Vijay Kumar

Vijay Kumar is a globally recognized innovation expert with over 40 years of experience in consulting, academia, and thought leadership. For more than 12 years, he served as chief methodologist at Doblin Inc. (now part of Deloitte), where he pioneered structured methodologies for design-led innovation now used by companies worldwide.

He has advised Fortune 500 companies, governments, and nonprofits across healthcare, retail, technology, and financial services, including the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge and the Muhammad Bin Rashid Center for Government Innovation.

Professor Emeritus and the Charles L. Owen Endowed Chair in Design at Illinois Tech’s Institute of Design, Vijay led its Strategic Innovation Planning and Design Methods programs, playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of design education and practice. He is the author of "101 Design Methods: A Structured Approach for Driving Innovation in Your Organization."

Vijay now explores design-led innovation in the age of AI, developing frameworks that shape thought leadership across organizations.