Industry vet joins Gensler

San Francisco -- Gensler announced that Jim Crawford has joined its lifestyle team as director of strategy and experience design. Crawford most recently served as chief experience officer at Chute Gerdeman, where he was responsible for integrating technology into award-winning store and experience design projects.



At Gensler, Crawford will utilize skills to enhance the firm’s practice and work with clients in multiple industries connecting digital and physical design with business and consumer objectives.



“Jim is an industry thought leader and we’re absolutely delighted he has joined our team,” said Jill Nickels, studio director at Gensler’s San Francisco office. “From his previous roles and experience as a retail analyst, he brings a valuable and unique perspective from both the retailer’s and consumer’s points of view.”



Prior to Chute Gerdeman, Crawford led retail and consumer practices at large technology firms, including the Intel Corporation and SAP. During his tenures at Forrester Research and Kantar, Crawford delivered research and insights to leading consumer brands.



Crawford is the author of the upcoming book, “Redesigning Retailing,” which underscores the need for a store-centric, shopper-centric strategy for designing customer experiences.