Ena Voûte to serve new term as dean of IDE
The appointment of Ena Voûte as dean of TU Delft’s Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering has been extended by two years. This is a fact that Ena herself is delighted about not least because of her self-confessed love of the job and because “there still is a lot to do.”
Having studied at the faculty in the eighties, when, amongst many other achievements, she designed the (now patented) pyramid tea-bag, Ena went on to pursue an international career in the field of product management and marketing. She worked at Unilever in the Netherlands, UK, Austria and Germany and in the lighting and beauty division of Philips. In 2012 she returned to her alma mater to take on the role of dean, championing excellence in education and research. Ena has overseen a period of growth – both in terms of student numbers and in the development of the design discipline, with a shift in focus from products to product-service system.
Ena reflects: “what I am struck about most at IDE is the unbeatable community we have here. Building a team is always an enormous challenge but the level of engagement here is great. It is evident in classes and in meetings – whether we’re working online or not. And at our wonderful events – such as Summer Thoughts a few months ago or our amazingly joyous jubilee party last November. It’s this community spirit which gives us the confidence to innovate at scale. ”
In terms of the challenges that lie ahead, Ena emphasises the importance of educational innovation, with a new Bachelor programme due to be introduced in the autumn of 2021, and the development of new “future proof” Master programmes. She also plans to strengthen the faculty’s technological links with the rest of TU Delft in areas such as AI, healthcare, sustainability and mobility: “Delft designers have far more to offer than the ability to beautify and visualise. Our researchers and students are trained to integrate the three perspectives of people, technology and organisation in design. Uniquely we are able to connect technological revolutions with human needs.”
