Lea Stewart
 

Product Innovation Leadership

 
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I use innovation strategy & design to deliver wins for business and for users

  • My experience has stretched to develop many leadership and hard skills in product development. The common themes of my best work are bringing empathy, focus on the consumer, and the application of a world class aesthetic.

    I am currently a Senior Manager at Newell Brands, Baby Division, leading a global team of industrial designers and engineers to create products that bring sanity, safety, and joy to families.

  • I am available to speak on a range of topics including design leadership, women in design, the value of design, design methods, foresight and futures, and more. >> MORE about my speaking experience >>

  • Deep experience managing global teams of creatives and engineers.

  • I am highly skilled at leading strategic efforts to grow brands >> More here >>

  • I have experience using a range of insight gathering and idea generation methodologies: from running cross‐functional workshops using techniques like co‐creation, to conducting in-home ethnographic interviews to listen and observe. >> More here >>

  • I have a passion to develop the skills of others. I am skilled at helping design students to become young professionals, with experience in teaching college level hands-on studios, lecture format courses, and skills based classes. >> More here >>

  • I am on the board of Women in ID and hold the position of Central District WID Representative for IDSA.

YOU CAN FIND EVEN MORE ABOUT ME HERE
 

I am highly skilled at developing creatives and building teams that people want to work for

My experience has stretched to develop many leadership and hard skills in product development. The common themes of my best work are bringing empathy, focus on the consumer, and the application of a world class aesthetic.

I am currently a Senior Manager at Newell Brands, Baby Division, leading a global team of industrial designers and engineers to create products that bring sanity, safety, and joy to families.

I am a creative leader who has not “put down the pencil”

I am recognized as an ambassador of great design, because I have a passion to be hands-on in driving challenging and complex development projects that equals my ability to lead teams and oversee process.

My work has been printed in several publications and received several international design awards.

I am active in the design community where I often volunteer to share my expertise to help others grow. I am a board member for Women in Industrial Design, and the Central District Representative for the IDSA Women in Design Committee.

I live on a lake in Kalamazoo, Michigan with my husband and son, where we take in nature as much as we can.