Kripa Ananthan

About Kripa Ananthan

I am a design leader with expertise in creating addictive experiences, a proven record of award-winning and cult-forming designs which result in brand love.My strengths: Expertise, Leadership, Futuring, Proflicacy & Team building.Expertise • 27+ years in the industry, mainly automotive & farm equipment • developing guidelines that consistently correlate design with customer, brand, architecture & product attributes to spearhead the purpose of the company• creating successful sharply differentiated product designs & experiences• setting framework for seamless customer experience from website to in-car UI/ UX to Vehicle App• getting the fundamentals right, bringing focus on architecture • promoting brand & design at events, seminars, conferences, podcasts, magazines • all around design experience- concepts, advance, production, strategy & management along with setting up of an all-around full- size studio• charting a road map to drive excellence in Sensorial Quality in products and ecosystem• managing a large, diverse portfolio of products with a small team through agility & collaboration• formulating & institutionalizing metrics for decision making on subjective matters like proportions, command seating & perceived quality• in-depth processes for Design in the Product Development cycle for quality, cost & time delivery• technical & commercial fluency• life cycle management of iconic designs by integrating customer & market insights with classic visual grammar, development toolsLeadership• building and leading a 70+ member team of engaged highly trained and skilled colleagues - a team that has consistently outperformed• nurturing commitment & integrity; low attrition, high quality delivery• setting stretched targets, creating an environment & an ecosystem that will enable the achievement of these goals• coordinating global teams based in South Korea and USA to deliver priority projects, critical in terms of time-to-market and technical challenges• collaborating with leading international design firms and suppliers to create productive partnerships• enhancing team capability by hiring international experts and creating specializations; like Studio Engineering, UI/ UX design, detail designFuturing• conceptualising the visual identity for brand to showcase new purpose, including channel design• engaging with customers & strengthening interest in the brand through vision concepts• identifying & filling white spaces with category creating concepts

Experience

1. Head of Design

   Ola Electric

   Jul 2022 — Present · Bengaluru, IN

Education

• Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

  M. Des, Industrial Design

  1995 — 1997

• Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani

  Bachelor of Engineering - BE, Mechanical Engineering