Biography
Prof. Dr. Jan-Erik Baars (1964) is a globally recognized expert in strategic design and a professor of design management at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Business. He studied industrial design at the University of Wuppertal (1985–1991) and began his career at Philips Design in Eindhoven. From 1991 to 2009, he held various management positions at the company, including Head of Design for Consumer Electronics. During this time, he gained extensive experience in designing international brand and product portfolios.
From 2009 to 2011, he headed the Design Management function at Deutsche Telekom, where he played a key role in integrating design into the corporate strategy.
In 2011, he founded his own consulting firm specializing in strategic design and has since supported organizations in developing design competence and establishing design as a management tool.
In 2011, he accepted a position at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, where he headed the International Bachelor's Program in Design Management. In 2019, he moved to the IKM at HSLU, Business, where he researches and teaches in the areas of organizational capability, design management, and customer centricity. He has developed various measurement tools for determining corporate capability, such as the Customer Centricity Score. In 2023, he completed his doctorate at Eindhoven University of Technology with a dissertation on the development of strategic design capability in organizations.
He is the author of the book "Leading Design," a handbook on the development of design-led organizations, as well as many scientific articles. He is also co-owner of Customer Metrics AG, a company specializing in organizational metrics based in Lucerne, and a member of the board of directors of the agency Vetica AG.
In addition to his teaching and research activities, Baars is also an author, speaker, and consultant. He combines in-depth practical experience with a theoretical foundation and is recognized as a thought leader in the professionalization and strategic orientation of design within companies.
For more information, visit www.janerikbaars.com.
