Peter Freedman AM

Peter Freedman AM is the Managing Director of RØDE Microphones. Peter founded RØDE in the early 1990s, revolutionising the industry by creating a new market in high-quality microphones accessible to a mass audience.

By developing new infrastructure for the design and manufacturing of microphones here in Australia, RØDE has become one of the world's largest microphone manufacturers, and is an internationally recognised brand in studio, professional broadcast, and consumer electronics.

Peter was recently announced as a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his achievement and service to the community at large. To be identified as a Member of the Order is considered one of the highest acknowledgements that Australia can bestow upon an individual. He was also named the Ernst & Young Industry Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014.

CATHERINE LIVINGSTONE AC FAA FTSE

Catherine is Chancellor of the University of Technology; Non-Executive Chair of Pacific National; Non-Executive Director of The Australian Ballet, Saluda Medical, Quasar Satellite Technologies, Australian Design Council Limited.

Catherine’s executive career spanned more than 22 years, where she held general management and finance leadership roles in the field of implantable medical devices. She was CEO of Cochlear Limited from 1994 – 2000, taking it through IPO in 1995.

In her subsequent non-executive career, Catherine has served as the Non-Executive Chair of Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Telstra Corporation and CSIRO. Catherine is a former President of the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Museum and Chief Executive Women. She has served on the Boards of Macquarie Group, Goodman Fielder, Rural Press, The George Institute for Global Health and Worley, and was a member of the NSW Innovation and Productivity Council, the Commonwealth Science Council and the Industry Growth Centres Advisory Committee.

Catherine is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Academy of Science.

In 2003 Catherine was awarded the Centenary Medal; in 2008 she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia and in 2024 was appointed as a Companion of the Order of Australia.

ROS MORIARTY

Tasmanian-born Ros Moriarty co-founded Balarinji and is the company’s Managing and Creative Director.

A former ABC journalist with Radio Australia, prior to establishing Balarinji, Ros held senior positions with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in Canberra and Sydney.

Ros was formerly a Commissioner for the Future of Sydney CBD (2021), Inaugural Chair of the Football Australia Women’s Football Council (2019-21), and Board member of Menzies School of Health Research Darwin (2019-21), National Gallery of Australia, Australian Major Events SA and the Australian Academy of Design. In 2023, she was named a Good Design Ambassador.

Ros was named Winner Business Enterprise in the 2015 Financial Review/Westpac Australian 100 Women of Influence Awards. She is an inductee of the Design Institute of Australia, the Australian Graphic Design Association, and the Australian Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame. In 2018 she was named a Companion of the University by Charles Darwin University.

An alumnus of the Australian National University, Ros’ honours include the St Peters Citizenship Award, the Advance Australia Award for Service to Industry and Commerce, a UNESCO Achievement Award, the Good Design Australian Design Prize and the Design Institute of Australia President’s Award.

Ros is the author of the memoir Listening to Country (Allen & Unwin 2010), shortlisted for both The Age 2010 Book of the Year, and the Australian Human Rights Commission Literary Award. She has also written eight picture books for children (Allen & Unwin 2012-18), variously listed for The Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Award (2012 & 2015), and the 2013 Australian Environment Award for Children’s Literature, illustrated by Balarinji.

She is Co-founder and Co-chair of the not-for-profit Moriarty Foundation, which enables Aboriginal families and communities to unlock the potential of their children.

SIMONNE BAILEY

An executive leader within the global property and construction sector, with extensive expertise in innovative strategy development and organisational transformation. Simonne is recognised as a thought leader and futurist with a passion for socially sustainable and commercially successful outcomes across communities, drawing on her global experience in property development, project delivery and supply chain.

Simonne’s capabilities include her ability to deliver critical change programs across multiple business strategies, lead high-performance teams to execute new models and create new business concepts to market.

Simonne has a track record is using design-led principles through the lifecycle of an asset whilst implementing innovative large-scale placemaking and building solutions, demonstrated across a variety of sectors including commercial, multi-use, education, social and affordable residential developments.

With more than 20 years’ experience in the property sector, most recently leading Lendlease’s Connected Living business. In 2019 Simonne joined GFG Alliance to create a new property business across Australia which now comprises of over 170 Industrial properties, supporting manufacturing business growth and develop surplus sites to highest and best use.

Simonne recently joined Light Project as Co-CEO with Founder and Co-CEO Matt Hicks. The creative duo have joined forces to accelerate Light Projects growth and set up a disruptive supply chain business model together.

DR STEPHANIE FAHEY

Dr Stephanie Fahey likes to create with purpose.

Stephanie was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Austrade, the Australian Government agency responsible for promoting trade, investment and international education, and tourism policy, programs and research.

Stephanie has been the driving force of the agency’s redesign to make it future fit. Stephanie believes diversity of thought sparks great ideas that can add true value to our social and commercial worlds.

Previously Stephanie built the education strategy practice within EY across Oceania; as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global Engagement) at Monash University and Director of the University of Sydney’s Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific she built businesses which contributed to Australia’s deeper engagement with Asia.

Stephanie brings an international perspective to her work and a wealth of experience across business and academia.

PROFESSOR ROY GREEN

Roy is Emeritus Professor and Chair of the Innovation Council at the University of Technology Sydney. His doctorate is from the University of Cambridge and he has published widely in the areas of innovation policy and management, including projects with the OECD and European Commission.

Roy has worked in universities, business and government in Australia and overseas, most recently as Dean of the UTS Business School. He chaired the Australian Government’s Innovative Regions Centre, CSIRO Manufacturing Sector Advisory Council, NSW Manufacturing Industries Advisory Council and Queensland Competition Authority, and has participated in a range of industry reviews, including the 2015 Senate innovation system inquiry.

Currently, Roy chairs the Port of Newcastle and the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub and is a board member of the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre.

ANDREW N. LIVERIS AO

Andrew N. Liveris AO is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Dow Chemical Company and Director of DowDuPont. He previously served as Executive Chairman of DowDuPont.

A recognised global business leader with more than 42 years at Dow, Liveris advocates the criticality of manufacturing worldwide.

He is the author of Make It in America and was tapped by the current U.S. Administration to help identify new ways to spur innovation, revitalise the U.S. manufacturing sector and drive economic growth and prosperity as Chair of the Manufacturing Council and a Member of the Apprenticeship of the Future Task Force.

Previously he served as Co-Chair of U.S. President Obama's Advanced Manufacturing Partnership steering committee and a member of the U.S. President’s Export Council.

He was recently named Senior Advisor to the Saudi Arabian Governments Sovereign Wealth Fund, PIF.

He sits on the Board of Directors of IBM, Worley and Saudi Aramco, on the Advisory Board of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and NEOM.

He is the past Vice-Chair of the Business Roundtable, an Executive Committee Member and past Chairman of the U.S. Business Council, and a member of the Concordia Leadership Council and the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Centres Advisory Committee.

He serves as a trustee for The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the California Institute of Technology, and the United States Council for International Business.

He was the founding member of The Nature Conservancy’s Latin America Conservation Council.

Andrew and his wife, Paula, both natives to Australia, have three adult children, Nicholas (Jemima), Alexandra and Anthony.

EDWINA MCCANN

Edwina McCann has been the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Australia since 2012. In 2018 she was also appointed Editorial Director of the Conde Nast brands in Australia, encompassing Vogue, Vogue Living and GQ.

Edwina’s career in media spans senior editorships with publications such as The Australian and Harper’s Bazaar Australia, where she was Editor-in-Chief.

In 2015 Edwina topped B&T’s list of 30 Most Powerful Women in Australian Media. She joined the UTS Business School Advisory Board in 2014 and in 2017 was announced as a board member for The Australian Ballet and chair of The Australian Ballet Foundation Board.

In addition to her role with the Westpac Scholars Trust, Edwina is co-chair to the Australian Fashion Council and is a council member of Australia’s Nation Brand Advisory Council.

Giam Swiegers

Giam Swiegers became Aurecon’s Chair in January 2021 and has been a non-executive member of the board since 2019.

He retired from Aurecon on 31 January 2019 after having joined the company as Global Chief Executive Officer in February 2015.

Prior to working at Aurecon, Giam was Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte in Australia from 2003 to 2015.

DAVID THODEY AO FTSE

David Thodey AO, FTSE became the 19th Chancellor of the University of Sydney on 1 July 2024. He is widely recognised for his contributions over 30 years to science and technology, business, public service and the community, with significant experience in driving innovation in start-ups, large companies and public sector bodies.

An advocate for the real-world impact of research translation, David is known for prioritising people across all the fields he has worked in and is dedicated to delivering a great experience for our students and staff, and great partnerships beyond the University.

In addition to his role as Chancellor, he is currently Chair of Xero, a global cloud-based accounting solution and Ramsay Health Care, a global hospital group. Prior to becoming Chancellor, he had been a member of Senate’s Finance Committee since 2022.

He is passionate about environmental sustainability and co-chairs the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, an Australian non-profit established to help preserve the Great Barrier Reef. He is also co-chair of the Climate Leaders Coalition.

Previous roles include serving as chief executive of IBM Australia and New Zealand (1999–2001) and Telstra (2009–15), and as chair of the CSIRO (2015–21).

David is active in public policy and led an Independent Review of the Australian Public Service (APS). He also chaired a NSW Government-appointed panel to lead an independent review of Federal Financial Relations. Most recently, he led a user audit of the myGov government services digital portal.

In 2020, he was Deputy Chair of the Federal Government’s National COVID-19 Coordination Commission (NCC) Advisory Board, supporting the Government to navigate the challenges faced during the early stages of the pandemic.

David is an Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for ethical business leadership. He has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Science and Technology from Deakin University and an Honorary Doctor of Business from both University of Technology Sydney and the University of Sydney.

Dr Sam Bucolo

PhD, MAppSc, GDID, BAppSc (Industrial Design), FDIA, MAICD

Dr Sam Bucolo has over thirty years of experience of embedding design-led innovation within start-ups, SMEs, large organisations, consortiums and industry sectors to solve complex challenges and amplify economic, social and environmental impact.

Sam has held various executive and senior academic roles and was formerly the Chief of Design at RØDE.

Sam has worked across many sectors including, Consumer Product, Food and Agriculture, Defence, MedTech, Telecommunications and Automotive. He is also the author of the book “Are We There Yet, Insights on How to Lead by Design” and is an elected Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, Executive Director of the Australian Design Council and a Good Design Australia Ambassador for Good Design Australia.

DR BRANDON GIEN

Brandon is the Chair of Good Design Australia and Executive Director of the Australian Design Council. He has spent the past 25 years passionately advocating for the value of good design to improve our social, economic, cultural and environmental quality of life.

He is a qualified Industrial Designer and currently an Adjunct Professor of Industrial Design at both the University of Canberra and the University of New South Wales.

He became a Senator of the World Design Organization (WDO), the global body for Industrial Design, after serving as President (2013-2015), the first Australian to hold this position.

Brandon was made an Honorary Design Ambassador to Japan, an international design advocacy role organised by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP), and is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia.

Suhit Anantula

Suhit Anantula is a strategy designer, AI strategist, and innovation leader who operates at the intersection of strategy, design, and artificial intelligence. His work is driven by the belief that strategy must be adaptive, design must shape human experiences, and AI must augment—not replace—human decision-making.

As co-founder of The Helix Lab, Suhit partners with businesses, startups, and governments to create AI-powered strategies that help organisations not just react to change, but shape it. With deep experience in Australia and India, he bridges these two dynamic markets, leveraging India’s cutting-edge AI advancements, startup ecosystem, and Global Capability Centres (GCCs) to drive innovation in Australia across healthcare, financial services, advanced manufacturing, and emerging technologies.

His upcoming book, “The Helix Blueprint” (launching in 2025), introduces a new approach to strategy—one that integrates the rigour of strategic thinking, the adaptability of design, and the power of AI. Through his work, he helps leaders navigate the complexities of an AI-enhanced world with human-centred, forward-thinking strategies.

Mark Armstrong FDIA

Mark Armstrong is an Adjunct Professor in Design, a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia and an inductee into the Design Hall of Fame. In 2019, Mark was honoured with Good Design Australia’s Australian Design Prize in recognition for his contribution to the Australian design profession.

Mark is recognised as one of Australia’s foremost designers. He applies a collaborative multi-disciplinary process of studio-based research to achieve design excellence and innovation. As well as an Adjunct Professor at Monash University, he was Founder and Director of Blue Sky, one of Australia’s leading design consultancies. Mark has steered Blue Sky to meet new challenges in the Australian design landscape with projects including the Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch and the Qantas Check-ins. His clients include Cochlear, ResMed, Breville, Coles, Electrolux, Commonwealth Bank, Philips, Caroma, Victa, United Nations, Olympus and SOCOG.

In 2012 Mark was appointed the Monash University Eva and Marc Besen International Research Chair in Design, in this role he co-led the Health Co-Lab, a design research team with focus on designed interventions to change outcomes in hospitals for patients and clinicians.

Mark is an advocate for Circular Design principles and is a design advisor and mentor with focus on Human Centred Design methodologies.

Roya Alma Azadi

Roya Azadi is an Iranian-Kiwi innovation and social impact leader, now working as the Director of Partnerships and Programs at YLab.

Roya has worked across the commercial, philanthropic and government sectors as well as with organisations like Paper Giant, World Vision, United Nations and Google. Previous to her career in strategic design, she worked in refugee visa law and creative advertising.

Today much of her work is about helping clients imagine more impactful futures for the people they serve.

NATHAN BAIRD

Nathan is the founder of customer-driven innovation and growth firm Methodry and author of 'Innovator’s Playbook’, published by Wiley. He is an internationally experienced innovation strategist, facilitator, trainer and speaker living in Sydney, Australia. He has been practicing and leading Design Thinking and innovation for 20+ years, a former Partner of Design Thinking for global management consultancy KPMG, where he established and led KPMG’s Human Centred Design practice.

He has run 100s of innovation projects, 1000s of workshops and spent tens of thousands of hours leading and training innovation across most industries and continents with global giants and market-leading organisations like the Australian Institute of Sport, Bausch & Lomb, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Diageo, Les Mills, Siemens and Unilever, as well as many small-medium enterprises, startups, not-for-profits and government.

He is super passionate about democratising innovation while balancing the need to maintain rigorous standards of teaching and practice to enable all individuals, teams, organisations and countries to prosper and flourish through design-led innovation. In his 20 years of experience in business Nathan has worked both client side and consultancy side, as well as running his own company.

MARK BERTINETTI

Mark has a passion for problem-solving and is driven by creating impactful people-centric solutions to complex challenges. He has over 27 years of product and UX design experience spanning consulting, consumer products, medical devices, industrial automation, and energy infrastructure.

Mark has worked with highly talented teams at Nielsen Design, ResMed, Honeywell Carsales, APA and has recently joined iOR. He has helped create award-winning, patented products and digital experiences that have helped people sleep better at night, control energy systems more effectively, sell their car more easily and stay safer when working in hazardous environments.

“The essence of good design is the ability to transform a deep understanding of people’s goals and challenges into innovative, meaningful solutions that make a real difference to their lives, our communities, the environment and hence a company’s success.”

Ben Cooper

Ben Cooper unlocks the true potential of technology to drive transformative change. A visionary innovation strategist and creative leader, Ben is renowned for leading the development of ‘Optus Clever Buoy,’ the world’s first shark detection buoy that won seven Cannes Lions, the coveted D&AD White Pencil, and NRMA’s Fireblanket, awarded AFR Australia’s ‘Most Innovative Product’ in bushfire detection.

As the founder of Brainstrust, Ben collaborates with C-suite leaders to craft AI-driven strategies that future-proof organisations and create meaningful customer experiences across the creative, design, retail, finance, and hospitality sectors. Clients like D&AD, Uber, R/GA, Sun Siyam Resorts, and Time Under Tension rely on him to push boundaries and expand what’s possible.

With a background at Tricky Jigsaw, M&C Saatchi, and The Monkeys, and partnerships with brands like Google, Optus, and Woolworths, Ben brings visionary thinking to life with hands-on execution. He leads UTS’s Blend Week, founded the Last Friday innovators meetup, and drives impact as a D&AD Impact Council member, Good Design Ambassador, and SXSW speaker on the evolving relationship between humans and AI.

Shane Currey

Shane Currey is an Australian designer, narrative strategist, facilitator, storyteller, artist and want-to-be anthropologist. A lengthy career in management consulting, focused on bringing human-centred design, narrative strategy and leadership performance to help speed-up business transformations. Shane serves as an official Ambassador at Good Design Australia, a speaker at VIVID Ideas Sydney, Judge at the Victorian Premier's Design Awards and presenter at TEDX Brisbane titled ‘Creativity, it's in everyone’.

Shane began his career in media in the UK, which was a convergence of creative direction, design, public relations and luxury brands. Shane made the pivot towards management consulting in 2007 and it was through the study of Design Thinking, that created a tipping point in his focus on design and creativity in business. Shane draws on his diverse background to bring the arts and sciences together to curate, activate and humanise business strategies.

Rachel de Sain

Rachel de Sain is an internationally recognised digital strategist and thought leader, specialising in the future of health and social care delivery, and sustainable system design.

With over 20 years of global experience, Rachel has collaborated with governments, Fortune 500 companies, and leading academic institutions, driving impactful design-led innovation and system thinking.

Rachel's expertise spans digital transformation, service design, and strategic innovation. She has held key leadership roles, including executive general manager for innovation and development at the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA), and has led numerous projects focused on improving lives through technology. Demonstrating a strong commitment to social and environmental change, Rachel completed a Master of Sustainability at the University of Sydney, graduating with Honours and recognition on the Dean's List. This achievement reinforces her dedication to integrating sustainable practices into design and strategic initiatives, particularly within the health sector.

Currently, she is undertaking a PhD with a transdisciplinary focus combing economics, design, public health and technology. The goal to develop a framework to measure the economic, environmental, and social impacts of virtual services in health, and how these tools can support decision-makers in transitioning to more sustainable delivery models.

As a lead advisor for Good Design Australia, Rachel is passionate about fostering design excellence and promoting positive societal and environmental impact. Her unique combination of digital strategy expertise, sustainability knowledge, and cutting-edge research positions her as a valuable advisor to the Australian Design Council, particularly in areas concerning sustainable design, digital health innovation, strategic transformation, and the opportunity for virtual service delivery models.

James de Vries

I am a Design Leader...excelling at the intersection of design, strategy and innovation.

I help organisations realise the real enterprise value in design, by helping them strategise, innovate and transform.

I’m a Creative Brand Builder.
Highly experienced consultant in design and design management. I nurture teams, build quality and a positive design climate in complex, real-world environments.

I’m a Collaborator and Culture Builder.
Skilled at managing a wide range of stakeholders and building diverse teams to cement a positive culture with effective results.

JAMES DURU

James is the Principal for DesignStudio APAC, leading the business across our Sydney and Shanghai locations.

With 15 years as a designer and creative director, he’s amassed international experience, helping ambitious brands and leaders take bold and transformational steps. Over his career he’s been lucky enough to work across the globe and counts his work with international brands such as The Premier League, Microsoft, Nokia, Airbnb, Alipay, Grab +, HKTB and more.

Michael Eales

Michael is a strategy designer, innovation leader, and advisory board expert with over 25 years of experience guiding organisations through complex business challenges. He specialises in design thinking, strategy execution, and business model innovation, equipping leaders with the tools to optimise decision-making, enhance communication, and drive organisational performance.

As an Expert Advisory Panel Member at the Australian Design Council, Michael integrates systems thinking and cross-sector collaboration to deliver transformative outcomes. His expertise spans infrastructure, energy, finance, education, government, FMCG, not-for-profits and startups, where he has led future visioning and strategic planning project, co-design and innovation programs, product and policy prototyping initiatives.

In the advisory space, Michael is dedicated to structuring high-impact advisory boards that balance governance with innovation. He champions the role of design thinking in governance, decision-making, and strategic innovation, leveraging proven frameworks to foster a shift from consultancy to advisory leadership and align board structures with business growth cycles.

Holding qualifications in Commerce and International Business, as well as being a Stanford Certified Project Manager and Certified Chair, Michael is at the forefront of advisory excellence and design-led strategy, ensuring businesses remain agile, resilient, and future-focused in an evolving global landscape.

Andrea Ehlers

Andrea was co-founder of WMK Architecture, driving design strategies for major hospitality, retail, tourism and corporate clients. Underpinned by her expertise in how design can influence behaviour, Andrea was a leader in translating brand qualities into the built environment, converting leading-edge thinking into commercially successful outcomes. Her work and knowledge in this field has contributed to management theory on the behavioural impacts of design.

This expertise led to managing the development of master planning and business cases to fund major iconic visitor experiences for NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services and then for Museums of History NSW. Andrea is currently a Group Director for international immersive experience design firm Art Processors.

With extensive industry knowledge together with an MBA and a Master of Sustainable Development, Andrea has worked with private and government clients using design to influence, position and support initiatives, improve commercialisation and social quality, and to impact behaviour, performance and customer responsiveness. She is a passionate advocate for design in all its forms and it’s potential to improve our economies, environments and societies.

Clare Firth

Clare Firth has over 12 years' experience in design strategy, HCD and insight-led innovation across Australia, Europe and the US.

Clare has worked across many industries as a strategic design consultant, co-founded an early-stage incubator in San Francisco, holds an MBA in Design Strategy, has built zero-to-one ventures, and is currently Head of Design at Zurich Australia. Coffee-dependent, mildly funny and travel-obsessed - she gets a kick out of pushing the boundaries and has a habit of asking "why not?" when she hears "no".

Clare is passionate about design-led innovation at every level, from product and experience design to influencing system and policy design.

John Gertsakis

John is a sustainability practitioner and advocate across diverse industries with a focus on product stewardship, communications and real-world circularity.
His projects and engagements cover appliances, automotive, consumer electronics, office furniture, floor coverings, textiles and plastic products used in healthcare.

John is a Director of the Australian Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence, and an Adjunct Professor with the Institute for Sustainable Futures. He has a particular focus on good design and the need for structural reform to deal with over-production and hyper-consumption.

John was also a member of the Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group established by the Australian Government from 2023 to 2024. John regularly advises designers, manufacturers and brands on stewardship and sustainability solutions, and is a Good Design Ambassador with Good Design Australia.

He holds degrees in social-environmental assessment and policy, media and ecodesign policy.

Bessi Graham

Bessi is the Co-Founder of Benefit Capital, The Difference Incubator (TDi) and the Impact Investment Centre.

For the last 20 years Bessi’s work has focused on helping unlock all forms of capital for people and organisations delivering positive social and environmental outcomes. The common theme across all of the businesses she owns, founded and runs is a belief in the power of business as an agent for change if you design models that can “Do Good and Make Money”.

Bessi was the inaugural Chair of the Social Impact Measurement Network Australia (SIMNA) and continues to explore the ways we can measure and communicate social impact more effectively.

Bessi co-authored a report ‘Impact Measurement: Exploring its Role in Impact Investment’ with NAB’s Elliot Anderson in 2015.

Bessi has a background in management consulting with over a decade of experience in the development, design and delivery of training and holds a BA majoring in politics and a MA in International Relations. She has also completed the Harvard Kennedy School, Executive Education courses “Creating Collaborative Solutions: Innovations in Governance” and “Leadership for the 21st Century: Chaos, Conflict and Courage”; and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dreu Harrison

Dreu Harrison is currently Co-Founder and Principal at Weft Strategy.

Dreu also lectures and researches at the School of Design at University of Technology Sydney and serves as a Good Design Australia Ambassador.

Prior to this, Dreu completed his doctoral research at University of Sydney, proposing that design be revalued as a liberal art of our technological age. He then worked as a writer and designer at the design consultancy Second Road and founded a strategic design unit within the design agency Frost*collective before establishing his own strategic design consultancy.

PAUL HUXTABLE

Paul is a design driven business developer with diverse international experience spanning SIX continents,

Educated in Industrial Design and Engineering, Paul’s career began in 1971 as a product design trainee and progressed to corporate design, marketing and management roles at Simpson (Electrolux) and Caroma before founding a number of Product Development consultancies with offices in Adelaide, Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur .

In 2004 Paul turned his attention to a global health and safety problem. The design solution was Protect-it Column guards which became a global leader made in South Australia and sold in over 60 countries.

Paul’s achievements include multiple Australian Good Design Awards over five decades, Business and Export Awards, and multiple international patents in diverse categories.

Throughout his career Paul has consistently championed the unique economic value of ‘design thinking’ as a director, advisor and mentor.

Jacqui Jordan

Jacqui is a seasoned strategist, innovator, and accredited coach with over 20 years of senior executive experience, including serving as Head of Customer Strategy for Suncorp Group.

Jacqui excels in co-creating future business models and guiding stakeholders through strategic transformations using design-led approaches, including design and experimentation methods for strategic risk and business model renewal.

Jacqui's expertise in building customer-centric organisations is backed by specialist studies at Harvard Business School and Strategyzer masterclasses in Value Proposition Design. Her innovative strategy work is featured in a 3-part MBA case study published by Darden Business School, as well as in Jeanne Liedtka's bestselling book "Designing for Growth."

A Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Jacqui now specialises in executive leadership and team coaching, helping organisations apply design thinking to develop adaptive leaders who drive successful business strategy and transformation.

Nicola Mansfield

Nicola is deeply passionate about the value design can create for business. Her practice puts design on the C-Suite agenda. She delivers on business strategy with measurable ROI using brand and experience, and advises her clients in brand and experience investment priorities using data and insights.

As a ‘voice of the customer’ advocate for the C-Suite, Nicola has spent her career using design strategy to create better experiences, with better bottom lines, in better conditions for creativity.

Nicola has pioneered numerous agency services for Proposition design, Purpose-led branding, Brand for place, Customer experience, Retail strategy and Workplace strategy.

She has worked across most sectors including financial, place, retail, property and culture. She has built offerings in management consultancies, led global agencies, created client-side brand functions and founded startups in Australia, Asia and Europe.

Nicola has worked with AGDA, Interbrand, Deloitte Digital, Jurlique and Wolff Olins as a Board Member, Managing Director, National Experience Director, Global Head of Brand and Strategy, Strategy Director, Creative Director and Graphic Designer.

MELANIE RAYMENT

Melanie is an advocate for the power of design and its ability to affect positive social change across communities, governments and nations. With a practice that seeks to re-centre the power, voice and influence of those marginalised in our society for people and planet shaped outcomes.

Melanie has built her 20 + year career in design working across an array of complex challenges in London, Tokyo and Sydney. With time spent as the Head of Service Design at Barnardo’s UK and Centre Manager for Designing Out Crime, UTS and in various design-led consulting roles to address large-scale organisational and industry opportunities.

In addition, she has formerly held roles as visiting lecturer for the Masters of Service Design at the Royal College of Art, London and a tertiary teacher of Design for Social Impact at UTS, and Social Entrepreneurship at UNSW. She has a Master of Design and a Master of Public Policy.

Tim Riches

For 30 years, Tim has worked in branding, communications, design and research fields with a diverse range of clients across most sectors, but with special expertise in higher education, destination brands, infrastructure and services.

A creative and lateral thinker he is skilled at extracting customer insight, helping clients connect brand and business strategy and take brands to market with real impact – across promise, delivery and culture.

Tim has worked with clients include Westpac, NAB, Transurban, Coles, Woolworths, RACV, CPA Australia, Melbourne Metro, ACCC, University of Melbourne, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, CSIRO, Royal Melbourne Hospital and Beyond Blue. Tim has been an expert witness in trademark litigation, is a Good Design Ambassador for Good Design Australia, and has judged the Good Design Awards over several years and categories.

Dr Tristan Schultz

Dr Tristan Schultz is an interdisciplinary designer, researcher, strategist, and Director of Relative Creative. His work intersects futures thinking, decolonial thinking, the ethics of technology, and sustainable transitions. He holds a PhD in Design Studies, a Master of Design Futures with Honours, and a Bachelor of Product Design from Griffith University, where he was previously a Convenor and Lecturer. Tristan is also an Honorary Adjunct Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney, an Honorary Principal Research Fellow at RMIT Melbourne, and a Visiting Academic Fellow at Bond University.

He applies his expertise to designing communication, strategies, services, places, experiences, and events that help people think, talk, and mobilise social justice and sustainable futures. He has worked across multiple sectors, including sustainable cities, transformational adaptation, renewable energy, water, the arts, public health, and education. His practice spans strategic design, systemic design, design-led facilitation, co-design, visual communication, product design, experience design, placemaking, wayfinding and interpretive design, service design, event design, and critical research.

Tristan is a member of the Australian Design Council’s Expert Advisory Panel and has served as a Design Institute of Australia Judge, Creative Australia First Nations Panel Member and Assessment Chair, BlakDance Deputy Chair, Arts Queensland and City of Gold Coast arts reviewer, and academic journal peer reviewer. He has published widely in journal articles and book chapters and is an internationally recognised contributor to critical design discourse, delivering keynotes, lectures, and public talks across diverse platforms.

Andrew Simpson

Andrew Simpson is the founder and director of Sydney-based industrial design house Vert and has designed a vast range of products over its eighteen years of operation, from the intimately hand-crafted through to mass-produced industrial products.

Constantly searching for meaning and value in design, Andrew’s approach considers human connection. His experimental work in the studio has led to several innovations including the development of sustainable materials made from waste such as the iconic HuskeeCup.

Since 2010, he has been director of Best Practice Plastics, specialists in injection moulding of sustainable materials and working with clients like Unilever, Nestle, Mecca Brands, Sydney Water and more.

Simpson’s work has been exhibited in Australia, Europe, North America and Asia. He mentors emerging designers and lecturers and teaches at numerous Australian educational institutions, as well as providing public lectures, judging of national and international design awards and board advisory.

Emrhan Tjapanangka Sultan

Emrhan Tjapanangka Sultan is from the Western Arrarnta and Luritja people in Central Australia, and Kokatha people in South Australia.

Tjapanangka is strongly connected to his cultural values and was taught and given permission from his Elders to paint the traditional style of the Western and Central Desert art from an early age. In recent years Tjapanangka has been exploring different mediums, in particular digital designs and different colour pallets, and the blending of old and new techniques where traditional meets contemporary. This is a celebration of Tjapanangka's artistic expression.

In 2022, he helped found Solid Lines, a First Nations agency dedicated to representing First Nations illustrators. In 2023, Solid Lines took home the top Indigenous Design Award at the Australian Good Design Awards.

Sophie Tobin-Webb

Sophie Tobin-Webb is a design leader passionate about transforming user experiences through strategic thinking and human-centered innovation.

As General Manager of User Experience, she helps teams bridge the gap between business goals and customer needs, ensuring products and services are both impactful and intuitive.
With a background in Service and Strategic Design, she excels in building high-performing teams, refining experience strategies, and solving complex challenges.

Sophie is dedicated to fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, driving innovation that creates meaningful change for both users and businesses.