Phil Gilbert (design executive)
Phil Gilbert | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1956 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Executive, design strategist |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Known for | Leading IBM's design-driven corporate transformation; design thinking advocate |
Phil Gafford Gilbert Sr. is a prominent American executive and design strategist with expertise in corporate culture. Following three decades as an entrepreneur in the start-up sector, he was appointed by IBM as General Manager of Design in 2012 to spearhead a significant corporate overhaul.[1]
Utilizing principles from design thinking, Gilbert led an extensive organizational shift at IBM to keep pace with the rapidly changing technology landscape.[2] He adapted a military concept known as “Commander’s Intent” to unify globally dispersed teams,[3] and his work was featured in the documentary The Loop.[4]
Although Gilbert stepped down in 2021, he continues to engage as an investor, advisor, speaker, and board member.[5]
Early life, family, and education
Gilbert was born and raised in Oklahoma City, where he started working as a newspaper delivery boy. He graduated among the top ten students at the University of Oklahoma in 1978. Currently, he lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Lisa; the couple has four children and six grandchildren.[6]
Career
Gilbert held leadership roles at several technology start-ups and firms, including Lombardi Software based in Austin, Texas, where he served initially as Chief Technology Officer before becoming president. After IBM acquired Lombardi in 2010, Gilbert remained on board to lead a design-driven transformation starting in 2012.
Upon Virginia M. Rometty’s appointment as CEO in January 2012, she challenged her executive team to “rethink and reimagine” IBM’s approach to customer experience. She asked Gilbert how innovation could be accelerated within such a large organization. His answer was to embed design thinking into the heart of IBM’s cultural renewal.
Design Thinking
Gilbert advocated for design thinking as a fundamental shift away from conventional technology development methods by emphasizing user experience rather than focusing solely on technical specifications. Although not formally trained as a designer, he understood its strategic importance for scaling products and services centered on customer needs.
By 2021, Gilbert observed that software development frequently addressed IT-related challenges instead of genuine user requirements, often adding features for technical novelty rather than business impact. To fully integrate design thinking among IBM’s workforce of 400,000 employees, he concentrated on transforming three core elements: People, Practices, and Places.
In 2013, Gilbert launched the Design Program Office (DPO) and recruited IBM’s inaugural cohort of 60 designers. A dedicated design center was established in Austin to run design “boot camps” for new recruits and cross-functional teams. While initially adopting Stanford’s five-step linear framework—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test—the DPO evolved this into a cyclical model called the loop, better aligned with agile product development within enterprise settings. This methodology became the subject of a 2017 documentary.
By 2020, IBM’s embrace of design thinking correlated with a 20-point rise in its Net Promoter Score. When Gilbert retired in 2022, the design organization had expanded to 5,000 professionals embedded throughout all business units across 175 countries. Designers were integrated into essential functions such as performance management, human resources, finance, and data analytics to improve overall user experience.
Awards and honors
During his tenure at IBM, Gilbert served as co-chair of the global Women’s Executive Council and established the company’s Racial Equity in Design initiative, highlighting the critical role of inclusive leadership as featured in The New York Times. Additionally, he has delivered lectures on leadership and design at the National Defense University.
Gilbert was honored in 2018 with induction into the New York Foundation for the Arts Hall of Fame, recognizing his efforts to integrate the arts into business practices. The following year, Governor Kevin Stitt appointed him as an Oklahoma Creativity Ambassador in acknowledgment of his impact on innovation and creative thinking.