David Tonge Email & Phone Number

I am a Designer, Director and Strategic Adviser, founder of The Division and Honorary Professor at Kanazawa College of Art. I believe – “Design is about removing not adding” CELEBRATEDI have designed global award-winning products across physical and digital domains in diverse sectors including; automotive, consumer electronics, computer, health & beauty and household. My work has been exhibited at the London Design Museum, NYMOMA and 21-21 Tokyo. I have been featured in Axis Magazine, Business Week, Blueprint, Creative Review and The Guardian as well as giving interviews on BBC radio, NHK TV Japan and CBS. HANDS-ON LEADERI lead by doing & showing. Before founding The Division I was Design Director at IDEO and Associate Partner at Pentagram, both in San Francisco. I have led large multi-discipline teams with responsibility for business development, resourcing and profitability. STRATEGIC & DETAILED Strategic, pragmatic and detailed, I integrate user, market & technology research together with future global trends to find and deliver unique business opportunities and on-brand consumer experiences.COMMUNICATORComfortable with an audience, I present to Executives and at conferences as well as facilitate workshops and lecture. In addition to business communications, I write about the Japanese market for Take on Japan and on craft and design culture for The Japan Society. My views on Japanese manufacturing industry have been serialised in the Nikkei BP (the Japanese FT).INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVEBased in London after a decade living in Silicon Valley and close to 30 years working in Japan, I have a truly international perspective. I advise western companies on designing for export to Japan and Japanese companies for export to the west. I read, write and speak Japanese.

Listed skills include Concept Development, Product Design, Design Thinking, Industrial Design, and 6 others.

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  Northumbria University

  1St Class Honours