Entries in the Victorian Premier's Design Awards are judged by an eminent jury of national and international design, architecture and business experts. Jury members are selected based on their industry experience and specific area of expertise in the design disciplines represented in the Awards.
If you are interested in being considered, please forward your cv / biography to vpda@good-design.org
Professor Donald Bates is the Chair of Architectural Design, and Associate Dean (Engagement) for the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne. He is a Founder and Director of LAB Architecture Studio.
Bates graduated with a B.Arch from University of Houston, and an M.Arch from Cranbrook Academy of Art. He has taught at the Architectural Association, Cooper Union and other schools, and founded and directed the independent architecture school LoPSiA, in France, from 1990-94.
In 1994, Prof Bates and Peter Davidson founded LAB Architecture Studio, and in 1997, LAB won the competition for Federation Square, Melbourne. LAB has designed award-winning large-scale commercial, cultural, civic and residential projects, with built works in Australia, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
Prof Bates has lectured at more than 250 schools of architecture, and been published extensively in journals and magazines. He has been a jury member or chair of more than 28 international architectural design competitions.
(Wailwan | Kamilaroi + Dharawal)
Jefa is a founding Director of Greenaway Architects, an Honorary Fellow of Design at Deakin University and an AILA National Cultural Ambassador. He’s championed Indigenous led design thinking for 3 decades as a registered architect in NSW/VIC/ACT, as founding Director of Indigenous Architecture + Design Australia (IADA), and as a co-author of the International Indigenous Design Charter, with a particular interest in design equity and Country-centred design.
His current projects include the $11B North East Link Project, the Marvel Stadium Upgrade and Stage II of the Koorie Heritage Trust at Federation Square. He was a 2020 Design Institute of Australia’s (DIA) ‘Hall of Fame’ inductee, signifying an outstanding contribution to Australian design and was recently named in the Qantas 100 Inspiring Australians, celebrating their centenary and was included within the INDE.Awards 2023 ‘The Luminary’ (special prize) recognising an individual whose entire portfolio represents a lifetime of design finesse and distinction.
Jill Garner is a highly respected architect with 40 years experience extending across practice and government in Victoria. Jill became the first woman Victorian Government Architect in 2015. She leads the expert OVGA team, maintaining a hands-on role in many significant projects.
With a commitment to exemplary design, Jill's impactful advice and advocacy work with the Office of the Victorian Government Architect includes:
Jill's qualifications include:
As a passionate advocate for architecture and design in government, and a commitment to building legacy for our community, Jill promotes the value of contextual, integrated design thinking and a collaborative approach across design disciplines.
Received her M.S.AAD. from Columbia University and Ph.D. in Architecture History from The University of Tokyo. She was a faculty member of Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University during 2002-2022. In 2022 she was Louis I. Kahn Assistant Visiting Professor at Yale School of Architecture.
In 2009, she co-founded all(zone) in Bangkok which is selected as 100+ Best Architecture Firm in 2019. all(zone) completed MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in Chiang Mai, the first contemporary art museum in the country. In 2022 all(zone) is commissioned to design MPavilion 2022 in Melbourne.
Introducing John Burgess, a proud Gurindji, English Australian man born and raised in Narrm, Founder, CEO and Director of Strategy at Little Rocket, a 100% owned and operated First Nations Creative Agency. John’s professional background began with a degree in Public Relations, Politics and Philosophy which led to an early opportunity to work as a campaign manager for the Australian Democrats in the 1996 Federal election. This experience, although invaluable, shaped his trajectory away from politics and more towards the PR/Marketing interests he wanted to pursue. John spent the first twelve years of his career in a range of positions from communications, events, sales, sponsorship, radio, advertising and loyalty. Eager to develop his own brand of agency with a focus on authentic client experience, innovative offerings and impact orientation; John finally went out on his own, thirteen years ago and began Little Rocket, which was named after his niece.
About seven years into the agency John had been given the opportunity to work with the Gurindji Aboriginal Corporation on the 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Day Festival, Australia’s largest remote Indigenous Festival that commemorates the Wave Hill Walk Off that led to the birth of land rights in Australia. This piece of work opened up the opportunity for John to pivot the business toward social procurement where he could make more impact and work on matters that really meant a great deal to him. From here the business has really blossomed, building a team of twenty staff and a dozen contractors, working on a range of important campaigns, big brands and significant community organisations. John served on the Kinaway Chamber of Commerce board for five years, which allowed him to work with community and First Nations business first hand. John facilitated the Marketing & Digital training workshop series for Indigenous Business Australia which saw him travel around Australia, meeting with a wider range of small to medium business owners. In 2021 Tag Worldwide - a global advertising agency approached Little Rocket about becoming an affiliate to bring more opportunity to First Nations Creative and in doing so appointed John as the First Nations Director for their Asia Pacific region.
In 2023 Little Rocket launched a Perth office and soon to expand to add a Canberra office, with the view to develop more reach in these key markets. Little Rocket became carbon neutral through the Trace program and extended its design offering into the environmental and experiential space, providing its artist network further opportunity to see their art and stories reflected in spaces, buildings, developments and more. Little Rocket in partnership with Tag hope to launch the first First Nations Advertising and Creative industry pathway program with a variety of agencies participating. The focus for John and his team remains to honour the legacy of our ancestors and the sacrifices they made through the delivery and execution of impactful work, emphasising the importance and power of diversity, sustainability and community.
David Alenson is the Creative Director at Little Rocket, bringing a wealth of experience to the team and offering a unique perspective on the design field. Having previously shared a long-time working history alongside John Burgess, he made the decision to join Little Rocket at the dawn of 2020, embarking on an exhilarating journey where he has never looked back.
David's professional journey has been marked by years of experience and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Prior to joining Little Rocket, he honed his craft as a senior designer at one of Australia's largest loyalty providers. During this time, he delivered innovative solutions for a diverse range of service-centric clients, further sharpening his design skills. Following his successful tenure, David operated his own design business for several years before joining the Little Rocket team.
What sets David apart is his passion for humanity-centered design principles and his commitment to integrating First Nations storytelling and culture across countless design disciplines. David had the opportunity to live on Gurindji Country in the remote community of Kalkaringi, NT for two years. It was here that he proactively took part within the community and further applied his passion for design, having the opportunity to work with local Aboriginal Corporations, schools and organisations to develop new branding, uniforms and signage as well as the creative direction for the 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Day Festival and signage and wayfinding for the award winning and National Heritage Listed Wave Hill Walk-Off Route.
He now successfully leads a team of 5 in-house designers at Little Rocket where his role encompasses managing design, strategy, and execution for a diverse range of beloved clients. Working collaboratively across multiple-design disciplines, David firmly believes that we can create more inclusive and culturally safe spaces, and transcend design to new heights through deep listening and collaboration with our First Nations people.
Kate is a Creative Director at Ascender; a consultancy specialising in design for financial and professional services. With an affinity for finance, Kate has worked with clients like Zurich, Aware Super, the ASX and ANZ to create meaningful brand experiences. With 15 years of industry experience, Kate approaches each project with a design thinking mindset and a passion for collaborative problem solving that’s not daunted by complex propositions.
San San Truong is a Melbourne-based multidisciplinary designer and creative with over 25 years of experience in creative strategy, art direction, branding, graphic design, UX/UI, print and digital design to create meaningful experiences with a product or brand.
She began her career working for a small branding agency in Perth after graduating from Curtain University, with a Bachelor of Arts (Design) with Honours. Since moving to Melbourne over 20 years ago, she has built a career working for a multitude of design studios and agencies, in-house and direct to clients of various industries, locally and internationally. She completed further studies in UX design and finds that there is always more to learn.
She is fuelled by creativity and values human-centred research and design thinking. San San aims to add value to people’s lives through effective design and realising the full potential of creativity, craft, and technology. She has supported the creative industry through her prior work and leadership as co-chair and Victoria councillor for AGDA, collaborations with NGV events and continuously uncovers the possible trends and opportunities in the future of design. San San currently services commercial businesses, government organisations and not-for-profits and seeks to promote better solutions for the society and planet.
Stuart Geddes is a graphic designer working mostly with books, and a lecturer, researcher and PhD candidate at RMIT University, where his research interests converge around the form of the book, through collaboration, emerging histories, and material practices. Together with Žiga Testen he is part of Graphic Design Work Pty Ltd, a design studio focused on book design and publishing for arts and culture. Stuart is also one of the Australian members of Alliance Graphique Internationale. In recent years Stuart’s work has earned more than 60 awards in Australia and internationally (including the Premier’s Design Award for Communication Design), and his work has been collected and exhibited including at the Design Museum London and the Walker Art Center. In 2016 his practice was the subject of a Reputations profile in Eye Magazine, and in 2020, with Trent Walter of Negative Press, Stuart was an invited artist of the 22nd Biennale of Sydney.
Tony is a co-founder of Melbourne based branding company Coowhi. For over 30 years, Tony has worked on branding projects catering primarily to government, education, health and corporate sectors. His work is characterised by a creative and results driven approach informed by research and underpinned by sound strategy. A commitment to continuous improvement has seen Coowhi assimilate and contribute to design driven business methodologies and co-design practices. Tony has applied this expertise to projects as diverse as branding for international trade missions, sustainability campaigns and large facility launches. He is particularly interested in the ability of communication design to drive the narrative towards environmental sustainability.
Grant is Managing Director of one of Australia’s leading branding agencies, Davidson Branding and former principal for the successful Victorian Government’s Design2Thrive Program.
Named in Australia’s top 20 Business Leaders of 2021, he’s worked with more than 200 Australian and international organisations, including 30 of Australia’s top FMCG brands and nine Fortune 500 companies.
Grant is the proud recipient of over 100 industry awards and ranked as ‘one of the world’s most busy savvy designers’ by Business Graphics New York.
He contributes to industry publications and journals, has served as Vice President and President of peak design and advertising bodies, and sat on numerous industry boards.
Grant is a three-time Harvard Business School participant, completing studies in Sustainable Competitive Advantage; Leading a business through its life cycle; and Driving Digital and Social Strategy.
Jirra Lulla Harvey is a Yorta Yorta / Wiradjuri woman raised on Kulin land.
She started Kalinya in 2012. The 100% Aboriginal owned and operated consulting company sits at the intersection of First Nations knowledge, entrepreneurship, and design with an ongoing commitment to spend 80% of project budgets in the Indigenous economy.
The Kalinya vision is:
Jirra has travelled to 20+ countries learning from First Nations people. She was a National Scholar at the University of Melbourne and the inaugural Wesfarmers Indigenous Arts Leadership Fellow at the National Gallery of Australia. Jirra is an active community member and brings a unique perspective spanning hyper local, national, and global insight.
Kalinya, which means good, beautiful, and honest in Yorta Yorta, will soon launch a Melbourne events space, with a program of international Indigenous guests.
Design Strategy
Department of Justice and Community Safety, Principal Practitioner, Aboriginal Youth Justice Team
Department of Justice and Community Safety, Principal Practitioner, Aboriginal Youth Justice Team
Dr Mathan Ratinam is passionate about taking design to where it isn’t. He has worked globally in international development, innovation, and entrepreneurship with a successful track record of employing creative and design-led approaches to solve complex problems that span the public and private sector. Mathan is currently Principal Practitioner in the Aboriginal Youth Justice team at the Dept of Justice and Community Safety in the Victorian Government. Prior to this role he managed the Service Design team within the Dept of Premier and Cabinet and was the inaugural Managing Director of CivVic Labs, a public-private program bringing startups and government together to solve public sector challenges. Previously, he was the Lead Design Specialist in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Unit at the World Bank working on climate technologies and has also been engaged as a strategic designer by the White House during the Obama administration, various UN agencies, the US Dept of Defense, international NGOs and has been an advisor to the Australian Government’s Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
With over a decade of experience in the financial services, aviation, and loyalty sectors, William has established himself as an innovative leader in design and product innovation. As a hands-on strategic designer and leader of Design teams, he's redefined customer experiences for powerhouses like Qantas, Hummgroup, Westpac and CBA through the effective application of emerging technologies. Championing the synergy of experimentation, hands-on design, and commercial insights, he consistently crafts value propositions that satisfy customer needs whilst driving commercial outcomes. His unwavering commitment to pushing industry evolution and enhancing customer satisfaction propels his work and inspires his teams.
Digital Design
RMIT University, Professor and Director of Code (Centre of Digital Environments)
RMIT University, Professor and Director of Code (Centre of Digital Environments)
Deb Polson is the Professor of Digital Design at RMIT University, School of Design.
Over the last 25 years, Deb has designed large-scale data visualisations for policy makers, strange immersive experiences for gallery curators, digital distractions for young patients in terrible pain, intelligent energy modelling systems for urban developers, playful simulations for cyber security organisations, and more. Expert in developing design strategies and custom methods for precision intervention in messy systems to tweak efficiencies and reduce harmful impacts.
Deb collaborates with a range of partners from Marvel Studios LA to Plastics NZ and has led teaching and research teams in universities across Australia, China, UK, and as the inaugural Head of Design at the University of Auckland, launched a new School of Design in 2020.
After 2 years in the role of Associate Dean (School of Design) at RMIT, Deb has recently become the Director of a new research centre, CODE (Centre of Digital Environments).
Rachel de Sain is an internationally regarded digital strategist and thought leader on the future of health and social care delivery in a connected world, with over twenty years of global experience having worked with governments, Fortune 500 companies, and leading academic institutions.
Rachel has led a range of health and social services projects and is passionate about the opportunity for design-led innovation to deliver measurable improvements for patients, providers, funders and the broader community. Understanding how new technologies can be woven into the fabric of how we live our lives that enable us to radically shift the health system from a “Find and Fix’ model to a design-led, data-driven “Predict and Prevent” system of care.
Simon Goodrich is Co-Founder of Portable, a purpose-driven digital design agency with a mission to address social need and policy failure using human-centred design and technology. Since 2006, Portable has delivered over 850 projects around the world.
Simon is an Honorary Senior Fellow at both Melbourne Law School and Melbourne School of Government. He is the Australian Ambassador for the New York-based International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, dubbed the Oscars for Online and is a past National President of AIMIA, at the time the peak digital body in Australia.
Tristan Cooke is dedicated to making new things that deserve to exist. Sometimes he succeeds. This comes under many banners, namely service designer, product owner, community organiser and lecturer. He currently leads a product teams in digital banking and advising startups. He has also previously lectured at RMIT in the Masters of Design Futures and ran a design conference called SDNOW.
Courtney Holm is a circular fashion designer, thought leader and entrepreneur. Courtney founded experimental circular fashion label A.BCH in 2017 and sustainable trim shop Circular Sourcing in 2019, both operating within West Melbourne. She is currently building a surplus fabric marketplace that will see the re-circulation of unused, surplus and waste textiles within Australia and is due to launch mid 2023. Courtney's expertise is in circular design for clothing, as well as circular systems and practical approaches to industry, business and personal transformation for sustainable and equitable futures.
From sourcing to developing design frameworks, a radical approach to post-purchase responsibility and fibre to fibre recycling, Courtney is passionate about seeing the economic system transformed and reimagined. Courtney works collaboratively with industry, government and non-government agencies as well as with individuals. A natural educator, Courtney is passionate about future generations and delivers courses within Sustainable Innovation and Fashion Bachelor programs within the school of Fashion at RMIT.
Courtney studied and graduated from Fashion and Textile Design with First Class Honours at the University of Technology Sydney in 2012. Courtney is an Australian and U.S. citizen, and currently resides in Melbourne, Australia.
John Condilis, Chairman and Co-founder of Nobody denim and board member of the Australian Fashion Council, is passionate about growing and re-establishing the clothing manufacturing industry in Australia. The Nobody story began with a small, family-built denim laundry in the back streets of Melbourne, Australian in 1999. Founded on the belief that, making jeans could be imbued with integrity and creativity, Nobody Denim has continued to go from strength to strength. From fabric sourcing to fit and finish, the Nobody team show a dedication to their craft, a commitment to quality and a genuine understanding of their customer needs.
John is committed to maintaining an ethical and sustainable operational facility, with transparency at the core of Nobody’s business activities. The label is accredited with Ethical Clothing Australia, ensuring everyone involved in making their designs receive fair wages and are provided with safe working conditions.
Dr Tarryn Handcock is an artist and design academic based in Naarm (Melbourne). As Assistant Program Manager of RMIT University’s Bachelor of Fashion (Design), she focuses on integrating applied ethics and reconciliation practices into design education.
Over the past decade Tarryn has supervised Higher Degree Research candidates across fashion, textiles, public art and interior design, as well as developing and teaching transdisciplinary undergraduate and research design studio courses. Specialising in reflexive creative practice connecting design and place, Tarryn’s work has been internationally published, and presented in exhibitions at The National Trust of Australia and Design Tasmania for MONA FOMA.
Virginia Dowzer is a leader in Victorias creative industries whose expertise covers major projects and campaigns with the State Government of Victoria; City of Melbourne; Melbourne Fashion Week; Melbourne Fashion Festival; the NGV; Business of Design Week Hong Kong; Melbourne Design Week and the award-winning MPavilion. She has a passion for grass-roots creativity, emerging artists and designers and is a champion of ‘bricks and mortar’ retail, art and design experiences.
Her cultural intelligence was honed during her time working in the Textile and Dress Department at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum. Virginia is a collaborator and connector between government, corporate and creative industries and who brings ideas to life that offer social, economic and creative value. She has been a guest judge on numerous creative and design award panels nationally and has held the position of creative consultant on local, national and international projects. Virginia works and lives between Melbourne and Hobart in Australia.
Karen is an accomplished Creative Director with 20 years of international experience in Industrial Design, Design Strategy and Branding. From spearheading design research initiatives in China to overseeing transformative product ranges at Philips Design in Hong Kong and managing multimillion-dollar design programs for Boeing at Teague Design in Seattle, Karen's commitment to user-centric design and sustainability has propelled her as a well-rounded leader. Co-founding Play&Co Creative Group in 2015, Karen and her team operate from offices in Melbourne, Australia, Portland, Oregon, and Brooklyn, New York, serving a diverse clientele ranging from ground-breaking start-ups to renowned global brands like Philips, HP, Ergobaby, Meta, and Disney.
Sachin provides Strategic Experience Design consultancy and creative direction to healthcare organizations across the globe. He believes that thoughtfully designed and future ready physical space can pivot organization’s strategic goals and have a profound impact on end-users’ performance and well-being.
Trained as an architect, industrial designer and a facility planner, Sachin has led a multidisciplinary design practice for healthcare industry. Across last 20 years his work has contributed to several industry conferences and won multiple prestigious international design awards.
Sachin is an alumnus of Cornell University New York, IIT Bombay, and School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.
Martin has been inspiring groundbreaking innovation and design at tangerine since founding the company in 1989. Under his stewardship the company has grown into an international design consultancy with offices in the UK, South Korea and Brazil; from which, tangerine exports design services globally including to: Apple, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, CRRC, Huawei, Nikon, Toto, VW, Virgin Australia and Spacetalk.
tangerine design across mobility, retail and hospitality and consumer product sectors. They design every touchpoint a customer can have with a brand and, in many cases, the brand itself. Their reach extends from foresight within trend and creative direction, to design-led strategy and rethinking companies’ business models.
Martin combines his stewardship of tangerine with a world-wide programme of talks and affiliations. He has served two terms as a Board Member of the World Design Organization (formerly the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design) and as a trustee of the UK Design Council. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Chartered Society of Designers and represented design on IE:UK, the Infrastructure Exports board of the UK Government’s Department for International Trade. Martin currently serves as a juror in transportation for the Red Dot Awards in Germany and Singapore, and the Golden Pin Awards in Taiwan.
Sue is an award-winning product developer working at the intersection of health, design, technology, research and marketing with over 20 years’ experience with end-to-end medical device product development across start-ups and large businesses.
She has developed and launched many innovative medical devices intended for use in the hospital and home including CPAP machines, masks, ventilators, humidifiers, smartphone and web applications, digital adherence solutions, health wearables and surgical navigation products to assist acetabular cup alignment in hip arthroplasty.
In her career Sue has worked in many diverse roles spanning industrial design, user interface design, team leadership, systems engineering, marketing and program management.
She is an accomplished human factors specialist who has managed, designed and executed human factors analyses, evaluations, validation studies, user interface design and optimisation.
Sue is passionate about simplicity, designing healthcare experiences and products that make it easier for healthcare workers to deliver care, improve outcomes and for people to use and be adherent to medical treatment.
Jeremy Yuille is a Melbourne-based innovator and educator, with a strong reputation in human-centered design and communication. As Principal at Meld Studios since 2016, he has been instrumental in shaping design strategies for major Australian organisations. Prior to Meld Studios, he spent 16 years at RMIT University, transforming undergraduate design programs and introducing innovative online postgraduate courses. He has also held a key role with the Interaction Design Association (IxDA), collaborating with international peers to develop new design initiatives and support global curriculum renewal.
A maker and community builder, Jo wants to live in a fair and healthy world where services are co-designed with communities. Her design practice is grounded on intersectionality, advocacy and human rights. Jo collaborates deeply to roll out services and experiences that improve access for all and advocate for community needs.
She is trained in Industrial and Social design, lecturing and mentoring diverse community members to push service design and co-creation practice.
An award-winning multidisciplinary designer she has a solid background in research. Jo has worked globally in research and development, access to justice, sustainability and healthcare. She is the Design Practice Lead working at cohealth, Board member of the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival and founder of co-design tools.
A recognised design leader, Louise has honed her service design skills over 15 years of professional practice. She is passionate about translating the relevancy of design methods and mindset to business value and outcomes that make society better for all.
Louise created the National Australia Bank’s human-centred design practice over a period of 10 years resulting in organisational wide adoption of design thinking, and a team that grew to 100 design professionals.
As Service Design Director at Today Strategic Design she led a team that delivered world-class projects for social and environmental impact. As Director of Digital, Design & Service Experience at The University of Melbourne she focused on the experiences of and services to staff, academics and students, building a team that delivered human-centred business improvements while the University pivoted in response to the Pandemic.
Louise has a human-centred worldview she applies to approaching problems and complex systems, and is ardent about bringing optimism, empathy and curiosity to her design practice.
Michael Eales is a Strategy Design and Innovation Partner at Business Models Inc. He has over two decades of corporate leadership experience working with some of the most visible companies in the world. Applying creative thinking and design techniques, Michael's focus is on helping his clients embrace uncertainty while providing practical frameworks to ensure better strategic decision-making. He is an ambassador to Design for Good and Good Design Australia, and a contributor to the book 'Design a Better Business' and ‘Business Model Shifts’, both valuable resources for those seeking to innovate and strategise in today's dynamic business environment.
Nina is enthusiastic about change and making our future a great place to live, work and play. To get there Nina believes we need to improve the way we do things. With the tools and technology already available and continuously emerging we need to build capability and mindset in our organisations to adapt.
With a background across a variety of industries, corporate and startups, Nina now has her own business, Three6, and develops not only strategies but robust plans to embed emerging technologies into businesses and building the capabilities in their people for success, making her an industry expert in simplifying the way we work
Dr Andrew Botros is a Director of Insights and UX at Google’s New York office. He is a Good Design Ambassador, serving as a past jury member for the Australian Good Design Awards. His inventions at Cochlear Limited, in the application of artificial intelligence to cochlear implant fitting and surgical support, are winners of Good Design Awards and the 2013 Powerhouse Museum Design Award. Dr Botros is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, a UNSW Medallist, and a graduate of the ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy.
James is the founding director of BAU, Brearley Architects + Urbanists, with offices in Melbourne and Shanghai. He is a registered Architect and Landscape Architect and is Adjunct Professor at RMIT University. He studied architecture at RMIT and urban design at the University of Melbourne. James is co-author of two Networks Cities books, on research, theory and experimentation in urban design. In 2022 BAU received the Victorian Premier’s Design Award of the Year for the Victorian Pride Centre. In 2022 BAU also received Australian Institute of Architects awards for three projects including the inaugural AIA International Prize for Yuandang Bridge. For more detail on James practice visit www.bau.com.au
Shay is a proud Eora / Yuin women and senior Urban Designer, her practice, advisory and design interests are geared towards an aim of Indigenising design. Shay speaks regularly at architecture and design conferences and panels and contributes to design publications. She holds an undergraduate degree in Architecture from the University of Newcastle, a post graduate degree in Planning and Urban Design from Deakin University and is currently undertaking a postgraduate in Architecture at Deakin University.
Stefanie is a Director at Fabric; a strategic consultancy and design studio based in Tokyo, Japan.
Stefanie has held design leadership and transformation roles at 7-Eleven Australia, NAB and Deloitte, applying her design expertise across sub-disciplines of: product, communication, sustainability, service and strategic design to solve wicked problems across finance, telco, government, retail and utilities sectors.
Stefanie is an expert in the field of design thinking, holding a Doctor of Philosophy (focused on design thinking in complex practice), a masters in sustainable design- and most recently- completing the Stanford Executive Program (SEP’22). During her studies, Stefanie developed a passion for education and has spent the last 8 years teaching into undergraduate and masters courses in design, entrepreneurship and innovation across various universities in Australia.
Student Design
Deakin University, Professor of Integral Design, and Deputy Head of School of Architecture and Built Environment
Deakin University, Professor of Integral Design, and Deputy Head of School of Architecture and Built Environment
Tuba Kocaturk is Professor of Integral Design, and Deputy Head of School of Architecture and Built Environment, at Deakin University. She is a registered architect, educator, and a research leader in the field of technology-mediated design & innovation in the Built Environment.
Tuba is the co-founding director of DesignMind (Deakin University’s Design & Innovation Platform) as well as the founding director of MInD (Mediated Intelligence in Design) Research Lab, a trans-disciplinary and practice-based design-research lab, which operates at the intersection of Built Environment, Information Technology and Design Innovation.
She has taught, researched and published extensively in the fields of technology-mediated design & construction, smart urban ecosystems, ambient intelligence and circular transition of the built environment. She holds a PhD degree in Architecture and Building Technology from Delft University of Technology (NL), and has held various academic appointments and fellowships in Turkey, the Netherlands, United States and United Kingdom before moving to Australia in 2018.
Tuba is a passionate advocate for “integrated design & system thinking” as a methodology for knowledge production, and “trans-disciplinary thinking” as a strategy for cross-sector innovation. She serves in various committees in advisory capacity, including Geelong’s UNESCO City of Design work-group, and International Human City Design Awards (HCDA) advisory committee as an overseas expert representing Oceania-Australia.
Circular Design and Sustainability Advisor / Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence, Director
Circular Design and Sustainability Advisor / Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence, Director
John is a communications and sustainability practitioner across diverse industries, sectors and portfolios. He is a director of the Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence, and an adjunct professor with the Institute for Sustainable Futures at UTS.
John’s project engagements cover appliances, electronics, office furniture, textiles and plastic products used in the healthcare sector. His early work on circular design and cradle-to-cradle thinking represents a pioneering phase with RMIT’s Centre for Design team. John is also Co-Founder of the Ewaste Watch Institute, and he co-authored Australia’s first report on e-waste recycling titled: Short Circuiting Waste from Electronic Products. He has written and presented widely on sustainable product design, product stewardship, extended producer responsibility and the need for smart policy to drive industry reform. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia
Associate Professor Leah Heiss is the Eva and Marc Besen International Research Chair in Design at Monash University and the recipient of the 2022 Australian Women in Design Award. Through collaborative projects Leah has brought humanity centred design to solutions for hearing loss, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, mental health and loneliness. Her design work has been recognised with six Australian Good Design Awards, including the 2018 Australian Good Design Award of the Year, two Premier’s Design Awards and the CSIRO Design Innovation Award. Leah’s design work is part of Australia’s heritage collections at Museums Victoria and the Museum of Arts and Sciences (Powerhouse) and has been exhibited internationally to audiences exceeding 700,000 people.
Leah is committed to the role of design in improving the lived experience of technologies, systems and services. Her Tactile Tools co-design method has been used to evolve new systems of care for low birth weight, cancer care, eating disorders, aged care, voluntary assisted dying and acquired brain injury. She is currently working with the World Health Organisation, using design strategies to improve the uptake and implementation of WHO guidelines. She co-leads Monash University’s ambitious Future Healthcare initiative, leveraging the University’s deep sector expertise, and using interdisciplinary co-design processes to understand and address the challenges of complex health ecosystems.
Jury Chair (2016 - 2022)
Celina Clarke is a Melbourne based Industrial Designer who co-founded ISM Objects in 1990. She has a passion for contemporary design and architecture and has a keen interest in lighting space.
Her folio of design work includes packaging, furniture and homewares but over the past 15 years she has specialised in luminaire design.
Together with Simon Christopher, their designs have won many awards and their work has been exhibited widely including at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Their design partnership successfully spans more than 20 years.
Celina continues to develop designs for ISM and has a particular interest in materials and manufacturing. She enjoys the detailed design process of getting products to market and she has particularly enjoyed working with the Sparks designers.
Jury Chair (2012-2015)
Dr Ken Cato AO (ADIA AGI AIGA ARMIT AWADA FAMI FDIA) is an Australian designer with an international reputation. He is chairman of Cato Brand Partners established in 1970, and has worked in 112 countries on many diversified brand building projects. Having celebrated 52 years, Cato Brand Partners has offices in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America.
Ken’s work has afforded him immense global acclaim and as such he and his team have been recognised with many international awards.
Notable honours include being recognised as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2013 as well as being bestowed Hall of Fame status with ICOGRADA, The Premier's Design Awards, AGDA and The Design Institute of Australia. Ken has received honorary doctorates from Swinburne University and The University of the Sunshine Coast whilst becoming an Honorary Fellow of Monash University. In August of 2022 Ken was appointed Professor of Practice in the Faculty of Business and Management at UIC (Beijing Normal University – Hong Kong Baptist University United International College).
Ken is a long-standing member of Alliance Graphique Internationale and is a past AGI President (1997 - 2000).
Ken’s passion for design extends beyond that of Cato Brand Partners; in 1991 he established the world's largest student design conference. Originating in Melbourne it now has substantial presence in China.
His work encompasses all facets of corporate and brand management and design. His work is represented in museums and galleries throughout the world.
A regular speaker at both design and business conferences, Ken has presented in over 30 countries and is an acclaimed author of over 20 books about design and business. His latest book ‘Recognise Me’ detailing 50 years of brand strategy and management learnings has recently been released internationally.
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