Cressida Granger is a British entrepreneur. She is the owner and managing director of
Mathmos, the lighting company founded by
Edward Craven Walker
Edward Craven Walker (4 July 1918 – 15 August 2000) was a British inventor, who invented the psychedelic Astro lamp, also known as the lava lamp.
War record
Craven was a pilot in World War II, flying a photo reconnaissance DeHavilland Mos ...
, inventor of the
lava lamp
A lava lamp is a decorative lamp that was invented in 1963 by British entrepreneur Edward Craven Walker, the founder of the lighting company Mathmos.
It consists of a bolus of a special coloured wax mixture inside a glass vessel, the remainde ...
.
Career
Granger took over Mathmos in 1989 and won two Queens Awards for Export.
After buying out her business partner David Mulley in 1998 and created with Mathmos Design Studio new ambient lighting products both in house and in collaboration with external designers.
Granger is a History of Art Graduate (BA University of Manchester) and was a vintage design dealer specialising in 1960s and early 1970s design.
Creative industry activities
Granger was part of the Government Innovation Review Committee with
James Dyson
Sir James Dyson (born 2 May 1947) is a British inventor, industrial designer, farmer, and business magnate who founded the Dyson company. He is best known as the inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner, which works on the principle of cyclonic ...
and
Terrance Conran
Sir Terence Orby Conran (4 October 1931 – 12 September 2020) was a British designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer. He founded the Design Museum in Shad Thames, London in 1989. The British designer Thomas Heatherwick said that Conran "mo ...
in 2003.
She has sat on selection and judging panels for various design bodies including 100% Light, D&AD Awards and Design Nation Awards.
Granger lectures occasionally at Ravensbourne Design College on entrepreneurship in design businesses.
Granger is a director of the
Made in Britain (campaign), a campaign seeking to establish a marque to identify British made goods.
Business and marketing awards
Queens Awards for Export 2000 and 1997
:Veuve Cliquot Woman of the Year Finalist 1999
:Fast Track 100 (3rd fastest growing manufacturer 1999)
:Yell Award best commercial website 1997
:Design Week Best Consumer website 1998
Design awards
Red Dot Awards: 2006 (Grito), 2002 (Tumbler), 2001 (Bubble)
:Gift Magazine Design Homewares winner 2005 (Airswitch tc)
:Design Week commendations: 2004 (Airswitch Az), 2003 (Aduki), 2002 (Tumbler), 2001 (Fluidium)
:House and Garden best consumer product 2004. (Airswitch Az)
:Form 2001 Award (Tumbler)
:Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) 2001 (Bubble)
:D&AD commendation 2001 (Bubble)
:Light Magazine Decorative Lighting Award 2001 (Bubble)
:FX Magazine finalist best lighting product 2000 (Fluidium)
References
‘Ingrained in the fabric of British society’: the iconic lava lamp turns 60, The ObserverIs there something I should glow? Duran Duran unveil a lava lamp, Financial Times, October 2023From Retro Vibes to Contemporary Cool – Mathmos Celebrates 60th Anniversary, Design Magazine, 2023Poole company Mathmos releases limited-edition lava lamps, Bournemouth Daily Echo, October 2023Creators of Lava Lamp to celebrate its 60th anniversary with collaborations with Camille Walala and more, It's Nice ThatMathmos Celebrates the Lava Lamp's 60th Anniversary with Exciting Collaborations, Luxurious Magazine, August 2023Learn How the Lava Lamp Became a Groovy Icon of 1960s Style, Better Homes & Gardens, March 2022How I Beat The Odds: Cressida Granger of lava lamp pioneer Mathmos, Management Today, October 2013Dyson to advise government BBCMy new media - The Guardian The TimesModern retro - Design WeekBritish manufacturing Renaissance - ICON MagazineLava lamp creators mark 50 years of 1960s icon, BBC News, Aug 2013Far out, man: world’s largest lava lamp on show at the South Bank, Time Out, September 11, 2013Lava Lamp’s 50 Years of Gooey Light, Wired, September 2013Lava lamp creators mark 50 years of 1960s icon, ITV, September 2013 The Lava Lamp: 1960s Psychedelic Icon Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary, Artlyst Aug 2013Lava lamps flow back into fashion, The Times, September 2013Made in Britain Campaign appoints CEO to push British manufacturers further, Business Matters, April 22, 2015{{DEFAULTSORT:Granger, Cressida
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
British businesspeople