Meet Our speakers and mentors

Michael Wolff

Wolff Olins

Michael Wolff

Wolff Olins

Co-founder of one of the world’s most iconic design companies – Wolff Olins – and recognised today as a leading thinker on brands. He designed Beatles’ album covers, BP's iconic logo, Shell's rebrand, and the identity for the London Borough of Camden. He’s also patron of the Inclusive Design Challenge at the RCA

Angie Yuanmalai

Huge

Associate Creative Director

Angie Yuanmalai

Huge

Associate Creative Director

Angie Yuanmalai, Associate Creative Director at Huge uncovers how user experience can change the way consumers and brands interact with each other. Huge is an experience design and digital marketing agency that provides services to Fortune 100 companies. They apply rapid prototyping, ongoing usability testing and iterative development to bridge the gap between the digital and physical experiences. Angie Yuanmalai will be talking about building and living a creative culture.

Niharika Hariharan

McKinsey & Company

Associate Partner

Niharika Hariharan

McKinsey & Company

Associate Partner

Niharika Hariharan – Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company will identify how to build design-centric organisations discerning the ingredients to build a sustainable creative culture that facilities cross collaboration. Creating change that matters is at the core of McKinsey & Company.

Juho Parviainen

IDEO

Juho Parviainen

IDEO

Design Director at IDEO – innovation and design firm that uses a human-centered, design-based approach to help organizations in the business, government, education and private sector. Winner of 38 Red Dot awards, 28 iF Hannover awards, and more IDEA awards than any other design firm.

Harry Pearce

Pentagram

Harry Pearce

Pentagram

Partner at Pentagram – the famous design studio that was founded in 1972 by Alan Fletcher, Theo Crosby, Colin Forbes, Kenneth Grange, Bob Gill, and Mervyn Kurlansky. They have designed packaging and products for many well known companies, such as Tesco, Boots, 3Com, Swatch and others.

Pentagram

Clare Devine

Design Council

Clare Devine

Design Council

Clare Devine – Director of Architecture and the Built Environment, at Design Council discusses improving people’s lives through the use of design. Design Council works with local authorities across the country to help create better quality, prosperous places. They help grow businesses, improve the built environment, and transform public services.

Jagdish Sihra

British Airways

Jagdish Sihra

British Airways

Former Design Manager at British Airways, who was responsible for the strategy and implementation of multitude of design solutions, from small-scale products to large scale projects such as complete aircraft cabin refurbishment and BA lounges.

Alan Kitching

Graphic designer, typographer, letterpress printmaker and teacher, internationally renowned for his expressive use of letterpress type processes. Among his clients: Dazed & Confused, Guardian, Tate Gallery, BFI.

Mike Trow

British Vogue

Mike Trow

British Vogue

Having completed a degree in philosophy, Mike Trow started out in fashion working on Bizarre magazine as photo editor and photographer. He has been the picture editor of British Vogue 2005-2018 – responsible for commissioning, production and art direction of most of the portraits, reportage and house shoots of the magazine.

Jonathan Barnbrook

Barnbrook Design

Jonathan Barnbrook

Barnbrook Design

Jonathan Barnbrook is one of the most famous British graphic designers and typographers. He is best known for designing David Bowie’s album Heathen in 2002 and collaboration with Damien Hirst. Currently, he runs his own studio Barnbrook Design which he founded in 1990.

Ab Rogers

Ab Rogers Design

Ab Rogers

Ab Rogers Design

Ab Rogers Design (ARD) is a London studio working on a range of projects across the cultural, hospitality, retail, and work sectors around the world. Among their clients are Tate Modern, Pizza Express, Showstudio, Chelsea House and others. Ab Rogers, the founder of ARD, will give a talk called '25 Objects 25 Years'.

USTWO

Ustwo is a London-based digital design studio that creates and brings their own successful products to market. They are best known for its breakout mobile hit, Monument Valley — but the company is also an accomplished design studio with clients including Lush, Adidas, Jaguar Land Rover and many others. They will give a talk about automotive UX and go behind the scenes of their most successful projects.

Luke Powell and Jody Hudson-Powell

Pentagram

Luke Powell and Jody Hudson-Powell

Pentagram

Luke Powell and Jody Hudson-Powell are the newest additions to Pentagram's partners. Coming from a graphic design and technology background they have a broad and multi-disciplinary approach to design and branding. In addition to their commercial work they produced self-initiated projects which have been shown at various exhibitions.

Yasmin Borain

Publicis Sapient

Yasmin Borain

Publicis Sapient

Publicis Sapient is a digital transformation partner helping established organisations unlock value through a start-up mindset and modern methods, fusing strategy, consulting and customer experience with agile engineering. Yasmin, Creative Director will show how she drives the realisation of future-focused concepts and experiences.

Alexander Grünsteidl

Method

Alexander Grünsteidl

Method

Alexander leads the Interaction Design team at Method in London. His expertise lies in understanding and creating the complete product ranges from uncovering user needs, crafting interface behaviours, and managing usability

Steve Buzz Pearce

Skyscanner

Head of Design

Steve Buzz Pearce

Skyscanner

Head of Design

Skyscanner is one of the biggest websites that enables people to compare flights, hotels and car hire. Steve Pearce, Global Head of Design, will give a talk called The New Renaissance. He describes himself as having the mind of an engineer and the heart of an artist and since the dawn of the internet he’s lovingly crafted digital products that people actually use and

Diamond Ho

Facebook

Product Designer

Diamond Ho

Facebook

Product Designer

Diamond is focused on building and useful product experiences from the News Feed team. Previously, it shipped multiple hardware products with Logitech as a UX designer. Diamond will talk about the secret recipe to design sprints and how can you make the process creative, fun and effective.

Mark Bain

Red&White Studio

Mark Bain

Red&White Studio

Mark Bain is a Canadian designer, currently living and working in London, and is a member of the design team at Red&White Studio. Prior to moving to the UK, he worked at Bruce Mau Design in Toronto, where he was part of the team that created Unilever's current identity.

Jesse Asjes

Innovation Programmer

Nike

Jesse Asjes

Innovation Programmer

Nike

Jesse Asjes is a Flyknit Design Innovation Programmer at Nike. She is a developer of wearable, innovative and technical knitwear products. She explores the endless opportunities of creating fabric for application throughout different knitting techniques. The power of her diverse background provide the tools to think within a wide range of textile use.

Kevin Yuen

Spotless

Service Design Director

Kevin Yuen

Spotless

Service Design Director

Designing for calm is something that motivates Spotless Service Design Director, Kevin Yuen. He shares how Spotless adopts techniques to provide clarity and space in their design work, and continue this principle into project communications to 'one-pagers'. Spotless empowers people to deliver innovation that matters.

Andy Thornton

Clearleft

User Experience Director

Andy Thornton

Clearleft

User Experience Director

Clearleft are strategic design partners. They use research, design and strategy to enable innovation, deliver products and services, build design capability and transform organisations. Andy Thornton, shares how to embed a design system and quantify design capability.

Kirsty Mitchell

Kirsty Mitchell Photography

Kirsty Mitchell

Kirsty Mitchell Photography

World famous photographer, best known for her series 'Wonderland', featured by BBC, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, The Guardian, The Huffington Post and many others. She is also Nikon UK Ambassador, won numerous competitions, including LensCulture Grand Prize and International Photography award.

Daniel Hirschmann

Hirsch & Mann

Co-founder

Daniel Hirschmann

Hirsch & Mann

Co-founder

Hirsch & Mann is a design and technology agency with a mission to create memorable experiences for brands, retail and cultural spaces. Daniel Hirschmann, Co-founder will be explaining how to create an emotional connection through memorable experiences

David Pearson

Penguin Books

Cover Designer

David Pearson

Penguin Books

Cover Designer

The man who made series design fashionable (and profitable) at Penguin is also a publisher who relishes the ‘big puzzle’ of books. He has designed typographic covers for dystopian fiction, political essays and dictionaries; was named one of Britain’s top 50 designers by The Guardian; been awarded a yellow pencil by D&AD and two best in books in the CR Annual.

Daisy O'Reilly-Weinstock

Good Innovation

Senior Innovation Consultant

Daisy O'Reilly-Weinstock

Good Innovation

Senior Innovation Consultant

Good Innovation is a specialist innovation company that work with people around the world. They work with leading charities, local authorities, government departments and companies with a conscience. Daisy, Senior Innovation Consultant will talk about how to work with problems that matter to help organisations that do good to grow.

Cenydd Bowles

Twitter

UX Director

Cenydd Bowles

Twitter

UX Director

UX Director at Twitter, digital product design consultant with thirteen years’ experience helping companies see the benefits of good design. Previously worked as senior user experience designer at renowned consultancy Clearleft.

Lola Oyelayo

Head

Lola Oyelayo

Head

Head is an award-winning digital agency with a rapid, agile approach to innovation. Lola Oyelayo, Director of UX and Strategy has a wealth of experience as a UX specialist and she always ensures user-centered research and design are at the centre of all of their projects. She will run a workshop called 'Making space for creativity in an agile world’.

Rob Howsam

Purpose

Founding partner and Executive Creative Director

Rob Howsam

Purpose

Founding partner and Executive Creative Director

Founding partner and Executive Creative Director at Purpose. He has over twenty years experience in brand building; specialising in brand strategy, brand identity and communication design.

Marie-Thérèse Cassidy

FutureBrand

Executive Creative Director

Marie-Thérèse Cassidy

FutureBrand

Executive Creative Director

FutureBrand unites experts in strategy, design, innovation and experience to harness the power of brand for growth. Their clients include Nespresso, Cadillac, Nike and Danone. Executive Creative Director, Marie-Thérèse Cassidy, will share her ideas on the challenges & opportunities we face designing consumer & service brands in and for an ever more connected world.

Harri Nieminen

Kuudes

Service Design Director

Harri Nieminen

Kuudes

Service Design Director

Harri is the Service Design Director at Kuudes designing meaningful concepts that have a positive impact on people’s lives. Previously he worked at OP Financial Group, where he had a team of 22 service designers – maybe the biggest in-house team in Finland. He speaks frequently about design and customer experience in different kind of events and is active on social media.

Jamie Crummie

Too Good To Go

Co-founder

Jamie Crummie

Too Good To Go

Co-founder

Too Good To Go are leading a food waste revolution - an app that enables consumer to purchase leftover food from local businesses at a fraction of the selling price. Co-founder and Director Jamie Crummie discusses the process and importance of fighting food waste at scale.

Robin Wong

Service Design Principal

Robin Wong

Service Design Principal

BT Service Design Principal, Robin Wong demonstrates how to connect the dots between design and business and customer outcomes, and showcase a framework you can use to maximise the impact of design. BT is one of the world's leading communications services companies.

Joanna Brassett

intO

Founding Director

Joanna Brassett

intO

Founding Director

Joanna Brassett, Founding Director of intO is an expert in combining design research with social science and strategic innovation. The intO studio research people’s attitudes and behaviour in their local language, developing strategies for businesses and organisations within the context of cultural influences, regional trends and wider worldwide patterns.

Jonny Burch

Progression

Founder

Jonny Burch

Progression

Founder

Progression is the first ever design skills framework, allowing you to save time, money and your team. With your career ladder and the app's rock-solid skills definitions, your team will know where they stand, and how to get where they want to go. Jonny Burch will talk about how to empower your design team to grow.

Dem Gerolemou

DeepMind

Visual Designer

Dem Gerolemou

DeepMind

Visual Designer

DeepMind is the world leader in AI research and its application for positive impact. Their mission is to push the boundaries of AI, developing programs that can learn to solve any problem. Dem Gerolemou talks about taking a holistic approach to problem solving, and what this looks like in practice.

Morgane Peng

Societe Generale

Director of User Experience and Design

Morgane Peng

Societe Generale

Director of User Experience and Design

Societe Generale is one of the leading European financial services groups. They combine financial strength, proven expertise in innovation, strategy of sustainable growth and a commitment to the positive transformations of society and the economy. Morgane Peng talks about how she is taking their product and UX design practices to the next level.

Hem Patel

Signal Noise

Hem Patel

Signal Noise

Signal Noise create experiences that persuade, inspire and excite their customers towards their ambitions. Shaped by their own Data-Design philosophy - a compelling new approach for building products, telling stories and imagining new futures. Hem Patel and Christian Thümer will talk about how they are reinventing how people see and use data.

Jenna Smith

UserZoom

Global Director of Research Strategy & Operations

Jenna Smith

UserZoom

Global Director of Research Strategy & Operations

UserZoom helps businesses get the insights they need to deliver highly intuitive user-friendly solutions, using agile, feedback-based design methodologies. They make user research a standard practice in the design process, applying their research software and services. As Global Director of Research Strategy & Operations Jenna knows that UX Research is never pretty and shares why that's not a bad thing. Along with Lee Cooper, VP UX Research they'll demonstrate how to overcome the constraints of perfect UX research.

Alice Cappo

Phantom

UX Lead

Alice Cappo

Phantom

UX Lead

Phantom is an independent, digitally-led creative agency with London and Auckland. They adapt and evolve, collaborating with brands and craft business-transforming solutions that change the game and perform to extraordinary levels. Alice Cappo explores how Phantom uses technology to create meaningful experiences.

Jan Struek

Trainline

Lead Product Designer

Jan Struek

Trainline

Lead Product Designer

How do you design data-driven products at pace? Jan Srutek, Lead Product Designer discusses how Trainline combines multiple sources of qualitative and quantitative insight to inform its product design decisions. Trainline is the leading independent rail and coach travel platform selling rail and coach tickets to millions of travellers worldwide. People can seamlessly search, book and manage their journeys all in one place and offer customers the best price for their journey and smart, real-time travel information on the go.

Nat Buckley

Bulb

Lead Designer

Nat Buckley

Bulb

Lead Designer

Nat Buckley, Lead Designer at Bulb demonstrates DIY Design Systems in an interactive workshop. Bulb is a startup energy supplier that provides 100% renewable electricity and gas to homes across the UK. They make energy simpler to manage through their easy to use digital counter parts.

Ruby Steel

Smart Design

Senior Design Strategist

Ruby Steel

Smart Design

Senior Design Strategist

Smart Design is a strategic design company that helps people live better and work smarter. They humanise products, services and experiences through deep research, insights and more. They launch innovation platforms, redefine customer journeys and reimagine entirely new revenue streams. Ruby Steel talks in depth about design strategies.

Eva and Marta Yarza

Yarza Twins

Creative Directors

Eva and Marta Yarza

Yarza Twins

Creative Directors

How do you get inspired in unconventional ways? Creative Directors Eva Yarza and Marta Yarza share how local farms and old bread factories can inspire to create good design. Yarza Twins is a multidisciplinary arts and design studio that try to reinvent visual language through a different design process. They were awarded a D&AD Pencil in Packaging Design, 2018 and was selected as 1 of the 15 most exciting designers under 30 by Print Magazine, 2016.

Mike Reed

Reed Words

Founder

Mike Reed

Reed Words

Founder

Visual identity is important for a brand but what about the verbal identity? Mike Reed, Founder of Reed Words talks about brand’s tone of voice. Reed Words is a team of writers, working with clients across the world to build their brands through language. They work on the tone of voice, verbal identity, guidelines and training as well as write memorable campaigns and help develop brand names. They have worked with some of the worlds biggest brands such as Disney, Barbican, Virgin and more.

Greg Niemand and Evan Gildersleeve

Mount Audio

Co-founder

Greg Niemand and Evan Gildersleeve

Mount Audio

Co-founder

The look and feel of a brand is important but what about the way it sounds? Mount Audio Creative Directors Greg and Evan, uncover about the importance of sound within a brands identity. Mount Audio is a creative sound studio specialising in original composition and sound design for motion. With a passion for process, they are commissioned by the world's leading visual artists and have worked with companies such as Bose, BAFTA, Footlocker and more.

Ilaria Squicciarini

Depop

Brand Marketing Manager

Ilaria Squicciarini

Depop

Brand Marketing Manager

Depop is a social marketplace where over 13M people go to buy, sell and discover unique items. You can discover creativity, sell your clothes, share style and meet the Depop community, all from the comfort of your phone. Their mission is to empower fashion creatives, offering them with a platform that celebrates their individuality. Ilaria Squicciarini, Brand Marketing Manager; Emma Love, Senior Production Manager; Christianah Jones, Social Media Manager and Octavia Pendrill-Adams, Art Director Depop talks about the importance of community when building a brand.

Campbell Butler

Design Studio

Creative Director

Campbell Butler

Design Studio

Creative Director

How do you make a meaningful difference to the world’s most loved brands? Creative Director’s Campbell Butler and Alex Johns talk about how brand systems are built for movement. DesignStudio is an international brand and design agency that have created brands for the most innovative and exciting companies in the world such as Airbnb, Deliveroo, Logitech and more. Their strategy is in creative thinking and evolving with customers while learning new skills and growing their team.

David Dalziel

Dalziel & Pow

Creative Director

David Dalziel

Dalziel & Pow

Creative Director

David Dalziel, Creative Director and Paul West Strategy Director from Dalziel & Pow discuss the link between brand identity and experience design. Dalziel & Pow are a leading, creative agency whose ambition is to create the world’s favourite, consumer-centric brand experiences. They define, design and bring brands to life through physical and digital experiences using their expertise across strategy, branding, communications, environments and digital.

Georgia Fendley

Construct

Founder

Georgia Fendley

Construct

Founder

Georgia Fendley has created new visual identities and positioning for luxury hotels, fashion and food brands. She was also brand director at Mulberry from 2008-2013 and last year, launched her own fashion label with former colleague and fashion designer Emma Hill. In her talk she shares Construct's unique approach including the importance of the depth of understanding, commercial, cultural and political that the agency bring to every project, using examples to illustrate this and demonstrate how this influences project outcomes.

Matt Rice

Sennep

Founding Partner and Creative Director

Matt Rice

Sennep

Founding Partner and Creative Director

Is user experience the branding for the digital space? Matt Rice, Founding Partner & Creative Director discusses this topic. Sennep is an interactive design studio that provides a tailored approach when delivering smart digital products and experiences. Matt Rice, Founding Partner & Creative Director has worked with clients like The Guardian, Sky, Elton John and more over his eighteen year career, and will be talking about user experience and how it’s the branding for the digital space.

Melissa Cain

McCann London

Creative Director

Melissa Cain

McCann London

Creative Director

McCann London is apart of McCann Worldgroup, it is one of the largest advertising agencies in the UK with extensive experience of building and developing brand ideas. They're home to some of the world’s most famous brands including MasterCard, L’Oréal, American Airlines and Xbox. Melissa Cain, Creative Director shares the process for building brand love.

Jon Cockley

Handsome Frank

Co-founder

Jon Cockley

Handsome Frank

Co-founder

How do you pick the perfect illustrator for your brand? Co-founder Jon Cockley explains how Handsome Frank match makes the perfect illustrator for every project. Handsome Frank is an illustration agency which launched in 2010, they now represent 30 illustrators, spread across five continents and working with some of the biggest brands and agencies in the world like Chanel, The Guardian, John Lewis, GQ and more.

Richard Roberts

Jason Bruges Studios

Design Director

Richard Roberts

Jason Bruges Studios

Design Director

Richard Roberts, Managing and Design Director at Jason Bruges Studio share the future of experiences and how his team creates unique installations for various brands. Jason Bruges Studio comprises of architects, artists, lighting designers, industrial designers and visualisers as well as specialists in electronics, programming and project management. They’ve created one off spectacles for museums and galleries such as Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate and Natural History Museum as well as an epic urban-scale intervention for Hull 2017 in which industrial robots performed unique choreographies with light.

Moe Krimat

Seen Displays

Strategic Creative Director

Moe Krimat

Seen Displays

Strategic Creative Director

As consumers continue to influence the purpose of a brand’s existence, Moe Krimat shares Seen Displays’ human-centric approach and proven framework to future-proof the retail experience, shedding light on the emerging attitudes in Generation Z and their impact on the future of retail.

Tom Castle

Futurice

Head of UK Advisory

Tom Castle

Futurice

Head of UK Advisory

“Data is the new oil’, or so the saying goes. We hear a lot about the value of data in organisations, we also hear a lot about the ethics and implications for its misuse and challenges getting positive ROI. Futurice introduces tools and frameworks to help their clients get their heads around this new data dynamic and better explore opportunities for data and AI in their business.

Michael Wolff

Angie Yuanmalai

Associate Creative Director

Niharika Hariharan

Juho Parviainen

Harry Pearce

Clare Devine

Jagdish Sihra

Alan Kitching

Mike Trow

Jonathan Barnbrook

Ab Rogers

USTWO

Luke Powell and Jody Hudson-Powell

Yasmin Borain

Alexander Grünsteidl

Steve Buzz Pearce

Head of Design

Diamond Ho

Mark Bain

Jesse Asjes

Kevin Yuen

Andy Thornton

Kirsty Mitchell

Daniel Hirschmann

David Pearson

Daisy O'Reilly-Weinstock

Cenydd Bowles

Lola Oyelayo

Rob Howsam

Marie-Thérèse Cassidy

Executive Creative Director

Harri Nieminen

Service Design Director

Jamie Crummie

Robin Wong

Joanna Brassett

Jonny Burch

Dem Gerolemou

Morgane Peng

Hem Patel

Jenna Smith

Global Director of Research Strategy & Operations

Alice Cappo

Jan Struek

Lead Product Designer

Nat Buckley

Ruby Steel

Eva and Marta Yarza

Creative Directors

Mike Reed

Founder

Greg Niemand and Evan Gildersleeve

Co-founder

Ilaria Squicciarini

Brand Marketing Manager

Campbell Butler

Creative Director

David Dalziel

Creative Director

Georgia Fendley

Founder

Matt Rice

Founding Partner and Creative Director

Melissa Cain

Jon Cockley

Co-founder

Richard Roberts

Design Director

Moe Krimat

Tom Castle

Head of UK Advisory

programmes and courses you might like

Design Thinking & innovation Week

March 16-20, 2020London

An immersive programme for creative entrepreneurs, innovation directors and business owners – introducing you to London's most innovative businesses and uncovering the latest approaches to design thinking and innovation.

Future of branding week

June 22-26, 2020London

From Sonic Branding to VR and AR – explore how leading brands are disrupting the industry using new channels and evolving technologies. Discover the most innovative approaches to brand strategy from the world-class creative and advertising agencies.

UX and Digital Design Week

August 10-14, 2020London

Create experiences that people will fall in love with. Get inspiration for your current projects and advice on how to build a design team of your dreams. Find out the secrets of what makes products successful and what mistakes companies made when they were building new services.

HR & Employee experience week

September 14-18, 2020London

Build a culture that enables brave ideas, create employee experience that helps people flourish, design your organisation to support innovation.

Corporate training

Bespoke learning programmes and tailored solutions for your business challenges.