Christian Lindholm named Executive in Residence – Shaping education and ecosystems for future interfaces
Christian Lindholm is known for his groundbreaking work in user interfaces and platforms, particularly in the mobile, service design, and wearables industries. His innovations, such as Nokia’s iconic Navi-Key interface featured on more than 700 million entry level phones and the Series 60 first fully programmable smartphone platform, have left a lasting global impact. Lindholm also led early advancements in mobile image and video sharing through his work on the LifeBlog application.
“I have always been fascinated by the interface between man and machine. We are again at a paradigm shift where the man-machine-interface will be re-invented. Conversational computer interfaces, agents and assistants, as experienced through our computers, phones, watches and glasses, form a fertile ground for innovation”, says Lindholm.
A visionary leader and innovator
Lindholm has held key leadership roles in some of the world’s leading technology companies. Recently he was a Director of Product Management for Android Wear at Google and Chief Innovation Officer at Fjord before its acquisition by Accenture. Before that Lindholm worked as the Vice President of Mobile Products at Yahoo.
With an Aalto graduate Terho Niemi, Lindholm founded KoruLab in 2013. KoruLab developed a low-power operating system platform for wearables, acquired by Google and integrated into Android Wear. The platform has been used in over 50 million wearables and smartwatches worldwide.
Currently, Lindholm is the Co-founder and Chairman of , a health innovation & AI consultancy.
Building ecosystems around future interfaces
Lindholm began his role as Executive in Residence at Aalto University on January 1, 2025. His focus will be on fostering collaboration between education and industry, particularly in developing ecosystems around future interfaces. Working part-time, he will engage with students and researchers across disciplines, bridging the gap between academia and the industry.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with pioneering companies and brilliant minds over three decades, shaping the modern technology landscape we live in. Now, I am thrilled to share my experiences with the next generation of innovators and challenge young minds to think bigger, bolder, and differently,” Lindholm explains.
“Lindholm’s appointment further strengthens Aalto University’s position as a leader in combining education, research, and real-world innovation. His vision and experience will inspire both students and industry partners to create solutions for the next generation of technologies that combine the physical with the digital world”, says Professor Jens Schmidt, Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management.
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Christian Lindholm
Executive in Residence
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