Vehicles, systems or modes of transportation used to get people or objects from one place to another, for private, public, commercial or industrial purposes. Examples include: planes, trains, automobiles, buses, bikes, boats, mass transit systems, transportation infrastructure, etc.
Eric is founder and president of The CARLAB, an advanced automotive consulting firm which helps manufacturers and suppliers plan and design new vehicles. Founded in 1999, it is the most influential auto product consultancy in North America, serving carmakers from Nissan to Ferrari, Toyota, VW, Honda and Subaru, in addition to industry suppliers such as Continental, global auto clubs and the energy industry.
Eric is also Professor of Vehicle Technology at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where most of the world’s top car designers are trained.
He is a frequent media commentator and analyst on the auto industry, and a member of the Motor Press Guild.
In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Noble is a longtime environmental volunteer with the Sierra Club, and enjoys surfing and off-road camping with his wife and two sons.
Alex is a designer at McLaren Automotive in the UK since 2013. His work at McLaren includes, production, advanced and bespoke customer projects through McLaren Special Operations.
Prior to joining McLaren he worked with a So-cal EV start-up to develop an electric platform for limited production in Newport Beach. He has worked in a variety of studios such as Polaris Industries, Volvo (VMCC), Toyota ADV Design (Tokyo), and Misha Design (LA) during his studies.
Alex is a Graduate with Honors (12’) of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where most of the world’s top car designers are trained. Some of his work can be seen in the Petersen Automotive Museum, within the design process showcase. In addition to his professional activities, Alex is a outdoor fanatic, tennis player, and dedicated car enthusiast.
Anne Asensio joined Dassault Systèmes (3DS) in November 2007 as Vice President of Design Experience. She is responsible of Dassault Systèmes’ Design Experience strategy with the mission to define and implement innovative Design strategies and 3DExperience solutions for enterprises, as well as defining Dassault Systèmes brand identity. Prior to 3DS, Anne held influential and executive roles at General Motors (2000/2007) and Renault (1987/2000), and won several prestigious accolades for her talent and experience.
Her work illustrates a consistent interest in innovation and definition of future design practices and methodologies. Focused on brand character building, Anne brings a unique ability to establish the right environment for creativity, fostering collaboration and cross- fertilization among teams and delivering design concepts with meaningful benefits for people.
Anne is also a member of prestigious committees such as Eyes on Design, the Festival de l’Automobile, Louis Vuitton, ADC Super Design, L’Observeur du Design, Car Design News... She is a founding member of the Design Code collective of design managers, APCI’s strategic council, Paris Tech research chair ”Modélisation des Imaginaires“ and the Ecole des Mines research chair on innovative design processes. She is a member of the administration board for Strate College and Web School Factory, as well as an independent administrator on the board of the automotive supplier Plastic Omnium.
Anne holds a Master of Arts in transportation design from Detroit-based Center for Creative Studies; a DSAA of industrial design from Paris-based Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués.
Demian Horst is since 2009 Programme Director for Transportation Design at Umeå Institute of Design (UID), Umeå University, Sweden. UID provides one of the world’s most highly ranked design educations and Demian started in his current position as the youngest director for a masters programme in the history of the school. Prior to this he has worked several years at General Motors in Germany, had a strong cooperation with Saab Automobile during his master studies, developed applied research together with Volvo Truck Corporation and also dedicated a few years in his early career to designing busses and coaches. Demian holds an MA from UID in Sweden and a BA acquired in his native Brazil.
At the Umeå Institute of Design he is also a member of the leadership group, holding strategic collaboration matters as his main responsibility. Being very aware of the importance that transportation has on quality of life, his task is to promote the generation of new knowledge on the subject and to continuously develop the best conditions to educate highly skilled, responsible and creative transportation designers for the industry of the future.