Urs Felber

Felber was born in 1942 in Egerkingen, Switzerland, a small town in the canton of Solothurn. His family ran a local carpentry workshop.

From 1962 to 1965, he studied mechanical engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. In 1964, he replaced a fellow student in his field study at a small furniture manufacturer company, De Sede. In 1966, he became a system engineer at De Sede. He took a 50 percent stake in the company. By 1978, De Sede was exporting to over 70 countries and reached a turnover of 85 million CHF.

In 1979, he obtained a PhD in Design Management at Stanford University, California and the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, graduating magna cum laude. He authored Systematic Design Management in the Enterprise: Fundamentals and Concepts which heralded the birth of design management, design science and methodology.

In the 1980s, he became a business partner and CEO of Vitra USA, the world's leading contract furniture manufacturing firm. Parallel to his US activities, he became a board director in several companies, such as Wilkhahn International, Wilkhahn Switzerland, Swissflex and Team by Wellis.

In 2001, Urs Felber bought Swiss furniture company Dietiker AG from the supermarket chain Migros and transformed it into a recognized brand by bringing contemporary designs, with products winning the Red Dot Design Award and Neocon Innovation Award. Dietiker became a leader in Switzerland and Europe in the contract furniture market.

In 1999, urs felber was made a Honorary Fellow of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. In 2002, he received a Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Tel AvivOn 20 May 2003, the Aviva and Urs Felber Jubilee Plaza was inaugurated at Tel Aviv University in recognition of his commitment and donations to the university.

Urs Felber died on 26 April 2010

Success is never accidental

I'm Swiss but not practicing