Vladimír Korbel, MSc
Research and design leader helping organizations move from fragmented complexity to clear, human-centered systems.
I work where human insight, complex systems, and strategic design meet.
I am a research and design leader with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations understand complex ecosystems and turn fragmented systems into clear, usable, scalable solutions.
My work is grounded in ethnography, observation, empathy, and design thinking. I enter real environments, listen to the stories people tell, identify unmet needs, and translate those insights into stronger problem framing, better ideas, and practical direction.
At Novartis, I helped establish research-driven design and design thinking inside a global pharmaceutical environment. I led and contributed to major initiatives including SENSE, Digital Labs, Maya Design System, and other drug-development platforms.
I have worked across pharma, finance, industrial operations, mobility, energy, public services, telecommunications, and enterprise software, including global programs for organizations such as Deutsche Börse, Cemex, Barclays, Novartis, ČEZ, Škoda, VZP, DHL, GE, Infor, CNT, and Grun Mobile.
Beyond professional design work, I explore consciousness, metaphysics, philosophy, and the deeper structures of human experience. My book, Why, How, and What of Existence, was published in Los Angeles in 2022.
Senior consulting for global systems
Working as a senior design consultant for global organizations including Deutsche Börse, Cemex, and now Barclays, applying ethnographic research, systems thinking, design strategy, and facilitation to complex business problems.
Spiritual journey through India and Nepal
Traveled through some of the most important sacred landscapes of the Indian subcontinent, including Kedarnath, Badrinath, Varanasi, Rishikesh, Haridwar, and Lumbini in Nepal. This journey deepened my exploration of consciousness, devotion, death, liberation, and the philosophical traditions behind the question of who we are beyond identity, role, and ego.
Published a philosophical book
Published Why, How, and What of Existence in Los Angeles, extending my work beyond design into questions of consciousness, identity, fear, metaphysics, and meaning.
Stanford, teaching, and global design thinking
Became Stanford-certified in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, presented for Stanford d.school, lectured at UNYP and VŠE, and spoke at the Design Thinking Summit in Berlin.
SENSE and design transformation at Novartis
Led design and research for SENSE, a real-time clinical trial visibility and decision-making system recognized in Bloomberg and Swiss TV. Also contributed to Digital Labs, the Maya Design System, and broader design-thinking transformation inside global drug development.
Enterprise, mobile, and consulting across markets
Worked across enterprise software, mobile applications, banking, energy, public services, logistics, automotive, and telecommunications. This period included Infor mobile CRM apps, independent consulting through Korbel Media, major Czech clients such as ČEZ, Škoda, VZP, DHL, and GE, and international consulting experience in Ecuador.
London, Istanbul, and early interaction design
Completed internships in London, working on touchscreen interaction projects and client work for organizations including the Daily Mirror. Around the same period, studied interaction design and IoT at Sabancı University in Istanbul, with regional travel including a formative trip to Syria.
Software, visual design, entrepreneurship
Began at the intersection of programming, visual design, and entrepreneurship — from Pascal, Assembler, CorelDRAW, and early e-commerce systems to international work in London, Istanbul, Ecuador, and Prague.