Paolo Tumminelli was born in Milan and raised at lake Garda. He warmed up by studying architecture, sped into design, slid into marketing, rushed through strategic brand consulting and finally landed as professor for design concepts at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Cologne University of Applied Sciences.
The focus of his research is on automobility—seen from the perspective of a global consumption culture. On design and cultural issues he also provides advice to entrepreneurs and corporate executives. In between he has been—and still is—a commentator, author, speaker, curator and moderator or, to put it another way: a cultural entertainer.
Education: Master of Arts in Architecture, Politecnico di Milano, Italy; Design Direction, Domus Academy, Milan; Scholarship, Associazione Tecnica dell’Automobile, Turin; Trainee, Centro Stile Alfa Romeo, Arese.
Collaborations: Design Manager, Momo Design, Milan; Strategic marketing manager, Rosenthal, Milan | Selb; Vice President Brand & Strategy Europe, frog, Düsseldorf | Berlin | Tel Aviv; Founder, Goodbrands, Düsseldorf | Cologne.
Teaching: guest lecturer at Central St. Martin’s School of Design, London; Hoogeschool voor de Kunst, Arnhem; Western Sidney University, Sidney; Chiba University, Tokio, Kyushu University, Fukuoka; full professor for Design Concepts, University of Applied Sciences, Cologne (KISD | TH Köln); visiting professor, Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Braunschweig.
Publishing: design editor, Domus, Milan; columnist, Handelsblatt, Düsseldorf; contributor, H.O.M.E. magazine, Berlin | Vienna; editorial brand director, Domus German edition, Berlin.
Jurys: Red Dot Design Award, Essen; Renault Traffic Design Award, Bonn; Golden Steering Wheel, Hamburg | Berlin; Ford Smart Mobility Game Challenge, Cologne; Concorso di Eleganza Villa d'Este, Cernobbio; Concorso di Eleganza Poltu Quatu, Sardinia; German Sustainability Award, Düsseldorf.
Speeches & Keynotes: Typo, Berlin; Lead Awards, Hamburg; Designing Tomorrow’s Products, Guangzhou; CNN-Time-Fortune Global Marketing Forum, Rome; Handelsblatt annual conference automotive industry, Frankfurt; ZDK German automotive dealer annual conference, Frankfurt; Wirtschaftswoche conference premium brands, Munich; Bank of Austria City of the Future conference, Vienna; The Future of Design, Seoul; Golden Steering Wheel, Berlin; Adobe Design Advantage conference, Cologne; Grand Basel Premiere, Basel.
Various: Guest, St.Moritz Design Summit, St.Moritz; President, KISD Club | Association of the friends and supporters of the Köln International School of Design, Cologne; Founding member, German Society for Design Theory and Research (DGTF), Cologne | Berlin; Member of the board of trustees, Chamber of Commerce for Italy (ITKAM), Frankfurt; Founding member, Convention of the German Foundation for Building Culture (Bundesstiftung Baukultur), Bonn | Berlin; Member, Parliamentary Circle Automotive Culture Heritage (Parlamentskreis Automobiles Kulturgut), Berlin; Director, Goodbrands Institute, Cologne; Member of the Board (Verwaltungsrat), Mindset Holding AG, Horw; Chief Judge, Concorso di Eleganza Poltu Quatu, Sardinia; Chairman, Global Advisory Board Grand Basel, Basel | Miami | Hong Kong.
