Voices 11

John Christakos cofounded Blu Dot in 1997, a design studio and manufacturer of modern furnishings, serving as CEO since its inception.Blu Dot is sold through stand-alone stores in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Washington DC, Mexico City and Sydney, online at bludot.com and in more than 50 independent retailers worldwide. Blu Dot’s work has received numerous national and international design awards. In 2018, Blu Dot was the recipient of the prestigious National Design Award for Product Design given annually by the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Blu Dot’s work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, theCooper Hewitt, Walker Art Center andCentre Pompidou. In 2011, Slate magazine included John Christakos in “Top Right,”its list of “the top 25 most innovative and practical thinkers of our time.”

Prior to BluDot, John was Consulting Director of Core Group in Minneapolis, where he advised consumer product companies in marketing strategy and branding. He began his career as a consultant with Bain & Company in their Boston office. John graduated with a double major in studio art and economics from Williams College in 1987. He received his MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University in 1993. John currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, where he has been a trustee for 13 years and most recently served as its President from2018-2021. John previously served on the Boards of Midway Contemporary Art; theCollege of Visual Arts, St. Paul; and the Courage CenterFoundation

This is a public event. WantedDesign members will have priority access to this event and will be allowed to ask live questions to the speaker.