Ernesto Gismondi is the founder of Artemide Group. He graduated in Aeronautical Engineering at the Milan Polytechnic in 1957 and in Missile Engineering at the Professional School of Engineering in Rome in 1959. Since the early ‘60s he has devoted himself to the lighting industry, founding Studio Artemide S.a.s. _ from which the Artemide Group was to develop _ together with designer Sergio Mazza. He became internationally recognized as designer after he took an active part in creation of the Memphis avant-garde movement. Over the years, under his leadership, the Artemide Group saw its market share grow and its international reach increase, making it one of the main players in the design lighting sector. He has received numerous awards and recognition over the course of his career. In 2018 he won the prestigious Compasso D'Oro for Lifetime Achievement, with the following motivation of the jury: "Aerospace engineer, university lecturer and entrepreneur, in short: man of multifaceted talent. Founder of Artemide, he immediately used design processes as a distinctive factor and in this long process encouraged collaborations with the world of national and international design. A coherent example of how design can be a concrete strategic lever for cultural and economic growth, (...) it has always worked so that Italian design can be a virtuous example at an international level ".