Jury Alumni

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  Ghislaine Boddington

  Creative Director, body>data>space

  2015 Speculative Concept Jury Member

  Creative Director, body>data>space - curator, researcher, producer, presenter, UX expert - a future thinker placing the live body at the centre of digital interaction, Ghislaine is recognised internationally since the early 90’s as a thought leader and global pioneer in full body telepresence, with deep expertise in body responsive technologies, immersive experiences and interactive interfaces.
  
  She has conceived, directed, commissioned and produced 100s of international projects converging telepresence, motion capture, wearable computing, intelligent materials, sense/gesture tech, robotics, social medias and virtual worlds, focusing on the fluid blending of the virtual and the physical. Her long term work has been to extend natural interface techniques, passionately advocating the use of the entire body as a digital interaction canvas. She has worked extensively across the years with ICA, Dance Umbrella, FACT, National Theatre, Kinetica Art Fair and Nesta as well as major venues and festivals worldwide.
  
  Present work includes Associate Curation of Nesta's flagship event FutureFest, the Women Shift Digital initiative with National Theatre, Research Development with IntelligentHQ and consultancies with creative industries on the body technology convergences.
  
  She holds a Research Associateship with Middlesex University since 1999, is a Tech London Advocate, a member of the TechCityInsider100 and is a godmother to the Stemettes. She has extensive experience in chairing and presenting, having keynoted in over 30 countries on the future of virtual physical body interfaces. She regularly inputs as a thought leader on tv, radio and in the press and into governmental briefings as a key UK innovator.

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  Jan Boelen

  Artistic Director, Z33

  2015 Speculative Concept Jury Member

  Jan Boelen (¦1967, Genk) graduated as a product designer at the Media and Design Academy (KHLim), now the MAD Faculty, in Genk (B). He currently holds the position of artistic director of Z33 in Hasselt (B) and Head of the Masters Department Social Design at the Design Academy Eindhoven (NL).He is chairman of the architecture and design commission of the Flemish Community. Commissioned by the Permanent Deputation of the Province of Limburg, Jan Boelen reformed the Provincial Centre for the Visual Arts into Z33, a house for contemporary art.Since 2002, Z33 has been fashioning projects and exhibitions that encourage the visitor to look at everyday matters in a novel manner. It is a unique laboratory and a meeting place for experiment and innovation where one can discover cutting-edge exhibitions with contemporary art and design. Z33 does not have its own collection of works, but accommodates exhibition shows continuously.In his curatorial work, Jan Boelen has collaborated with Raf Simons, Studio Makkink Bey, John K÷rmeling, Thomas LommTe, Dunne & Raby, Marti QuixT, Aldo Bakker, Konstantin Grcic and Joseph Grima.In addition to the exhibitions at Z33 û House for Contemporary Art, Z33 also organizes projects in the open space, as well as projects commissioned by other organizations.At the initiative of Z33 and the Province of Limburg, Manifesta 9 took place in Belgium in 2012. In 2014 he curated the design biennial of Ljubljana in Slovenia and leaded a series of international debates on the future of design.

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  Robert Bolton

  Principal, From Later

  2020 Speculative Design Jury Member

  Robert Bolton is a Canadian artist, strategist, and principal at the foresight studio, From Later. Recognizing art works and practices as powerful antennae for detecting change, Robert experiments with ways of understanding and imagining how emerging ideas, technologies and cultural phenomena may influence longer-term futures. As an advisor to decision-makers within all matter of organizations, Robert leads interdisciplinary teams, developing strategies for long-term growth and resilience. Robert was a National Science Foundation AoSL Innovation Fellow and holds a Masters of Arts in the Humanities from the University of Chicago. His essays on the future of DIY biotech have been published by MIT Press’s Innovations Journal and the Eindhoven University of Technology’s Next Nature Lab. In 2019, Robert instructed a course on strategic foresight at CityLAB: Berlin — a satellite campus of Norwich University.

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  Hanna Bossmark

  Senior Industrial Designer, Independent

  2022 Commercial Equipment Jury Member

  Hanna Bossmark is an independent designer based in San Francisco with focus on making products and experiences that connect purpose, culture, beauty and commercial viability. Previously, Hanna led industrial design efforts at Branch Creative, and also worked for IDEO, Ammunition and Zound, turning ideas to reality for companies such as Hims, Equal Parts, Lyft and Urbanears.
  
  
  Outside of design work, Hanna is a certified yoga teacher and founder of Space For Stillness, creating tools to encourage meditation practices in promotion for a healthy lifestyle.

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  Kim Bost

  Product Design Manager, XD Leadership Team, Netflix

  2023 Interaction Jury Member

  Kim is a seasoned design leader and has worked at companies like The New York Times, Etsy, and Dropbox. She brings a unique blend of passion and strategic thinking to create industry-defining experiences. As part of the XD leadership team at Netflix, she collaborates with a stunning team of designers to entertain the world.
  

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  Farrah Bostic

  Founder, The Difference Engine

  2022 Strategy & Research Jury Member

  Farrah Bostic is a champion of empathetic, co-creative, and collaborative strategy, design, and research. Her focus is on helping business leaders make big decisions, with research as an essential tool for facilitating decision-making, advocating for the customer, and delivering audience insight that field great storytelling.
  
  She was a Group Planning Director at Digitas, led the consumer immersion practice at Ipsos/OTX, led the innovation practice at Hall & Partners, and developed her skills as a strategist at Mad Dogs & Englishmen/Mad Logic and TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles.
  
  In 2011 she founded The Difference Engine, where she works with clients across business-to-business and business-to-consumer categories including JetBlue, HarperCollins, eBay, AARP, Google, the Financial Times, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PRX, New York Public Media, The US Soccer Federation, IHG, Citibank, and Dow Jones Media Group. She is also an advisor to twofivesix, a content agency focused on gamers as customers and gaming as a channel, where she mentors and leads a team of strategists and researchers with clients including Intel, Sansar, Soundcloud, and others.

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  Jacob Bouchard

  Senior Industrial Designer, JUMP Bikes, Uber

  2019 Transportation Jury Captain

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  Brendan Boyl

  Partner, Founder of the IDEO Play Lab, IDEO

  2023 Toys & Play Jury Member

  Brendan Boyle is a Partner at IDEO, a global design and innovation firm. He’s also an adjunct professor at Stanford. He is the founder of the IDEO Play Lab, a board member of the National Institute of Play, an award-winning author of the Klutz Book of Inventions, and an acclaimed speaker on the joy of innovation. Brendan believes that play is the key to innovation and frequently speaks to creative leaders, entrepreneurs, and students about the importance of playful exploration and risk-taking. Under his leadership, the Play Lab has invented and licensed over 225 consumer products including the best-selling Jumperoo, Elmo Calls, and Pictionary Air.

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  Mikki Brammer

  Journalist

  2020 Tools & Work Jury Member

  Mikki is an Australian writer, editor, and photographer based in New York City by way of Barcelona and Paris. Currently a contributing editor for Surface and Metropolis (where she was previously editor-at-large), she has covered all things design and architecture for many publications including Architectural Digest, AFAR, Details, Dwell, ICON, and Luxe Interiors & Design.

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  Lesley Braxton

  Principal, Perkins & Will

  2020 Built Environment Jury Member

  Having moved 8 times to 8 different states before the age of 17, Lesley learned at a young age to embrace change, optimism and the cultures of many. This influenced her path as an architect and interior designer to take a wide angle view and operate as generalist in a seemingly very specific world. She designs across higher education, science & technology and corporate markets, ultimately blending influences of each sector into the next. This blurring helps her bring clients bold ideas deeply rooted in place and project understanding. Lesley is the glue that holds complex teams together by bringing nationally recognized, award winning design leadership, and an empathetic, hands on approach.
  
  Lesley is a frequent guest speaker and critic at local universities. She is also a dedicated mentor to many young women, helping them develop careers while giving her a deeper look into their cultures. Lesley also has a deep love for art and travels the world with her family drawing and painting; Both of her children held paint brushes before the ever holding a pencil.

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  Raquel Breternitz

  Design Leader and Strategist

  2022 Interaction Jury Captain

  Raquel Breternitz is an award-winning design leader + strategist with a resume spanning service with the USCIS and as Elizabeth Warren’s Design Director to private sector credits at the New York Times, Pivotal Labs, and IBM. She has also spoken at Lesbians Who Tech, PluralSightLIVE, Wonder Women in Tech, and O'Reilly Design.
  
  Raquel’s work and speaking topics are connected by a passion for accessibility and inclusion, research-driven design thinking, and a hunger for tackling complex and challenging problems. She believes in strong, empathetic leadership for empowered, creative design teams. Outside of her day job, she loves to write, illustrate, make comics, and take pictures of her cat.

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  Peter Bristol

  Director of Industrial Design, Oculus

  2017 Design Concept Jury Member

  Peter Bristol's work blends form with function in uniquely appropriate ways making products that are inherently recognizable. His designs have been recognized across multiple genres with a broad array of patents and awards. Peter is currently director of industrial design at virtual reality company Oculus. Parallel to Oculus, Peter partners with design focused companies to create furniture, lighting and other goods.

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  Emily Brooke

  CEO and Founder, Blaze

  2016 Consumer Product Jury Member

  Emily Brooke founded Blaze in 2012 in London, England, with the vision of becoming world leaders in urban cycling technology.
  
  After starting reading Physics at Oxford University, Emily left to pursue design in Brighton and Milan. There she created a radical innovation set to drastically improve cyclists’ safety and started her own company, Blaze, to make it a reality. The Laserlight tackles the greatest cause of fatality, being caught in the blind spot, or a vehicle turning across an unseen bike, by using a laser to project the symbol of a bike ahead of a cyclist. It gives the bike a bigger footprint on the road and prevents divers in front turning across its path.
  
  Three years on and after a successful Kickstarter campaign, Blaze have a team based in East London, manufacturing in China, and have raised approximately £1.5M in investment from the likes of the Branson Family and Index Ventures. Their flagship product, the Laserlight, is shipping to more than 52 countries and in 2016 it will be incorporated into all London’s Santander cycle hire scheme bikes. The new Burner back light will launch in Spring 2016 after becoming one of the most successful bike light campaigns in the history of Kickstarter.

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  Sarah B. Brooks

  IBM Distinguished Designer, Strategic Foresight, IBM

  2022 Design Education Initiative Jury Captain

  Sarah leads a Strategic Foresight practice within IBM design. Her 20+ years of research and practice center on the personal and organizational capabilities individuals and teams need to confidently navigate uncertainty, imagine, and work toward regenerative and equitable futures. She is an intrapreneur who has operationalized design education and practice across enterprise, startup, non-profit, Federal Government, and community contexts. She lives by the ocean in Montauk, New York with her husband Freddie and their dog, Juno.

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  Matt Brown

  Designer, Extraordinary Facility

  2024 Emerging Technologies Jury Member

  Matt Brown is an independent designer based in Los Angeles. Most of his work is in early-stage invention and prototyping in software and hardware for new products, services, media and environments. Recent clients include Google X, R&D at The New York Times, and The Berggruen Institute. He also runs Extraordinary Facility, a small design studio focused on learning and play.

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  Alexis Brunkow

  Architecture & Design Manager, Knoll

  2022 Home & Living Jury Member

  For more than 17 years, Alexis has held a multitude of roles within the design and architecture industry, spanning editorial writing for a home and garden publication, marketing, consulting and client relations. Currently, Alexis serves as Senior Manager at the Diversity in Design (DID) Collaborative, which was initiated in 2021 to foster systemic change by increasing diversity and improving conditions for Black creatives across the design industry. DID is a group of companies united by a common belief in the critical role that diversity plays in creating strong, impactful businesses and innovations in the design world and beyond. Alexis lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two dogs, and is passionate about sustainability, supporting local businesses, and empowering youth.