Global design specialist steps into Havells India Chief Design Officer role

Havells India has strengthened its creative leadership by appointing Italian designer Patrizio Cionfoli as senior vice president and chief design officer for its CRI CXD function, based at the company Noida headquarters. The move places the Havells India Chief Design Officer at the centre of product design and consumer focused innovation across the portfolio.

Cionfoli is an industrial design specialist with more than 25 years of international experience across the United States, Europe and China. A graduate of Politecnico di Milano, he has built his reputation in the home appliances category with particular strength in user interface design, manufacturing processes and the development of colour, material and finish.

Across his career he has led large design teams and received multiple international honours including iF Design, Red Dot and ADI awards. He has also contributed as a jury member and mentor at design forums around the world, adding a broader industry perspective to his studio work.

Before joining Havells India, Cionfoli held senior roles at Whirlpool Corporation and KitchenAid, most recently serving as global design director across Milan and Shanghai. That mandate saw him shape design directions for a wide range of products and manage cross cultural teams.

In his new position, Cionfoli will guide the company product design vision and champion consumer centred innovation across categories. His brief is to ensure that Havells products continue to balance functionality with refined aesthetics while reflecting changing expectations in global and Indian markets.

The company expects his international exposure and creative leadership to reinforce its focus on human centred design, from interface clarity and ergonomics to materials and finish. With a broad view of how appliances fit into homes and lifestyles, he is positioned to support closer alignment between engineering, design and brand.

Cionfoli said he is energised by the opportunity to integrate global design thinking with the engineering capabilities at Havells and that he looks forward to helping shape the next cycle of innovation for the brand.

Consumer expectations around design have risen sharply as homes become more connected and categories more competitive. For brands in appliances and electricals, design leadership now plays a key role in differentiation and perceived quality.

By bringing in a senior leader with experience across major markets and award winning design programs, Havells India is signalling a stronger commitment to design as a strategic asset, not only as a finishing touch. The appointment suggests that future products will lean more into integrated form, function and user experience to meet the needs of discerning consumers in India and beyond.

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