What I had to learn when I became a Chief Design Officer

Claudia Abt, Chief Design Officer at citizenM hotels oversees design and space planning for new hotel developments. She shares her perspective on being a designer at the C-level, what she had to learn when she became a Chief Design Officer and what value she brings to the business through design.

Join us for our first episode of our Chief Design Officer Series, where we talk to Chief Design Officers of the most forward-thinking businesses.

Read our favourite insights from the interview with Claudia and watch the conversation to learn:

👉 How to communicate with your group of C-level peers
👉 How your responsibilities change when you become a Chief Design Officer
👉 How a bold, fun and consistent brand can drive customer loyalty and additional revenue

As a Chief Design Officer, you stop reporting to design

Claudia Abt: 'As I moved to C-level, I stopped reporting to design and started reporting to the business. Now my first team is a group of people who have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about and why I care so much about certain things that they couldn't care less. The translation of what design means for the business, what impact it can have and what qualities it brings, that is something. On the one hand, understanding what the business KPIs are and how the business operates. And then on the other hand, how design impacts that business. The better you can translate that the easier the conversation is.

When you are in that level, you don't sell a design. Most of the time you are in a position where you need budget for something that you want to drive in your department and you have to create a business plan. That's something definitely new to learn when you're a designer.'

As a Chief Design Officer, you argue through the lens of the customer

Claudia Abt: 'Sometimes other departments can have ideas that are completely off brand. And then you have to have those tough conversations to try to articulate how the brand needs to be consistent even if there is a lot of opportunities out there. You have to get very good at saying no. 

The way to do it is not by saying “This solution is not on brand.” If someone is not an expert in the world of branding it doesn't mean anything to them. I’m training everyone to argue through the lens of the guest — what it does for the guest and in which way it will improve or complicate their lives. Is this really a priority for the guest? Or is it a priority because you think it's a great idea? It’s a really good way to talk about design without talking about design.'

As a Chief Design Officer, you build a business case

Claudia Abt: 'When I came to citizenM, our brand standards were one big red folder with some paper in it. So I went back to my boss and said: "Look, we have to build proper brand standards. I need money for this".

The way you sell it is through the impact it will make on the business. If you can deliver information faster to the construction team or to the contractor, you will be building faster, you can move much faster. The selling point was not that I needed better brand standards. The selling point was I will help you to execute faster.

Since then we've moved probably 30% faster through design development than other companies would do. And that has just to do with the fact that we're scaling a brand and design. And at the end it means money.'

To learn more about the role of a Chief Design Officer join us for the second episode of the series with Travis Isaacs, Chief Design Officer at Webex Collaboration at Cisco.

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