COLOPLAST
Global Head of Design (2011 – present)
Leading Design, User Research and Usability Engineering for a company with a 19.4 B. DKK turnover and 12,500 employees, reporting to VP/SVP. Responsible for shaping a brand-driven design strategy that enhances user experience, product identity, and market positioning.
Leadership
Transforming the team from a reliance on external agencies into a strategic in-house powerhouse. I expanded the team, proving that great design goes far beyond aesthetics – it is a core driver of brand identity, user experience, and business success. Today, the team continues to grow, bringing together diverse talent from Germany, Argentina, China, and Denmark. We are now an essential part of every new project from the start, ensuring brand consistency and user-centric innovation.
Shaping a Brand-driven Design Strategy
Coloplast needed a consistent design strategy to guide the brand. I was part of developing the first generation, and we needed to fill the gaps and cater for the overarching brand building. In 2019 I started a process of developing the next generation. The balance was to give the designers freedom to create great design and also to have consistency across all business areas.
The outcome is our “User Experience DNA”. It is formulated within four overarching guidelines that explain how we can create good experiences for our users. Ambition, respectful, clear and attractive. The guidelines are followed by a set of tools designed to assist projects in a practical way with the implementation. Using these tools, designers will be empowered to make the right decisions (on behalf of the user) with a vast amount of creative freedom.
Tangible tools
The strategy is a guideline consisting of elements that can support the designers in the creative process. How to approach form and CMF and on different applications such as product design, UX/UI, packaging design and graphic design.
The overarching ambition is to give as much creative freedom and at the same time ensuring that there is consistency across all business areas and a continuous evolution of the product brand.
My entry point was as a Senior Innovation Project Manager, leading teams of up to 30 specialists and high-value projects exceeding 100M DKK. My role focused on setting creative direction, fostering an innovation culture, and guiding industrial designers, mechanical engineers, and marketing managers through early development phases. Managing stakeholders across the value chain was critical, along with delivering quarterly CEO share-outs.
I spearheaded the Sensura Mio ostomy bag platform and SpeediCath Compact Eve female catheter—transforming med-tech products into lifestyle-driven brands. Sensura Mio revolutionized industry aesthetics with textile, shape, and color innovations, while Compact Eve introduced a user journey approach, prioritizing female needs and active lifestyles. Both projects redefined expectations in medical design, reinforcing the power of brand-led innovation.
More than 30 awards
I believe if you build a team of independent, skilled and curious people combine it with trust and a creative direction, then the results will come. In 2024 my team and I have received more than 12 design awards. In total it is more than 30 awards as my time as head of design.
I have established a “User Experience Score” (UXS) to get nuanced feedback into the development phases. Today we have embedded the score into all projects to balance how we make decisions for the business.
MORFOSO
Marketing and Design Director and shareholder (2007-2010)
Co-founded and built an international high-end brand from the ground up, shaping its visual identity, brand positioning, and market entry strategy. Developed a compelling brand narrative, securing features in Wallpaper*, Elle Decoration, and other leading design publications.
Established a holistic brand experience framework, strengthening consumer engagement and loyalty. Led collaborations with external designers, overseeing concept development, design processes, and production to create distinctive, high-quality products.
The company, founded with a former Louis Poulsen Lighting engineer, explored the potential of emerging LED technology. As part of Risø-DTU, we developed both retail and professional lighting and furniture solutions. My role encompassed brand strategy, product innovation, and business development, integrating co-creation and user insights to ensure market relevance and differentiation.
LOUIS POULSEN LIGHTING
Head of Design (2004-2007)
Led design strategy and product pipeline development for Louis Poulsen, a brand with an 827M DKK turnover and 300 employees, reporting to the Product & Marketing VP. Responsible for shaping the brand’s design direction, ensuring a seamless connection between heritage, present, and future innovation.
Oversaw all external designers and concept development, guiding projects from ideation to product readiness. Presented quarterly product roadmaps and concept strategies to the board of directors.
Created a new Design Strategy to bind the past and future and form a guideline to ensure consistency for the evolution of the brand.
Conducted in-depth trend, competitor, and designer analysis to inform strategic direction, ensuring Louis Poulsen remained at the forefront of the industry.
A key focus was material and technology innovation, collaborating with Risø National Laboratory (DTU Fotonik) and emerging designers to push creative boundaries. Structured the design process with key performance indicators (KPIs), leading to increased design award wins and a 12% growth in turnover from new products.
