Simona Maschi is a co-founder and director of the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design. Leading the overall organisation at CIID she heads a team that encompasses a world-renowned education, a cutting edge research group, an award-winning consultancy, and a very ambitious incubator platform.
Simona is an expert in service design, scenario design and design methods and is passionate about using design to create real positive impact in people’s lives. She supports this vision through creating an innovation culture that bridges between industry, academia and entrepreneurship. Recent projects have explored topics such as private and public transportation, health and wellbeing, sustainable housing, financial services and smart cities. Widely respected in industry, Simona regularly speaks at conferences and events, bringing inspiration on how people-centred design can create new and reinforce existing innovation paths. She is regularly invited to join jury sessions including the international IxDA Interaction Awards and the Creative Business Cup. Since 2015 she is part of the ASHOKA Venture Board in Denmark and a member of the advisory board of DANSIC.
Simona studied at the Polytechnic University of Milan where she completed both her PhD in Industrial Design and Multimedia Communication (2002), and her MA in Architecture (1996).