Quinteros named Chief Design Officer at Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson has named Ernesto Quinteros, recently of Belkin International, as its chief design officer.  He will join the company May 5, 2014, and report to Sandi Peterson, group worldwide chairman.

The chief design officer for Johnson & Johnson is a newly created role that expands the responsibility of the company’s Global Strategic Design Office beyond its consumer business origins to encompass the breadth of the company’s portfolio, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer, and health and wellness.

“The creation of the chief design officer role across our enterprise is part of Johnson & Johnson’s efforts to accelerate innovation globally and strengthen the equity of Johnson & Johnson and its core brands,” Peterson said.

Quinteros will lead the company’s Global Strategic Design Office, which works across Johnson & Johnson’s consumer, medical devices and pharmaceuticals segments, and with the marketing and R&D organizations.  Design thinking–a consumer/customer focused approach that integrates user experience, product and packaging design, technology solutions and business requirements–will be incorporated into business and innovation strategies.

Quinteros was chief design officer at Belkin, where he spent 13 years and distinguished himself as a designer and visionary leader of a multi-disciplinary team.  He was a sponsor for innovation models in product development and portfolio management of existing and evolving product lines, and was actively involved in user experience and software development initiatives.  Quinteros was also Belkin’s chief brand officer, accountable for redefining the company’s culture and values, planning and designing the global headquarters, and all aspects of new brand articulation and cohesive global brand identity.

“I am excited by the opportunity to influence design thinking in a global healthcare company like Johnson & Johnson,” Quinteros said, “where there is enormous opportunity to innovate for the benefit of patients, healthcare professionals and consumers.”