BERKAN KAPLAN
Design and Innovation Consultant · Helping mobility and product companies build world-class design organizations from scratch
I help mobility startups, product companies, and design-led organizations build the design capabilities they need to compete — from scratch if necessary. Over the past 20 years, I've done this at scale: built TOGG's entire design organization from zero (25-person team, two international studios, €8M annual budget), led end-to-end EV programs from concept to production, and delivered design consultancy to 40+ clients across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. What I bring that's rare: I think like an engineer, lead like a design executive, and build like a founder. If you're a company that needs senior design leadership — but isn't ready for a full-time hire — let's talk.
Manages an independent multidisciplinary design consultancy delivering strategic, physical, and digital design solutions to local and global brands across various sectors.
Built and led a 25-person multidisciplinary design organization, international studios, budgets, and end-to-end digital and physical product ecosystems for Turkey’s first national EV brand.
Taught undergraduate courses in technical drawing and industrial design while providing mentorship and supervision for senior graduation projects and theses.
Managed industrial design strategies, smart appliance UI designs, and cost-optimized product innovation processes for over 15 domestic and international consumer appliance brands.
Led design engineering, prototype development, and styling integration by creating streamlined workflows between design and engineering teams across Ford's commercial vehicle ecosystem.
Managed localization, value engineering, and component redesign programs to drive significant annual cost optimization across Ford's manufacturing operations.