Eric Folger Email & Phone Number

Sydney, Australia

As a management consultant, I work with organisations across diverse industries to integrate design management into their approach to strategy, customer engagement, product and service innovation, and platform design, while mentoring executives and stakeholders in the skills necessary to champion change.I place a particular focus on helping organisations develop and sustain the rigour necessary to create new value, new business platforms, and new opportunities for growth and profit by helping them develop the long-term skills to overcome the anxiety of working through change that a design-led approach may bring.

Sydney, Australia

At Lavender, I built an in-house Service Design and Business Strategy consultancy which was developed to help our clients focus on fundamental customer values that form the basis of their business platforms and their opportunities for growth.Within this role, I built a unique design-led management consulting group that was skilled in developing customer-centred businesses platforms for our clients which outperformed more traditional consulting methodologies in developing sustainable, ethical, and profitable solutions.Key projects included redesigning the product platform of a multi-billion dollar financial service company and creating an engaging consumer experience platform within a major Australian shopping centre.

Sydney, Australia

At Meld I was responsible for leading client engagements, mentoring designers, and growing the business to deepen our service design, information design, and innovation capabilities.I provided expertise in helping our clients embed and utilise design as both a driver of innovation and as the basis for creating compelling services. At Meld, I placed a particular focus on helping our clients work through the process of ensuring meaningful organisational change–especially within challenging environments.

Sydney, Australia

At AMP I championed design as the most relevant, disciplined, and creative method of addressing complex business problems. I demonstrated effective techniques for exploring problem spaces with the goal of finding and shaping new business opportunities by enabling stakeholders to embrace human-centred problems and encouraged collaboration and iteration, so that designed solutions were inclusive, innovative, and effective.• Embedded a collaborative, iterative, and customer-centred design process that focused on developing deep customer empathy using ethnographic research and insight synthesis, encouraged creative concept generation, and facilitated effective prototyping and implementation.• Provided mentorship to both colleagues and business stakeholders to expand the use and awareness of design as a robust business tool that creates innovative solutions and sustainable growth.• Lead and managed design projects with a broad array of both internal and external stakeholders. Built prototypes and mock-ups to help create consensus and understanding within the business prior to implementation.

London, England, United Kingdom

Provided consulting services addressing strategy, information design, programme development, and coaching for public affairs, design education, public advocacy, and consumer product projects.• Provided strategy and insight for developing student-led client projects for MBA programme within the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. Lectured on integrating design strategy within a business environment.• Developed the strategy for internal training and client implementation for a new approach to product innovation for a US consumer product company. Sourced manufacturing and design firms to produce product prototype.• Worked with public affairs firm to build their design practices and improve the value of their client outputs through information design. Contributed to strategy, coaching, information and process design.

San Francisco Bay Area

Provided strategy consulting and design expertise during a four-month post graduate internship. The 18-week project focused on developing a strategy opportunity map for a multinational eye care company, encompassing ethnographic and secondary research, analysis, synthesis of customer insights, ideation, and facilitation processes.• Developed primary research protocols for participant interviews in both the US and the EU. Participant sessions involved interviews and shadowing consumer and professional routines at home and office. Sessions recorded through video, digital recording, and field notes.• Performed secondary research through the use of journals, online, and reference materials. Interviewed company stakeholders and external experts on trends in the industry and future challenges for organisations.• Developed and facilitated stakeholder workshops for client innovation process that focused on analysis of research findings, idea and opportunity generation, and synthesis of potential growth areas.• Collaborative development of 14 opportunity areas that summarised consumer insights, potential business ideas, analogues, and methods the client organisation could use to pursue growth. Mapping areas onto competitive and opportunity landscapes to show growth strategy and advised client course of action.

Sydney, Australia

Managed the Project Management and Design teams for Home Insurance Products within Suncorp, GIO, and AMP brands. Responsible for developing new products, features, and processes to improve both Risk-In-Force and Gross Written Premium. Key areas of development were in new products (Platinum and Safety Net), improved internal process (Platinum Customer Service Team, new product working parties, design facilitation, systems integration and prioritisation), and improved customer engagement.• Lead Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) redesign to improve the customer experience by providing greater clarity and control, enabling customers to manage their product and optional coverage. By reducing the complexity of product information for customers, product awareness and understanding in our front-line staff also improved, cutting down on call times, error rates, and improving end-to-end customer experience.• Developed Platinum Home and Contents Insurance product based on customer research and product prototyping.• Created and integrated a significant new product feature across the entire GIO/AMP product line that addressed a key customer concern about under-insurance and the complexity of calculating accurately. The new features were based on user research and extensive prototyping to create a value without increasing overall costs to customers.• Researched customer segments to investigate new opportunities for improving both the experience and usability of Home Insurance products and services.

Greater Pittsburgh Area

Leed's makes and personalises products for the advertising industry. From leather portfolios to backpacks, pens, and totes. At Leeds, I was responsible for managing and developing our product design process, our design teams in both the US and China, and managing our factory relationships and manufacturing costs.I was both challenged and fortunate to experience the difficulties and opportunities in nurturing collaboration between vastly different cultures and intents between our American and Chinese teams. My experience at Leed's also helped me build mastery in developing extremely strong design groups and in honing their personal and professional development.

Greater Pittsburgh Area

Responsible for running AE.com web site and catalogue, and direct mail advertising. Developed business plan, budgets, merchandise assortment, and managed sales. Responsible for all artwork, web design, product image creation and publishing.Managed the development and implementation of new marketing initiatives and business opportunities for the AE Direct Division of American Eagle Outfitters (AE.com, catalogue, and call centre).

Columbus, Ohio Area

It was at VS that I was first exposed to a serious corporate environment, billion-dollar revenues, and world-class retailing techniques. In my time at VS, I learned how to managed vendors, develop complex merchandise and sales plans, and organise and purchase materials for multi-million dollar assortments.I also learned a great deal about the role culture plays in both creating great opportunities and in limiting the potential of clever and passionate teams. My experience created the foundation for my career and my ability to explore opportunities well outside of my past experiences. I credit VS with making me fearless as a business person and empathetic as a manager.

Masters Of Design Methods, Strategy, Service, And Experience Design

Bachelor Of Fine Arts - Bfa, Cinematography