About
Chris Waugh is a director and co-founder of IDEO’s Food & Beverage practice, and a lead in the Consumer Experience Design business community. In both of these roles, Chris is focused on using design thinking as a means of creating positive impact for IDEO’s clients, their customers, and consumers.
F&B at IDEO looks to people’s unmet needs, desires, and aspirations to tackle a wide variety of design and innovation challenges, from designing the next $100M product platform to creating weight management strategies for consumers. Chris enriches the F&B practice with his passion for understanding how the intersection of social issues, systems, and food can help our clients create better offerings—and help consumers live better. He is a firm believer in the premise that what is good for business can be good for people, and vice-versa.
In addition to leading relationships with businesses and organizations such as Nestlé, Campbell’s, and the Centers for Disease Control, Chris has guided the evolution of thought within F&B at IDEO by authoring points of view on wellness, obesity, and behavior change.
Before joining IDEO, Chris worked in marketing and product innovation for Specialized Bicycles. He represented the “voice of the market” on a variety of industry-leading projects, including development of technical shoes, concept shops, and integration of medical design into ergonomic consumer products.
Chris is a competitive cyclist, triathlete, and volunteer coach for Team in Training, a group that raises money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by training people for marathons, triathlons, and 100-mile bike rides. When he’s not in the office, you might find Chris swimming between Alcatraz and San Francisco.
Follow @_waugh on Twitter.