Maria Santolaria
About Maria Santolaria
Maria Santolaria serves as the Global Program Director at IDEO, where she has worked since 2018. With a strong background in insights and strategy, she has held various roles in notable organizations and has extensive academic qualifications in environmental sciences and design.
Current Role at IDEO
Maria Santolaria serves as the Global Program Director at IDEO, a position she has held since 2018. In this role, she oversees multi-year engagements with global clients, focusing on delivering transformational impact at scale. She manages the overall day-to-day program health, which includes content, team dynamics, financial aspects, and client relations. Santolaria works closely with IDEO's most ambitious global relationships to define strategic visions tailored to client needs.
Previous Experience at Banco Sabadell
Prior to her current role, Santolaria worked at Banco Sabadell as the Head of Venture Design at InnoCells from 2015 to 2018. During her three years in this position, she was based in the Barcelona Area, Spain. Her responsibilities included leading design initiatives that contributed to the bank's innovation strategy.
Educational Background
Maria Santolaria has a diverse educational background in environmental sciences and design. She earned a BSc in Environmental Sciences from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, followed by an MSc in the same field. Additionally, she completed a Postgraduate diploma in Usability and User Experience at Universitat Ramon Llull. Her studies also include an Executive Program in Innovation Leadership from California College of the Arts and a Postgraduate diploma in Design and Innovation from the University School of Design and Engineering of Barcelona.
Teaching Experience
Santolaria has contributed to academia as a Visiting Professor at IE Business School, where she taught Design Sprint in the International MBA program from 2017 to 2018. She also served as a Professor in Design Thinking at Foxize School from 2015 to 2018. Her teaching roles reflect her commitment to sharing knowledge in design and innovation.
Insights and Strategy Roles
Throughout her career, Maria Santolaria has held various insights and strategy roles in different organizations. She worked as a freelance Insights & Strategy consultant at Fjord for five months in 2015 and held similar positions at Smart Design, Infonomia, and Central. These roles involved developing strategic insights that informed design and innovation processes.