Bio

Christopher Scales is an industrial designer, strategist, and innovation leader. Born and educated in the UK, he earned a Bachelor’s degree from Central Saint Martins and a Master’s degree in Industrial Design from the Royal College of Art.

He began his career designing consumer products for leading global brands, including Casio, Audi, Lego, and Nokia, working across the United States, Germany, and Denmark. As a product designer, he led the development of concepts from early ideation through to market delivery, combining technical feasibility with a deep understanding of user needs.

He later became the Head of Innovation Design at Tetra Pak, where he spent five years transforming product development processes and embedding user-centered design across the organization. During this time, he built and led a global, cross-functional design team.

Christopher subsequently held senior leadership roles within international design and innovation consultancies. As Head of the Consulting Practice at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID), he led the growth of the consulting business, securing strategic engagements with clients like Lego and Schneider Electric. He later joined Designit as Strategic Design Director, partnering with organizations such as GN Hearing, LEO Pharma, and Velux to develop innovation strategies, new products, and future-focused business opportunities. Following this, as Head of Product Strategy at STAR, he built and scaled a global strategy practice operating across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, leading strategic engagements with organizations including Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Allianz, and Roche Diagnostics.

Recognized by industry leaders for his rigorous, evidence-based approach to innovation, Christopher excels at translating complex challenges into validated growth opportunities.

Today, he leads an independent consulting practice in Copenhagen, advising startups, global enterprises, and public institutions on product, portfolio, and innovation strategy. Committed to developing the next generation of innovators, Christopher serves as an External Lecturer at Copenhagen Business School, teaching Strategic Innovation and Design Thinking, and mentors founders through DTU Skylab. He splits his time between Copenhagen and London.