Aula 2006 ─ Movement: Alastair Curtis

NOTE: All posts at 3QD related to the Aula 2006 ─ Movement event, including this one, will be collected on this page. Bookmark it to stay on top of the Aula meeting at all times for the next week.

The second keynote speech at the Aula 2006 ─ Movement public event will be given by Alastair Curtis. I want to give him just a very brief introduction here.

Effective April 1, 2006, Alastair Curtis is Nokia's new Head of Design. He replaces the redoubtable Frank Nuovo, who will now be overseeing Nokia's luxury lines of handsets. Alastair is no newcomer to Nokia, having started working there in 1993, having obtained a Master of Arts degree in Industrial Design Engineering from the Royal College of Art in London, as well as a Diploma of Engineering from the Imperial College and a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design from Brunel University. In 1996, Alastair was named Senior Designer and in 1997 he moved to Los Angeles to as Global Operations Manager of Nokia's new Design center there. This was at a time when design was becoming more and more important as a distinguishing feature in mobile telephones, and many of the main manufacturers were racing to invest in expanding their design operations.

After his appointment as Nokia's Head of Design, Alastair said:

Having a multidisciplinary global team will enhance our ability to combine great user experience design with the latest technology, to create a world-class portfolio for consumers. Ease-of-use and style will continue to be central to our design work and the Nokia brand.

Alastair will be delivering a talk entitled "People Moving" at the Aula event, which I am sure Morgan and I will have more to say about next week.