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Senior Manager, Design at Newell Brands

Lea Stewart

Kalamazoo, MI
leastewart.com
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  • About
  • About

    I excel in creative development and influencing partners to achieve exceptional design outcomes. With expertise in brand management and front-end innovation, I drive growth by fostering consumer-centric innovation, differentiation, and aligning aesthetics with brand identity. I am renowned as a design advocate, thriving in hands-on involvement in complex projects while effectively leading teams and processes. As a creative leader, I remain actively engaged in design pursuits.

    With 20 years of experience spanning various industries, including consumer products, furniture, lighting, juvenile products, commercial products, medical products, packaging, and display design, I bring a wealth of knowledge.

    I am also a captivating speaker and sought-after guest lecturer for student events, professional conferences, and industry gatherings. My speaking topics encompass design leadership, women in design, the value of design, design methodologies, foresight, futures, and more.

  • Education
    • Industrial Design
      Altos De Chavon, Escuela de Diseno
      2001 - 2002
    • BS of Industrial Design Industrial Design
      Thomas Jefferson University
      1998 - 2002
    • Industrial Design
      Glasgow School of Art
      2001 - 2001
  • Experience
    • Senior Manager
      Newell Brands
      Oct 2015 - Present (9 years 2 months)
      I lead a talented, global team of industrial designers, fashion & cmf experts, and engineers supporting Newell Brands Baby Division. I am responsible for Graco, Baby Jogger, Century, and Nuk brands. I create value for the company and for our consumers through design solutions.

      I ensure aesthetics align with trends, convey our brands’ values, and deliver products that resonate emotionally with consumers. My responsibilities extend to coaching, teaching, and collaborating with cross-functional teams on critical business thinking, compliance, usability, consumer expectations, and manufacturing feasibility. The success of our projects is driven by my strategic thinking, design mastery, and effective communication.
    • Contributing Writer
      Inhabitat.com
      Apr 2009 - Present (15 years 8 months)
      Research, compose, and format posts for blog that focus on eco design and practices. My digital photography is used for post topics and the site gallery on occasion.
    • Rotation: Senior Manager Upstream Marketing
      Newell Brands
      Jul 2023 - Oct 2023 (3 months)
      In this job rotation I played a pivotal role in shaping the future product strategy and discovering financial opportunities for our brand. This position sits at the intersection of marketing, product development, and financial analysis, driving our brand’s growth by identifying innovative opportunities and guiding strategic decision-making. I lead a key strategic project to explore financial opportunity, desirability based on user research, and feasibility of an adjacent category.
    • Senior Manager, Advanced Design
      Newell Rubbermaid
      Dec 2012 - Oct 2015 (2 years 10 months)
      Advanced Development, Commercial and Healthcare Products. Leading a strategic design team in developing “big ideas” through in-depth insights work, envisioning innovation platforms, building stronger, more meaningful brands, and creating ownable IP.
    • Independent designer
      Lea Stewart Design
      2002 - 2013 (11 years)
      I have developed products, graphics and other design related projects for a variety of clients.

      Highlights of Previous Clients

      PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
      Radius PD http://www.radiuspd.com/
      Ayer Lighting - http://ayrelight.com/
      Urban Outfitters - http://urbn.com

      GRAPHIC & WEB DEVELOPMENT
      Friends of Triangle Park - http://friendsoftrianglepark.
      Kinofilm Project - http://www.kinofilmproject.org/
      Girls Rock Philly - http://www.girlsrockphilly.org/
      Art Institute of Philadelphia PR Dept. - http://www.artinstitutes.edu/philadelphia/
      Philadelphia Museum of Art - http://www.philamuseum.org/
    • Lead Designer
      Masco Product Design
      Nov 2009 - Aug 2012 (2 years 9 months)
      Lead Designer in a studio that serviced 25+ corporate business units that specialize in manufacturing home building products. As the manager of a small design team focusing on Masco's Cabinetry business, I helped them grow through innovation, differentiation, and by meeting consumer needs. Beyond managing people and projects, I was heavily involved in the design and implementation. I have also worked with teams at Masco to develop plumbing fixtures, hand tools, lighting systems, storage accessories, cabinet hardware, and digital interfaces.
    • Steering Committee Member
      Friends of Triangle Park
      2008 - 2010 (2 years)
      Non-profit group with the mission to develop site in South Philadelphia Neighborhood into a community park. Website development, management of web content and member announcement html formatted emails, park photography, graphic design for park signage announcements, and formal documents.
    • Robern Company, Divison of Kohler, Senior Level Industrial Designer
      Kohler Co.
      Jan 2006 - Aug 2009 (3 years 7 months)
      Design and development of innovative storage and lighting for the luxury bath market. Conceptual development, CAD, prototyping, sourcing, management of contractors, management of project schedule, leader of team action items and design integrity within a small team of engineers and marketing specialists. Developed select products for in-house manufacturer of aluminum and glass products, and also developed products with outside manufacturing companies domestically and in Asia. Working knowledge of kitchen and bath market, needs of luxury consumers, design for manufacture, and codes and standards (UL, energy efficiency, LEED, Title 24) for lighting and electrical technologies.
    • Instructor of Industrial Design
      Art Institute of Philadelphia
      2003 - 2006 (3 years)
      College level part-time Instructor of Industrial Design Technology. Created all course outlines, lectures and project planning for several classes ranging from 10-30 students per class. History of Design: Developed student research projects, city design tour, and interactive slide lectures regarding the history of product design from Arts & Crafts through modern design with a focus on renowned designers, world historic events, and design theory. Environmental Design: Developed projects focus on process, research, trial & error, use of technology, & teamwork. Students also collaborated with local companies to design stage sets, POP displays and exhibits. Business for Industrial Design: I created a series of lectures and in-class exercises to familiarize students with the basics of proposals, contracts, patents, client/designer relationships, and preparing to get a design job.
    • Graphic Designer and Structural Designer of temporary displays for retail
      Smurfit-Stone
      Dec 2004 - Dec 2005 (1 year)
      Duties included managing, prioritizing, and documenting projects for the office's largest national account. In addition to managing a team of designers, I conducted trend research, create display renderings and structures for corrugated and semi-permanent displays, and design print-ready art. My designs considered aesthetics, cost, ease of shipping, modularity, and brand recognition. Use of Strata, Photoshop, Illustrator, Artios Cad, and MS Office programs.
    • Freelance Designer
      Amerock
      2005 - 2005
      Trend development, concepts, 3D modeling & engineering, specifying plating options, and presentation renderings for zinc plated cabinet hardware.
    • Industrial Designer
      Eldon Design Associates
      Jul 2002 - Jul 2004 (2 years)
      Industrial designer in a small, full-service firm. The products developed include juvenile, mobility, tradeshow, packaging, industrial, storage, personal care, and house wares. Took part in ethnographic, trend, & materials research, concept development, computer modeling & engineering, renderings for client presentations, illustration, part inspection, mechanical drawing and many other duties of a mid-level product designer. Developed many injection molded plastic designs using Solidworks.
    • Graphic Designer, Web Manager, Research & Development.
      Antiques of the Future
      2002 - 2004 (2 years)
      Duties included a wide range of graphic projects, marketing and management for a collection of designed products. I created the initial design and assisted in writing a book outlining the company's mission. Required extensive knowledge of the recent history of product design. Use of Quark, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Excel, and Microsoft Access.
    • Industrial Designer
      Josh Owen Design
      2002 - 2002
      Computer modeling (Vellum Solids), drafting, prototyping, product development, graphic work. Design of home ware, gift items, kitchenware, furniture, lighting, as well as aided in company promotion.
    • Industrial Designer
      Richard Schultz Design, Inc.
      2001 - 2001
      Computer modeling (AutoCad), drafting, prototyping, product development, working with manufacturers and sourcing for the development of extruded and sheet metal high-end outdoor furniture.
    • AutoCAD drafter and technician
      Joanne Hudson & Associates
      May 2000 - Oct 2000 (5 months)
      Responsible for demolition and mechanical plans as well as cabinet and appliance layouts for high-end kitchens and baths.
    • Architectural and product model maker
      Michael Graves Design Group
      2000 - 2000
      Worked with foam & laser cut acrylic to create models for a variety of house wares and architectural projects based on mechanical drawings.
  • Affiliations

    IDSA, GBCI, NHBA, NHTSA

  • Industries
    • Commercial Equipment
    • Toys & Games
    • Kitchen, Bath & Home decor
    • Lighting
    • Soft Goods
  • Skills
    • Design Management
    • Industrial Design
    • Research
  • Elsewhere on the Web
    • k
    • n
  • On Coroflot
    @leadesigns, member since 2002
    • Following 4
    • Followers 20
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