Hi there!

My name is Benedikt Lehnert (but everybody calls me Ben). I’m a designer, educator, and advisor living between Princeton, NJ and Kingston, NY.

I focus my energy on creating useful products people love and leading the world-class teams that make them. I mentor and teach to equip the next generation of leaders with the necessary optimism and creative courage to tackle the paradigm shifts ahead.

I write a newsletter called “To whom it may inspire” where I cover topics at the intersection of business and poetry.

As a designer turned big tech executive and angel investor, I’ve experienced both what it takes to take a startup from zero to multi million dollar exit as well as how to successfully transform the culture of companies such as Microsoft and SAP to be experience-focused – and lift the business to new heights because of it.

I’m the founder and CEO of 74West, a sleeve-up, hands-on advisory practice at the intersection of customer experience, design integration, and strategy execution. I partner 1:1 with CEOs, executives, or boards who are navigating pivotal moments in their organizations.

In my role as Entrepreneurship & Design Fellow at Princeton’s Keller Center, I research and teach the convergence of entrepreneurship, design, and business with a focus on AI and co-creativity, neuroaesthetics, and the socio-economic responsibility of design.

As an advisory board member of the Design Executive Council (DXC) I help shape the standards and developments of the humanistic design field as AI causes paradigm shifts at the nexus of experience design and business strategy.

Along the way, I’ve learned that the most successful businesses of the 21st century aren’t built on spreadsheets alone. They’re built on a profound understanding of human experience, hands-on creative leadership, and the courage to challenge conventional business wisdom. This insight drives my work with leaders who are ready to move beyond traditional frameworks and create organizations that inspire both their customers and their teams.

I enjoy spending my spare time with my family, reading, painting, doing yoga, and walking. I love pour-over coffee, typography, handmade things, the sound of water, and photography in black and white.

If you want to talk shop or have a question you think I could help you answer, subscribe to my newsletter and connect with me on Linkedin, drop me a line or let’s meet for a coffee.