barcelona City Government on creating an international district for innovation; advising CLM, the London 2012 delivery partner; projects for the Shoreditch Trust, Laing O'Rourke; and research for Cloud Networks who implemented the newly launched WiFi networks for Canary Wharf and the City of London.

Design London has also appointed Professor Bruce Tether as Director of Research.  Bruce joins the project from Manchester Business School where he was Professor of Innovation Management and Strategy. 

Welcoming Bruce's appointment, Nick says:  "Bruce is an expert in systems of innovation and his expertise will enable Design London to research the new business models that are needed." 
ENDS
For further information, please contact Elliott White, Press Manager, Tanaka Business School, Imperial College London on 020 7594 9154 or e.white@imperial.ac.uk