PA Consulting hires John Edson as US head of design and engineering
PA Consulting, a global innovation and transformation consulting firm, has hired John Edson to lead its design and engineering practice in the United States.
The London-headquartered firm’s design capability in the US has been formed from the acquisition of several leading design studios since 2018: Essential Design, Astro Studios, and Cooper Perkins.
Edson brings 30 years of experience as a designer, advisor, and educator focusing on connecting design outcomes to business objectives.
He spent the last year-and-a-half running his own design consultancy, and before that spent four years as a partner at McKinsey & Company, where he advised on product design and development for clients in CPG, consumer electronics, and advanced industries.
Edson previously spent 22 years at Lunar Design, a product design and development firm that was acquired by McKinsey in 2015. He joined the firm as a senior product design engineer and eventually rose to the role of president.
Edson also taught various design courses as adjunct faculty at Stanford University between 1994 and 2016. He holds a master’s of engineering in product design from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.
“John's standing in the industry, as well as his ability to make real impact on how businesses use design to their advantage, will be a huge asset to PA and our clients," Ken Toombs, CEO of PA Consulting, said.
PA Consulting’s design and engineering team helps clients across industries develop cutting-edge products to drive top-line growth. The firm’s recent work includes Hydrow, an innovative rowing machine, and Sure Chill, a low-energy device that keeps vaccines cool during shipment.
"I am thrilled and privileged to lead a talented team of thinkers, dreamers, leaders, creators and builders to solve our clients' toughest challenges,” Edson said. “By combining world-class design talent with cutting-edge science, engineering, and technology capabilities, we will show the world the value of design and what the next generation of consulting can be."
PA Consulting has 3,300 professionals across offices in Europe and the US.
The firm last month added healthcare and life sciences product development experts Graham Myatt and Melanie Turieo as US partners.
