Talks
programME

2024’s talks programme will feature established names and influential emerging voices across materials, architecture and design. Talks are free to attend for registered visitors. 



Image: a panel discussion at the Materials of Tomorrow symposium during 3daysofdesign, June 2023 chaired by Grant Gibson. Photo by Anne-Sophie Rosenvinge





18 September:

1:30pm

it’s a Gas

To open our talks programme, Mark Miodownik – who is professor of materials and society at University College London, where he is also director of the Institute of Making – investigates the importance and properties of gas. Asking why most gases are invisible, odourless and tasteless? Why do some poison us and others make us laugh? And why do some power our engines while others make drinks fizzy?


Speaker: Mark Miodownik


Chair: Grant Gibson 





Mark Miodownik is the UCL professor of materials & society. He received his PhD in turbine jet engine alloys from Oxford University, and has worked as a materials engineer in the USA, Ireland and the UK. For more than 20 years he has championed materials science research that links to the arts and humanities, medicine, and society. This culminated in the establishment of the UCL Institute of Making, where he is a director and runs the research programme. Mark also recently set up the Plastic Waste Innovation Hub to carry our research into solving the environmental catastrophe of plastic waste dealing with topics such as biodegradable plastics and product reuse and repairability. Mark is the multi-award winning author of New York Times bestselling book Stuff Matters. He regularly presents BBC TV and radio programmes on materials science and engineering. In 2014 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. In 2018 he was awarded an MBE for services to materials science, engineering and broadcasting. His latest book, It’s a Gas, is out now.


18 September:

3pm

Thinking in a mono-material




Launched at Milan earlier this year, Hydro CIRCAL 100R is the world’s first 100 per cent recycled aluminium alloy, which boasts a record-low carbon footprint of below 0.5 kg CO2e per kg aluminium. But what happens when you hand over this material to a fistful of the world’s leading designers? The panel investigates the properties of recycled aluminium and discovers how John Tree and Rachel Griffin created their respective pieces.


Speakers: 
  • John Tree, designer
  • Rachel Griffin, Earnest Studio
  • Asle Forsbak, Hydro


Chair: Sujata Burman, Camron


 

John Tree is a London-based designer who combines a rigorous approach to manufacturing with a sensitive use of detail, materials and proportion. Working with a reductive approach, his practice explores beauty through economy. Stripping away the unnecessary, his projects combines an intelligent simplicity with a clarity purpose. Tree was previously a designer at Sony and has been working closely with Jasper Morrison for more than 20 years. His office is currently collaborating across categories with brands such as Tala, Nine, HAY, Naught One, VG&P, and Resident.


Rachel Griffin is an American-born, Netherlands-based designer. She is the founder of Earnest Studio. Griffin’s work applies themes of modularity and multiplicity to a spectrum of projects – ranging from theory to serial productions – following a fascination for simple, flexible structures with a forthright attitude toward material. Under the umbrella of her studio practise, Griffin has exhibited work throughout Europe, America and Asia and counts among its clients and collaborators Muuto, Schönbuch, Atelier Artiforte, Design Within Reach the Design Journal, Good Thing and Umbra Shift. She holds a BA in graphic design from Washington University in St. Louis and a BD from Design Academy Eindhoven.


Asle Forsbak is marketing director in Hydro, which is a global aluminium and energy company based in Norway, with more than 32, 000 employees in 140 locations around the world. His background is from marketing and innovation in the consumer goods sector, with long experience with well known brands such as Colgate and Twinings tea. He has a strong passion for creating new products that combine beauty with sustainability, and works with a wide range of well-known brands to supply aluminium extrusions from recycled and low-carbon aluminium. Asle holds a master’s degree in marketing from BI Norwegian Business School.


Sujata Burman is a writer and editor specialising in design and culture. Over the past decade, Sujata has held previous roles at Wallpaper*, London Design Festival and London Design Biennale, before moving to her current position of head of content at Camron where she is evolving the content output for the global agency. Most recently, she co-authored her second book published by Hoxton Mini Press, An Opinionated Guide to Design London, which was driven by her aim to make the field of design accessible to wider audiences.




18 September:

6pm

Annual Negroni talk: Building Waste


The UK public loves The Repair Shop on TV, as grandad’s favourite old toy is given a new lease of life. Sadly, in terms of the climate crisis, the re-use of objects has a pretty negligible impact compared to something like the construction industry where perfectly good interiors are ripped out for corporate fit-outs and whole buildings are demolished and thrown on the scrapheap. We simply don’t have the carbon budget for this level of destruction, but what can be done?

At the moment, it appears that very few circular economy projects can scale up to any kind of significant level of reuse of construction elements due to practicalities, cost demands, and a lack of funded facilities/labour for the sorting of waste, testing, and re-distribution. With so many companies involved across product supply chains and the political lobbying enacted by some of the big material producers, can a vision for a new building economy ever succeed?

Can the building economy ever truly be circular or is the idea just the latest in a long line of best intentions or design fads?


Speakers: 

  • Wolf Mangelsdorf, Buro Happold
  • Sumita Singha, Ecologic Architects
  • Shikha Bhardwaj, HawkinsBrown
  • Katie-May Boyd, Studio TIP
  • Charlotte Kidger, Studio TIP


Chair: Stephen Sinclair, fourth_space




Wolf Mangelsdorf is a partner and global head of design, technology and innovation at Buro Happold, based in London. Trained as an architect and a civil and structural engineer, Wolf has worked with leading architects on a wide range of high-profile projects in the UK and worldwide. These include the Battersea Power Station in London, the Glasgow Riverside Museum, Beijing Daxing Airport, and Bee’ah Headquarters in Sharjah. Wolf is leading innovation and the development and application of computational technology at Buro Happold and is part of BH’s global executive. He is professor of Structural Design at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.


Sumita Singha is an architect, teacher, and writer with awards including UIA: UNESCO, Women In Business and Atkins Inspire awards. She founded Architects For Change, the Equality forum at RIBA, is past Chair of Women In Architecture, and has served on RIBA committees since 1996. Currently, she is a nationally elected RIBA Councillor and the board trustee for Education, as well as a trustee of Architects Benevolent Society, Commonwealth Association of Architects, and founding director of Charushila, an environmental design charity. She has taught sustainable design for over 25 years and is the author of many books and publications on architecture and sustainable design. Her book, Architecture for Rapid Change and Scarce Resources, 2012, is used for design courses in the US. Sumita received an OBE for services to architecture in 2021.


Shikha Bhardwaj is a lead sustainability designer at HawkinsBrown. She has over a decade of experience in analysing projects through the lens of sustainable design and embedding site-specific solutions, covering a range of themes. She has collaborated with many leading architectural practices worldwide, with a primary interest in creating holistic sustainability narratives. When it comes to materials, Shikha advocates for a broader perspective beyond carbon footprints, emphasising the importance of considering the people involved in procuring these materials at their source and on-site along with the site itself. This inclusive approach is reflected in the design notes she co-led at HB for the City of London to review City Public Realm Materials, now published online for the benefit of others.


Studio TIP is a new practice, launching at Material Matters, and founded by Charlotte Kidger and Katie-May Boyd. Charlotte is a London-based UK maker with a background in surface design, mould making, casting and sculpture. Over the last six years, her art practice has been centred around re-using industrial by-products including foams and electrical wires. Marrying unconventional resources and processes, she aims to reframe material values through carefully crafted artefacts and installations exploring the language and aesthetic and industrial craft. Katie-May is an experienced CMF and sustainability strategist. By using a design process built through a diverse background, from costume design to cell furniture, Katie-May creates positive social and environmental change by using ethnographic research, hands-on experimentation and systems thinking.


Stephen Sinclair is an architect and restaurateur. The adaptation of buildings and spaces is core to his practice, fourth_space. Bringing broad experience from practice in Los Angeles and London, Stephen is a studio master at the Housing & Urbanism Post Graduate programme at the Architectural Association and design advisor for housing and estate regeneration. He is co-founder of Negroni Talks, a discussion platform for design, government, and urban development.


19 September:

12Pm

Design practice of the year: Priestman Goode



PriestmanGoode is Material Matters 2024’s design practice of the year. In this talk, Kirsty Dias and Maria Kafel will discuss the studio’s portfolio and its use of materials in its transport work. It will also focus on its installation at the fair. Moving Responsibly: A Material Journey takes visitors on a trip across each phase of a design process. It demonstrates how design has the ultimate influence in defining future transport systems that are safe, responsible and sustainable.


Speakers:

  • Kirsty Dias, Priestmangoode
  • Maria Kafel, Priestmangoode


Chair: Samta Nadeem, Stir





Kirsty Dias is managing director of PriestmanGoode. She has been with the practice since 2001, following work with the Design Council and the British Council, promoting British design to international markets. Kirsty has been instrumental in developing PriestmanGoode’s concepts on the future of transport and establishing the company as thought leaders in design and innovation. She has led key projects in the rail and travel industry including the design blueprint for New Tube for London for Transport for London, and Nightjet for Austrian Federal Railway ÖBB – which set new standards in overnight travel by rail.

Maria Kafel-Bentkowska is head of colour material and finish at PriestmanGoode and an expert on trends and future insight. Maria’s work involves translating brand and cultural identities into materials for application across transport interiors to enhance passenger experience and comfort, as well as improve operational maintenance and longevity. Maria’s clients span transport, hospitality and consumer products and include South African Airways, Accor and KEF, plus many more. She also leads sustainable material development for the studio’s future concepts including Pure Skies, a concept developed in response to the global pandemic that proposes a raft of design ideas offering a road map towards future growth and passenger satisfaction in the aviation industry.


Samta Nadeem is a design curator and writer based in London. With a keen perspective on creative cultures and their contemporary complexities, Samta is passionate about engaging with issues of social and environmental justice through design and discourse. She leads curatorial programming and content curation at STIR – an award-winning global media house and curatorial agency operating in the domains of art, architecture, design and creative technologies. Samta is an entrepreneur, mentor, public speaker and occasionally freelances with cultural institutions such as the Design Museum London.



19 September:

13:30pm

Why the future is shared and reused


How might the world look in 2050? According to some experts it will all be about fractal ownership – powered by Blockchain – alongside buildings and products that have been repaired and reused. But are they right? And how will it affect the design industry? We explored these ideas in a panel discussion that mixes the academic with the practical.


Speakers:

  • Daniela Gandorfer,  Assistant Professor at Westminster University Law School
  • Rosy Napper, ReCinder
  • Professor Becky Earley, Herewear project
  • Kristian Harnes, Minus Furniture


Chair: Grant Gibson





Daniela Gandorfer is an award-winning researcher, author, legal theorist, director, and creative working on future governance and community-building at the intersection of new digital tech, climate change, and social-environmental justice. She is an assistant professor at Westminster University Law School, focusing on blockchain-governance and emerging normativites, and is co-founder of LoPh, a social startup working on ethical approaches towards governance at the intersection of climate change and new digital technologies. Daniela holds a PhD from Princeton University and is currently pursuing a MSc in Finance at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).


Rosy Napper is an award winning ceramic researcher and designer based in London. She is interested in the intersection of material science and design, specialising in the sustainable development of waste-based ceramics. In 2022, Rosy developed ReCinder, a recycled material made from discarded ceramic and waste ash that has been diverted from landfill. The material is self-glazing and versatile, making it suitable for furniture, tiling, tableware, and even lighting, due to its unique capability for translucency.

Professor Becky Earley is a circular economy researcher, award-winning sustainable designer, author and team leader at Chelsea College of Arts, UAL. She co-founded Centre for Circular Design at Chelsea College of Arts and World Circular Textiles Day 2050 – a collaborative platform working towards environmental, socio-economic change. Becky has delivered EU-wide projects Mistra Future Fashion and Trash-2-Cash, and is currently leading the circular, local, bio-design fashion textile research for the Herewear project. She is an advisor for industry innovation towards more equitable, diverse and inclusive practices.


Kristian N. Harnes is a pioneering voice in sustainable design and the circular economy. As co-founder and CEO of Minus, Harnes advocates for regenerative consumption within furniture and fashion. His holistic approach includes alternative ownership models like subscription, aiming to maximise material lifecycles and minimise environmental impact. Minus’ work has earned recognition from prestigious platforms, including longlisting in the Dezeen Awards, winning the BoBedre award, and several other prizes, highlighting Minus’ contributions to advancing environmental sustainability in the furniture sector.





19 September:

3pm

Bio matters


If we accept that we need, where possible, to refrain from extracting more of the Earth’s resources then how will we make the products we require (or sometimes perhaps more accurately, desire)? Could they be grown? And, if so, how? In this panel discussion, some of the exhibitors at Material Matters describe how they are using mycelium, hemp, roots, and citrus peel to design new things.  


Speakers:

  • Sofia Hagen, Sofia Hagen
  • Zena Holloway, Rootfull
  • Alkesh Parmar, Studio ARP
  • Danielle Trofe, MushLume Lighting


Chair: Bethan Ryder, journalist




Sofia Hagen leads an award-winning creative practice working at the intersection of art, design and tech to create 3D-printed sculptural products and installations. It has built a reputation for blending high-end design with cutting-edge technology and advanced biomaterial research. Merging recycled materials with traditional craftsmanship and innovative technology, Sofia Hagen produces elements, feature installations, and placemaking schemes that push the boundaries of engineering, whilst bearing the incentive of a continuous, sustainable afterlife. Prior to launching her own studio, Sofia Hagen was co-founder of HagenHinderdael. She has also worked at some of the leading names in the industry, including Zaha Hadid Architects, Heatherwick Studios, Design Haus Liberty, Acme Space, David Collins Studio, Bompas and Parr, and Make.


Zena Holloway is an underwater photographer, bio-designer and the founder of Rootfull® - a pioneering material innovation company developing novel textiles by guiding plant root to weave exquisite artefacts and surfaces. It’s a disruptive innovation that fuses sustainability, creativity, and natural artistry. Zena was recently awarded a QEST craft scholarship, a gold medal at Chelsea Flower Show and Rootfull is the recipient of a UK Innovate research grant.


Alkesh Parmar is a British-Indian interdisciplinary practitioner, researcher, and educator whose work intersects critical design and making. His practice aims to challenge and expand our understanding of material cultures and design discourse from a non-Eurocentric perspective. As the founder of Studio ARP, Parmar combines traditional craft techniques with social and slow-tech design thinking. He pioneers low-tech production methods, notably transforming local citrus waste materials into versatile new products. Alkesh is a tutor (Research) on the Graduate Diploma in Art and Design programme at the Royal College of Art, where he leads sessions on critical making, material-driven design, and decarbonising practices. He also serves as a visiting lecturer at the Glasgow School of Art and the University for the Creative Arts.


Danielle Trofe founded her studio in 2011 with the goal to make sustainable design both accessible and attractive. With an emphasis on biofabrication and biomimicry, much of her work upholds a fundamental value of nature and embodies a systems thinking approach that benefits all life on this planet. Danielle holds a BS in Entrepreneurship and Marketing from Florida State University, a MA in Design from the Florence Design Academy and a MS in Biomimicry from Arizona State University. She is also a certified biomimicry specialist through Biomimicry 3.8 and has taught courses on biodesign and biomimicry at The Pratt Institute and Parsons The New School. Danielle is the founder and head biodesigner of MushLume Lighting, an international, sustainable lighting company that grows lighting from mycelium, the roots of mushrooms.


Bethan Ryder is a content specialist with over 25 years of experience in design journalism. She has held senior positions at WGSN, Elle Decoration, Wallpaper* and Telegraph Luxury. Bethan has hosted several podcasts and written for numerous titles including Sunday Times Style, Interior Design, Architonic, the Evening Standard, and Hole & Corner. A long time ago she wrote several books on bar, restaurant and club interiors for Laurence King Publishing.






20 September:

12pm

’Wool:  Rediscove-ring one of Nature’s most Innovative Fibres

This panel delves into wool’s potential to support a more sustainable future, exploring its role in reducing reliance on synthetic materials.  Experts will discuss wool as a circular and regenerative fibre, its unique position at the crossroads of heritage and technology, and how in the quest for new biomaterials we may be overlooking one of nature’s most remarkable innovations.  Join us as we reimagine wool’s place in the modern world.


Speakers:

  • Amanda McLaren, Hainsworth 
  • Lesley Prior, Wool grower 
  • Borre Akkersdijk, BYBORRE


Chair: Dalena White, IWTO and Make The Label Count





Lesley Prior is a commercial wool grower of Superfine Merino, using modern Australian genetics, under the brand name TELLENBY. Lesley works full time with the sheep on the farm in Devon but has regular help from other family members. She is a council member of The Campaign For Wool, a Member of Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association and the Australian Association of Stud Merino Breeders. She has spoken at many wool industry events in Australia and Europe and regularly visits Australia to look for new genetics.


Borre Akkersdijk is a textile expert with over 17 years of experience in textile innovation, design and impact. He is the founder of BYBORRE, a textile design company started in 2015. The company has worked with global industry leaders in fashion, sportswear, interior and automotive brands to create consciously bespoke textiles. BYBORRE CreateTM, the digital design tool, is the next step in BYBORRE's ambition to become the world's leading authority on responsible knitted textile, operating as the portal between the physical and digital world within the textile industry by democratising the design and production process.


Amanda McLaren is the managing director of AW Hainsworth, a 240 year old textile manufacturing business, based in Pudsey, near Leeds, where she is charged with leading the business through a new era of growth.  Backed by family shareholder investment, Amanda was appointed in April 2021, to establish and implement a long-term sustainability strategy, which would ensure it would continue to thrive, for many generations to come. Amanda has spent over 35 years working across UK manufacturing – gaining experience in mechanical engineering, electronics, automotive, leisure and textile sectors.


Dalena White has more than 20 years experience in clothing design, textile manufacturing, merchandising and product sourcing for fashion retail. She served as a board member of a clothing factory for six years, before joining the wool industry in 2008. She managed brand developments for South African Merino wool products, including styling, wool textile innovation and marketing projects with retail partners. Dalena was appointed as the secretary general of the International Wool Textile Organisation, based in Brussels, Belgium, in June 2016.


20 SeptembeR:

1.30pm

Materials and the mainstream

The media  devotes huge amounts of space to subjects such as regenerative design and biophilia. But how seriously are big brands taking the climate crisis and the need for sustainability? This panel discussion, including speakers from the worlds of design and manufacturing, aims to get to the heart of the matter.


Speakers:

  • Caroline Till, FranklinTill
  • Tej Chauhan, Tej Chauhan Ltd
  • Lucy Crane, Modus
  • Andrea Mulloni, Arper


Chair: Riya Patel, editor and journalist 




Caroline Till is co-founder of FranklinTill, a futures research agency working with global brands to activate design and material innovation for positive social and environmental change. Former course leader of Material Futures at Central Saint Martins, Caroline is co-author of Radical Matter: Rethinking Materials for a Sustainable Future, and guest curator of Our Time on Earth, opening at the Barbican last year, and currently showing at Musée de la civilisation in Québec.

Tej Chauhan is a British industrial designer working between London and Helsinki. Centring on the way objects influence our feelings, his work is designed to elicit joy and create connection, driven by his interest in engaging broad audiences across varied product sectors. He established his multi-award winning practice in London in 2005, exploring the potential of everyday consumer products and technology to be more emotionally resonant and fitting to the broader setting of their surroundings. His nuanced form language, combined with innovative production efficiencies, use of colour and material, and uncompromising approach to purpose and function, developed into a strategic process he calls, ‘emotive industrial design’. Over the years, he has worked with a range of brands, from startups to some of the world’s best known. In 2022, Tej was a judge on Sky TV’s The Big Design Challenge, with presenter Lauren Laverne.


Lucy Crane is head of sustainability at Modus. She has guided the company to become one of Britain’s most progressive furniture manufacturers and her pursuit of a more sustainable way forward has led to pioneering work in the world of furniture. Lucy takes a holistic approach to furniture, combining her knowledge of low carbon and circular economics with an understanding of the broader sustainability landscape and the need for a fairer world.


Andrea Mulloni is the head of sustainability at Arper, a furniture design company that creates spaces and solutions for the residential and contract market. With over 20 years’ experience in the design industry, Andrea is currently in charge of the strategic planning and implementation of all short-term and long-term projects related to Arper’s responsible approach towards the environment and people. Before turning into a sustainability advocate, Andrea was working in the sales department, heading the team in charge of the European markets.


Riya Patel is associate editor at Crafts and a freelance design writer. She was formerly senior editor at Icon magazine, and her words have appeared in FRAME, Design Anthology, Wallpaper* and other leading titles. Until 2019 she was curator at The Aram Gallery, a platform for new and experimental design. She has a Master’s in architecture and started her journalism career at The Architectural Review and Architects’ Journal in 2008.



20 September:

3pm

Fibre futures


In this discussion, the panellists unpick the future of textile design. How will the products we use change in the future and why is that necessary? Where will the materials for everything from our clothes to our carpets come from? How will they be processed? And are there alternative materials that we should be investigating?


Speakers:

  • Sanne Visser, Studio Sanne Visser
  • Dr John Parkinson, inouiio
  • Vivian Erdisieck, VivÈrdie Industries
  • Franziska Seehausen, BIOTEXFUTURE


Chair: Amy Frearson, journalist and editor





Sanne Visser is a Dutch material design researcher and maker based in London. She is a PhD researcher and associate lecturer at the University of the Arts London, and runs her own design practice, Studio Sanne Visser. She graduated from Material Futures at Central Saint Martins in 2016 and has since exhibited her work at major institutions worldwide, including the Textielmuseum, Museu del Disseny de Barcelona, Science Gallery Dublin, Tate Modern and the Design Museum. Her main interest as a design researcher is material innovation, regenerative design and systems thinking. Sanne is mainly recognised for her ongoing research investigating the potential of human hair waste as a new resource. Since 2024, Sanne is leading the Design Exchange Partnership HairCycle in collaboration with Newham Council.


Dr John Parkinson has decades of experience in pre- and post-consumer wool and cashmere recycling from knitwear and woven fabrics. Working alongside his father in the 1970s, he went on to set up a pioneering new business, Evergreen, using recycled natural fibres to create yarn and fabrics using the most responsible production methods possible. Evergreen closed during the economic downturn of the mid-1990s after which he retrained to enjoy a successful career in applied theatre and education. However, encouraged by his family to return to his first passion, as the world caught up with his original intentions, he co-founded iinouiio in 2019 with his wife, Linda. In 2022, after winning UK government funded awards for both a new recycling facility and specialist R&D, iinouiio joined Camira Group to drive textile circularity in both fashion and interiors.


Vivian Erdtsieck is founder of VivErdie Industries. With a background in both design and material science, her research focuses on integrating these fields to address current sustainability challenges. VivErdie Industries is committed to achieving circularity in every aspect of its work. Vivian believes that by taking incremental steps, we can collectively build a better, more sustainable world.


Franziska Seehausen is a German designer and researcher working at the intersection of design, research, and innovation. With a hybrid background in communication and material design, Franziska is dedicated to envisioning, visualising and materialising futures, crafting products, experiences, and designing tools that positively impact both, people and the planet. With over eight years of experience, her work spans from creative direction, creating immersive cultural exhibitions, designing solar energy appliances in East Africa and advancing sustainability initiatives in the textile and sports industry. Currently, she is a Project Manager of BIOTEXFUTURE at adidas Innovation and has been leading the development and design of the Fiber Future exhibition for the Material Matters Fair 2024.


Amy Frearson is a journalist and editor specialising in architecture and design. She is editor-at-large for Dezeen and a regular contributor to titles including Elle Decoration and the Financial Times. She is the co-author of All Together Now: The Co-living and Co-working Revolution, published by RIBA Books, and she edited the exhibition catalogue for The Garden of Privatised Delights, the British Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2021. She is also the founder of Curated Maps, a series of digital guides to design events around the world.


21 september:

1.30pm

Home truths


How to solve the nation’s housing crisis was one of the key topics of the recent British election and Angela Rayner, the new housing secretary, has laid out plans to build on the green belt, while also admitting her ideas ‘won’t be without controversy’. But how did we get into this situation in the first place? Why do we need new houses? Where should they be built? And what materials should they be made from?
 

Speakers:
  • Jonathan Smales, Human Nature
  • Anna Minton, writer/ journalist
  • Selasi Setufe, Black Females in Architecture 
  • Colin Macgadie, ForEveryday.Life


Chair: Vicky Richardson, architecture curator and writer





Jonathan Smales is founder and CEO of Human Nature, a campaigning development company. He was formerly MD of Greenpeace UK, a sustainability adviser to the government, and developed some of the UK’s first major sustainability projects, such as the Earth Centre and Greenpeace HQ. Hands-on with all aspects of the project from masterplanning to policy, engagement and structuring, Jonathan transfers his experience leading and advising on some of the UK’s largest development and regeneration projects to his leadership of Human Nature; he is a champion of deep collaboration and its role in shaping the social imagination – Human Nature’s purpose.


Dr Anna Minton is a writer, journalist and academic. She is the author of Big Capital: Who is London for? (Penguin 2017) and Ground Control: Fear and Happiness in the 21st Century City (Penguin 2009). She is reader in Architecture at the University of East London and a frequent broadcaster and conference speaker. She is working on her third book on the global housing crisis which will be published by Penguin in 2026.


Selasi Setufe is an architect with an interest in exploring socially responsive approaches to design, architecture and placemaking. She recently joined the GLA’s Place Unit as a principal project officer. Selasi is also co-founding director of Black Females in Architecture (BFA). Founded in 2018, BFA is a social enterprise and global community supporting a membership of over 500 women of black and black mixed-heritage to elevate and empower each other. The organisation advocates for diversity, race and gender equity in architecture, design and construction industries with a vision to enable BFA members to be represented, visible, and leading the way in shaping the future of our cities. Selasi was awarded an MBE for her services to diversity in Architecture in the Queen’s 2022 Honour’s List.


Colin Macgadie is an award-winning creative leader with over 20 years of experience working with some of the world’s most recognised brands including Nike, Sony, Lego and Google to deliver innovative design solutions within the built environment. As chief creative officer at BDG (2012-2023), he led the transformation of the WPP global real estate portfolio, shifting strategy away from short-term leasing to long-term investment in the adaptive reuse of end-of-life buildings. As co-founder of newly formed creative agency, For Everyday.Life, he works at the intersection of creative consultancy, strategy, design and architecture with a focus on the future. The practice is a recent winner in the global architectural competition, Initiative99, which targeted innovation in affordable housing.


Vicky Richardson is an architectural curator, writer and educator with a wide range of experience curating exhibitions in the UK and overseas. She is an honorary fellow of RIBA and was named by Debretts as one of 20 most influential people in British architecture. Vicky is former head of architecture and Drue Heinz curator at the Royal Academy of Arts where she curated exhibitions including Light Lines: the Architectural Photographs of Hélène Binet (2022), Herzog & de Meuron (2024) and the Architecture Window (opened 2024). Previously Vicky was director of architecture, design and fashion at the British Council, where she led a programme of international events and touring exhibitions and was commissioner of four editions of the British Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale. Vicky has been visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art where she led the Interior Urbanism Platform, associate director of London School of Architecture and hon treasurer of the Architectural Association. Vicky began her career as an architectural journalist: She was deputy editor at the RIBA Journal before becoming editor of leading design magazine Blueprint (2004 to 2010).




 

21 September:

3pm

Upskilling for the green transition




As a frontline green skill, design has the power to place the planet at the heart of our products, places and businesses. But with only 43 per cent of designers feeling they have the capability to meet growing green demands, we need to upskill to gain the tools and knowledge that will help us make sustainable living the easy and desirable choice. Join Design Council Experts from across design disciplines to discuss the green skills needed in their sector and the organisation’s exciting new mission to upskill 1000,000 designers (yes, that’s 1000,000) by 2030.


Speakers:

  • Tanya Popeau, Synthesis
  • Jo Barnard, Morrama
  • Tom Gray, technical biodiversity specialist

Chair: Rachel Moriarty, strategy consultant




Tanya Popeau is the director of Synthesis, an award-winning agency. Her expertise lies in innovation and sustainability. She has worked with the world’s leading corporates, non-profits, government agencies, and academic institutions to design breakthrough innovations to global challenges. Her clients have included Unilever, the United Nations, HSBC, Amazon, the Jimmy Choo Academy, and the UK government. She has worked across the globe in Africa, Asia, the US, and the UK. In 2023, Synthesis won Best International Sustainability Consultancy in the Greater London Enterprise Awards. The agency also won Sustainability Consultancy of the Year 2024 in the Corporate Livewire Innovation & Excellence Awards.

Jo Barnard is the founder and creative director of the product design and innovation consultancy Morrama. From the early strategy through to manufacturing and distribution, Jo works with brands looking to challenge what has come before and make the world better through design. Her design approach is rooted in storytelling, resulting in products that intuitively resonate with users in categories from tech to packaging. Jo believes in the power of design and innovation to accelerate our transition to a sustainable future and is co-director of the not-for-profit Design Declares. Jo’s award-winning work has been featured in The Times, Fast Company, Forbes, and Dezeen. She has been named one of the top 10 women to watch in tech and STEM.


Tom Gray is a technical biodiversity specialist with over 15 years experience in nature-focused design, strategy and advisory work. He acts to deliver inclusive projects that protect and restore ecosystems at all scales, and benefit society through ensuring equitable access to nature. He began his career as a field-based ecologist before spending 11 years at Arup, where he developed expertise in influencing architects and design teams to integrate biodiversity and natural processes into designs on a range of public and private sector projects. He worked as an independent advisor in 2023/24, guiding clients to understand their impacts/dependencies on biodiversity, and to deliver nature-positive business/design strategies, before joining the BBC as Nature Strategy Lead.

Rachel Moriarty is a strategy consultant based in London. She is an expert in design for social and environmental impact and has led the development of major global initiatives, including The Great People’s Forest and Prince William’s Earthshot Prize. As a founding member of the Earthshot team, she led the design of the Prize, ran the selection process, and developed a landmark documentary series. She also led the mental health work of The Prince and Princess of Wales and continues to advise on conservation strategy. Rachel currently leads the strategy for The Great People’s Forest, a new initiative launched by Conservation International to work with communities to protect and restore a million hectares of land across the Eastern Himalayas, one of the most significant natural ecosystems on the planet and home to over a billion people.