Biography

Dr Charlotta ‘Lotta’ Windahl (PhD Ind Mgmt, MSc Chem Eng) is a scholar whose research and teaching activities concern the cross section of Innovation, Markets and Design Practice, and involve close collaboration with industry. Charlotta’s research explores innovation issues related to real contexts and companies, leading to close collaborations with a number of firms throughout the last twenty years, such as Alfa Laval, Atlas Copco, ABB, Ericsson, SKF, Vattenfall, Fortum, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Gallagher, and Air New Zealand to mention a few. Charlotta’s publications in the field of industrial marketing and management have made a significant contribution to the international debate and have helped academics, industry players and policy makers to understand the complexities related to digitalisation and innovation in the manufacturing industry. Charlotta’s publications in the intersection of design and management, highlight the need for more creative, curious, and courageous approaches to, as well as systemic understanding of, innovation and value creation. Her current research takes place in close collaboration with the Arcsec lab at the University of Auckland and focuses on extended reality (XR) systems, and collaborative, design, and value-creation practices. For the past two decades, in addition to being involved in traditional teaching activities, Charlotta has designed and delivered large (60-110 students) and smaller (25-50students) experiential learning activities across departments and faculties (Business, Science, and Engineering) in undergraduate, postgraduate and executive programs. In New Zealand, she has pioneered the use of design thinking (tools and methodology) and deep industry involvement at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, working closely with a range of firms, such as Air New Zealand, The Warehouse group, Z-Energy, Rose & Thorne, Helius, MitoQ, BLIS, Revolution Fibres, and Arepa. She has designed executive education initiatives in both Sweden and New Zealand, for firms such as Scania, Alstom, Transpower and Fletcher Building. She has also facilitated executive programmes, such as the Strategic CIO Programme, and since 2020, she teaches on the University of Auckland MBA. In 2014, she received teaching excellence awards at both Faculty and University levels.