David Atkinson is Head of Design at the Foundry, a global developer of computer graphics, visual effects (VFX) and 3D design software for the design, visualization and entertainment industries.

Before starting there, he founded the Saddington Baynes’ brands department, which focused on direct to client print and digital campaigns. As Creative Director, he was responsible for overall creative development and execution of projects produced by the SB brands team. Prior to Saddington Baynes, David worked as a product designer for Autodesk in Toronto, Canada. There he concentrated his efforts on overall planning, definition and development of the company’s industrial design software portfolio. His has also worked various brand and design consultancies including a stint in the Apple design group in Cupertino, CA. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in Industrial Design from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

He came to the Berlin School of Creative Leadership to learn critical strategic thinking skills for creative led industries. “There has long been a perception that creatives and business don’t mix and there are many opportunities that go begging when people with creative backgrounds are overlooked for senior managerial positions. Companies can ill afford such profligacy in the current economic climate. Senior creative managers need a certain skill set to foster innovation and promote free thinking in their teams. Traditional MBA programs sometimes fail to address the particular needs of this section of the knowledge economy. Conversely, on the job learning sometimes lacks the intellectual framework to draw parallels with other professional fields.”

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