José Manuel dos Santos has over 30 years of experience in design and design management, an MA in Industrial Design from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design/UK, an Executive MA in Product Design and Development from the Northwestern University/USA, and a PhD in Design from Universidade Europeia focused on ‘Design(er) Leadership in Large Corporations’. José’s career started in Portugal in 1989 as an industrial designer, after which he formed and sold two product design companies, worked as a product Design Director in Barcelona and led as Chief Design Officer in a large Internet company.

In 2011 José expanded his international experience and joined Masco as a Design Director, and in 2016 Philips Lighting, now Signify, as Head of Design and User Experience.

José is passionate about design education and entrepreneurship. Among other initiatives, he started a network of talented Portuguese industrial designers, and co- founded a non-profit organization dedicated to young entrepreneurship.
José is a creative individual that works in partnership with business executives to translate and mediate design value into business ventures.