Tarkett Adds VP of Design to Executive Team
Tarkett North America has filled the newly created position of vice-president of design for its commercial business.
Omoleye Simmons joins the company from Shaw Contract, where she worked for more than eight years.
“This position was created as part of Tarkett’s commitment to leading the industry in design and delivering on our promise to offer beautiful, on-trend flooring solutions for any space,” says Paul Young, senior vice-president of product, innovation, design and sustainability with Tarkett North America.
In her new role, Simmons will serve as the voice of Tarkett design within the interiors industry. She will be a key speaker and spokesperson, representing the brand at industry events and customer meetings. She will continually assess the design landscape, with a special emphasis on end-use segmentation, sharing feedback from customers and the Tarkett sales teams to help guide the design process, ensuring any gaps are identified and recommending solutions to remain on top of current design trends. She will also work in collaboration with the organization, specifically marketing, product management, segment leaders, manufacturing and sales, to ensure the needs of architects, designers and end-use clients are effectively represented.
“I’ve always been inspired by the artistic process, a form of expression that is constantly evolving,” says Simmons. “Part of my role at Tarkett is to create an environment where the design team is continually inspired by new approaches to design. This will be a space where we craft compelling stories that become impactful products.”
An accomplished designer, Simmons developed product collections while at Shaw, and served as design lead in innovation initiatives. As a former art educator, she has experience coaching designers in technology and concept development, translating art to product.
Simmons has won more than a dozen industry awards throughout her career, most recently two NYCxDesign Awards in 2020, in the best product category.