What's The Score: Guest, Franco Lodato.

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Shaping the future through the intelligence of nature has been my lifelong mission.

I am an executive leader in innovation and industrial design, holding more than 70 patents across healthcare, mobility, luxury, consumer electronics, and sustainability. My work integrates biomimicry, strategic foresight, and human-centered design to create solutions that are both practical and transformative.

I have led global innovation initiatives at Pininfarina, Motorola, Herman Miller, Gillette, and Masimo—delivering award-winning products and systems ranging from the Maserati Birdcage 75 to advanced medical wearables. My approach bridges engineering, design, and sustainability to build products that endure.

As an academic at institutions including the MIT Media Lab, the Université de Montréal, and the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, I have mentored the next generation of innovators now leading breakthroughs across industries.

Today, through my strategic consultancy, I advise organizations seeking to solve complex challenges by harnessing nature’s intelligence—bringing foresight, regeneration, and long-term competitive advantage to innovation strategy.

I currently serve as a Councilor of the World Design Business Organization (WDBO), a global leadership body shaping the economic and strategic role of design across business, technology, and policy.

Design is an evolution. The most advanced solutions already exist in nature—if we learn to observe, translate, and apply them.