#80 | Wolfgang Bremer | Design Leadership, Mobility & Pushing New ideas.
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The Guest
In this episode, we chat with Wolfgang Bremer, who is the Vice President of Design at Elli - A Brand of the Volkswagen Group.
He is a German Canadian award-winning design veteran with 20+ years of experience and a rare combination of design & product knowledge.
He also advises companies in all things design and speaks about design, leadership, team development and more.
As a design leader in multiple Fortune 500 companies, like Nokia and SAP, as well as several highly funded startups, Wolfgang has managed global design orgs & teams and worked on products used by companies like Google, Coca-Cola, Porsche, Red Bull, Sony, Unilever, and more, as well as by tens of millions of users in 190+ countries. He has been involved in countless B2C & B2B projects for mobile & desktop, including mapping services, music apps, social networks, marketing & enterprise software and more on client & agency side.
Equipped with an entrepreneurial mindset, creative problem solving skills, and an excellent eye for detail, Wolfgang drives product design & development and creates outstanding consumer & business products. He feels comfortable working in both international corporate and startup environments.
Wolfgang is also co-founder of Stealth.li and Founder2be.com, host of the Pixelish design podcast, and co-host of the StoryZeit podcast.
In the episode, together with Wolfgang we talk about what designers need to learn in order to become great design leaders, which kind of skills they need. And how do you push forward design ideas or innovation ideas within an organization and create a win-win between different stakeholders?
Wolfgang has a lot of experience in the space and giving a lot of talks on innovation, leadership, and design. He has gained a lot of experiences, both in the startup area, but then also agencies and enterprises, for example, at Nokia or SAP.
In this episode, we look at:
What are the key elements of effective design leadership?
How important is clear communication in cross-departmental collaboration?
“It's about teamwork and finding allies to make joint decisions for a great product experience.”
Why is it important to have allies who champion the cause of design within the company?
What are the benefits of designers proactively seeking out opportunities to contribute and solve problems within their organization?
"Proactivity and initiative are crucial for changing the perception of design within an organization."
And plenty more!
Thank you very much for your time and knowledge, Wolfgang!