The Teague design studio in Seattle has appointed Stefan Pannenbecker, formerly senior vice president of design at Microsoft and Nokia, as its first vice president of the company’s global design studios, effective March 16. He will be responsible for leading a global team of innovators designing connected experiences for aerospace, automotive, travel and consumer electronics. Pannenbecker will report to president and CEO John Barratt and serve on Teague’s executive team.
Pannenbecker brings 20 years of experience in design, including a four-year stint from 2000 to 2004 at Teague as creative director. He began his career at Philips, working in both Eindhoven and Hong Kong where he contributed to the design of award-winning products including the Elegance range of phones, and collaborated with Domus Academy and Xerox Parc/Cambridge on design research projects such as Pogo and MiME.
“Stefan’s experience in design, spanning both hardware and software, along with his entrepreneurial spirit makes him the ideal fit for this new position,” said Teague president and CEO, John Barratt. “Teague has grown considerably in the last few years; now is the perfect time to have someone with such depth of experience join our leadership.”
“Teague is and has always been an amazing company,” added Pannenbecker. “I’m excited to continue Teague’s tradition of developing world-class design solutions such as next-generation devices for Intel and Samsung and the Denny Bicycle, while at the same time pushing the brand into new areas that align with Teague’s vision of becoming the world’s leading design consultant for travel and technology-based innovation.”
Prior to rejoining Teague, Pannenbecker held numerous leadership positions at Nokia, finishing his time there as head of design. After Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia in 2014, he was appointed senior vice president of design. Pannenbecker was instrumental in positioning Nokia’s, and later Microsoft’s, devices and experiences through a coherent and differentiated design strategy embodied in the Nokia N9, the Lumia range of smart phones, applications such as Nokia Camera, services such as Mix Radio and the Nokia X Series interface design.
