Philip’s design and engineering background spans three continents over 37 years with mechanical engineering training and a degree in Industrial Design/Transportation from California’s prestigious Art Center College of Design. Philip initially spent 8 years as an automotive designer, starting with Volkswagen in Germany followed by stints at several consulting firms in California. In 1993, he transitioned into Product Design, Project and Executive Management, culminating as Vice President of R&D and overseeing a full-service, medical device-focused design team of 60 before joining BlackHägen Design in 2002 as the Principal responsible for Design and Development. As CEO today, he is responsible for all BH’s technical and administrative operations.
Philip is a listed inventor on more than 35 design and utility patents to date, has managed and contributed to hundreds of projects from small to multi-million-dollar budgets and supervised the critical transfer of numerous designs to domestic and offshore manufacturing. He is trained in ISO 9001/13485 directives and successfully implemented formal Design Control procedures at 2 previous companies. Philip has lectured at the Art Center and pioneered the first transportation design class at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and is a frequent subject matter expert and educational speaker at national conventions.
Philip’s design and engineering background and training spans three continents over 37 years and a degree in Industrial Design/Transportation from California’s prestigious Art Center College of Design. Philip initially spent 8 years as an automotive designer, starting with Volkswagen in Germany followed by stints at several consulting firms in California. In 1993, he transitioned into Product Design and Project Management, culminating as Vice President of R&D and overseeing a medical device team of 60 before joining BlackHägen Design in 2002 as the Principal responsible for Design and Development. In 2023, Philip is CEO, Director of Design & Development at BlackHägen Design, responsible for all BH’s technical and administrative operations.
Experience:
Over 37 years in research and product development with a design and engineering background spanning three continents.
Education:
Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design/Transportation from California’s Art Center College of Design
Bachelor of Technology course study in Automotive Engineering and Design, minor in Mechanical Engineering at Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UKDesigner:
1986- Automotive exterior and interior designer, beginning with Volkswagen in Germany and later including automotive-related product design.
Manager:
1993- Designer and studio manager in California with experience across a spectrum from low volume, high-value devices to mass-produced consumer goods.
Executive:
1995- Executive management at I.N. Inc., a full service, predominantly medical device product development and manufacturing firm.
• Director of Program Management
• Director of Product Development
• Vice President of R&D
• Ultimately responsible for a team of 60 cross disciplinary professionals
• Executed major projects for Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific, Clorox, and other Fortune 500 companiesPartner:
2002-2023 BlackHägen Design as CFO and partner responsible for design and development, growing business 1000% in 16 years.
CEO:
2023- BlackHägen Design as CEO, Director of Design & Development responsible for all BH’s technical and administrative operations.
Inventor:
Inventor of more than 35 design and utility patents.
Awards:
Receiver of multiple design awards for medical and consumer products.
Training:
Trained in design-controls specific to ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 directives and successfully implemented R&D quality systems at I.N. and 3M Electronic Monitoring.
Member:
The Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA)
Lecturer:
• Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA
• Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CASpeaker:
Subject matter expert at annual trade shows and conventions such as MD&M and Biomed
Created multiple articles in industry periodicals such as MDDI and MPO