Catalyzing Change

Maria Fernanda La Rotta on Strategic Design for an Inclusive Future

In this episode of the AIGA Design Podcast, Lee-Sean Huang and Giulia Donatello speak with Maria Fernanda La Rotta, co-founder and head of strategy at ⁠⁠Switch Strategy⁠⁠, about her dynamic career journey and the mission of her company to champion inclusion and drive innovation. Maria reflects on the strategic value of a design MBA, her commitment to empowering the next generation through her teaching role at Parsons, and how Switch Strategy specializes in developing niche markets for growth. The conversation also explores the challenges and opportunities within the current market, the critical importance of strategic design in solving business problems, and the evolving impact of AI on the industry. The discussion delves deeper into how inclusion drives business value, the necessity of advocating for it to enhance business performance, and the power of being a connector of ideas and people.  How can strategic design be a catalyst for embedding genuine inclusion in today's evolving business landscape? Connect with ⁠⁠Maria Fernanda La Rotta on LinkedIn⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mflarotta/ Switch Strategy: ⁠⁠https://switchstrategy.co/⁠⁠ Maria Fernanda’s book recommendation: ⁠⁠Steal Like an Artist⁠⁠ - https://amzn.to/3G4YvyK Join us for the 2025 AIGA Design Conference, October 9-11 in Los Angeles, California – ⁠⁠⁠https://www.aiga.org/design/aiga-design-conference⁠ Listen/subscribe to the audio version of the AIGA Design Podcast - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aigadesign/