Jury Alumni

• 

  Michel Alvarez

  Global Design Manager, Drinkfinity

  2019 Consumer Technology Jury Member

  Michel is the Global Design Manager at Drinkfinity and has worked as a designer since 2003. He has worked at various agencies and companies all over the country, from Cleveland to Boston, from San Francisco to Miami.

• 

  Hrridaysh Deshpande

  Director, DYPDC Center for Automotive Research and Studies

  2016 Design Education Initiative Jury Member

  Hrridaysh has been in the field of education for over 21 years. Presently, Hrridaysh is the member of Governing Body of Ajeenkya DY Patil University and is the Director of DYPDC School of Design and School of Film and Media.
  
  He is associated with the India Design Council (IDC) as its consultant advisor. IDC is a national strategic body of Government of India established under the aegis of Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Government of India. Under the aegis of IDC he is spearheading the India Design Mark program in cooperation with Good Design Award, Japan. He is the member of CII National Committee on Design. In 2004 he founded Creative-i College one of India’s first private initiatives in the field of Design Education.
  
  Over the years Hrridaysh has acquired proficiency in business innovation strategy and design driven Innovation. He focuses on structured innovation practices for organizational innovation via appropriate tools, methods and processes. Hrridaysh has worked on several committees on innovation and has been a speaker at many prestigious forums. Through his work, Hrridaysh has assisted leading companies across a range of industries.
  
  Hrridaysh is an experienced, enthusiastic, and energetic educator and innovation facilitator. He is passionately committed to education and capable of expanding the limits of traditional pedagogy through the development and realization of a unique integrative and interdisciplinary curriculum.

• 

  Brian C. Rubin

  Senior Education Designer, Education Design Lab

  2022 Design for Social Impact Jury Member

• 

  Barry Waddilove

  Head of Circular Economy & Partnerships, Electrolux Group

  2024 Sustainability Jury Member

  Barry Waddilove joined Electrolux Group in 2017. He first led the company’s North American design team and joined the global sustainability leadership team in early 2022 to oversee partnerships and collaborations. In early 2023, he became Head of Circular Economy and Partnerships. In this expanded role, Barry remains responsible for supporting partnerships while leading new work to develop Electrolux Group’s Circular Economy approach and priorities.
  
  Barry has over 30 years experience in design and sustainability, working with brands and organizations across 25 countries. During various roles across global corporates, he has developed deep knowledge of innovation processes and business model development. His academic research for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation explored the role of system thinking in circular design.
  He holds an MDes in Design and Innovation for Sustainability from Cranfield University and is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
  
  Barry is British and lives with his family just north of London, UK.

• 

  Avra van der Zee

  COO, Elemental Excelerator

  2023 Sustainability Jury Member

  Avra is a climate tech executive passionate about supporting innovative climate tech startups as they scale. She is an experienced advisor, organization builder, and board leader, including as Director of Made of Air. As the former COO & GC at micro-mobility company JUMP, she led the company from its early inception to its strategic sale to Uber. She is currently COO of Elemental Excelerator, a global, non-profit climate investor and impact organization with over a decade of experience investing in place-based climate technologies.

• 

  Colin Owen

  Design Director, Elroy Air

  2020 Home & Living Jury Member

  Colin is an industrial designer and leads design at Elroy Air, a Bay Area startup developing autonomous cargo aircraft. He joined in 2016 and has led the design effort from conception through first flights. Colin is also tenured faculty at California College of the Arts in the Industrial Design program. Previously, Colin founded, Sparse, a component manufacturer focused on the urban cycle commute. He has also served a diverse set of clients including Autodesk, Nike, NASA, Terrazign, Intel, and Nokia. Colin was raised in the deep south on a steady diet of trails, mischief, and tinkering. He was made (mostly) civil at Rice University (B.A. in Arch, B. of Arch.) and Art Center College of Design (M.S.I.D.).

• 

  Emanuel Jochum

  Designer, Brand Strategist, Emanuel Jochum, Brand Identity

  2017 Visual Communication Jury Member

  Designer, brand strategist, writer and learner based in Vienna. Helping brands to shape their vision and personality. Designing identities, digital products and services for small businesses, social enterprises and purpose-driven companies. Sharing thoughts on brand strategy from a design perspective in papers and talks.
  
  Fascinated about holistic branding, social entrepreneurship, sustainable living and world politics. Enthusiastic about mountain hiking, travelling, wonderful beaches and Mexican food. Summer lover, Cuba Libre aficionado, fairness advocate and blood donor.
  
  www.ejochum.com

• 

  Jaye Buchbinder

  Director of Product, Emeco

  2023 Furniture & Lighting Jury Captain

  Born and raised in Long Beach, California, Jaye studied Sustainable Engineering at Stanford and currently works at Emeco in Product Development and Sustainability, where she chairs out of recycled materials. She lives and surfs in Venice Beach, California.

• 

  Niti Bhan

  Designer, Emerging Futures Lab (consulting) and Ymmärrys ry (non-profit)

  2022 Consumer Technology Jury Member

  After 30 odd years in the global design industry opening doors to new markets through exploratory user research, concept design, and innovation strategies, Niti is pursuing a part time PhD in Product Development at Aalto University, Finland. Her research explores the contribution of collaborative design practices to foster agency and capacity for innovation as a resilience strategy to shocks for micro-enterprises. Her design approach is a transdisciplinary one where participants generate the actionable knowledge for designing their own innovation and transformation roadmaps

• 

  Nadia Beyzaei

  Sessional Faculty & Health Design Lab Staff, Emily Carr University of Art + Design

  2022 Health & Wellness Jury Member

  Nadia Beyzaei (MRes, BSc) is a designer and researcher working in the spaces of health and community engagement. Nadia is the Coordinator of the Health Design Lab at Emily Carr University and an instructor in the Faculty of Design + Dynamic Media. Through her role at the Health Design Lab, Nadia has been a communication designer and design researcher on Indigenous health, aging, and complex care projects, while supporting the dissemination of research both locally and internationally.
  
  Nadia holds a Master of Research in Healthcare + Design degree from the Royal College of Art, with her thesis work focusing on how design can enhance engagement in evidence-based medicine.
  
  Through her 7 years at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Nadia has worked on a range of behavioural health research projects, including UX/UI projects which aim to improve access to care, and service design projects across clinics at BC Children's Hospital. Her practice focuses on making complex topics accessible and approachable through visual and strategic design.

• 

  Miri Chan

  VP of Branding & Visual Design, Enlisted

  2023 Packaging Jury Member

  As VP of Branding & Visual Design at Enlisted, Miri leads a team of visual designers to solve business challenges with design excellence. Originally hailing from Hong Kong, she's our constant source of all things cool. Her insights into consumer audience behaviors and brand strategy keep her team focused and challenged every day. She has led and designed branding and packaging projects for Fortune 500s and emerging startups alike—including Jabra, Diamond Crystal Salt, Linksys, Jaybird, Nestle, and PAX.

• 

  Stephanie Szarwark

  Senior Visual Designer, Enlisted Design

  2021 Commercial Equipment Jury Member

  Stephanie is a Senior Visual Designer at Enlisted Design, a visual and industrial design agency based in Oakland, CA where she brings brands to life through tangible visual design. Previously, she was a freelance brand designer, working with small Bay Area startups and large companies such as: Clif Bar, Nestlé, Ancestry, and Waymo (Alphabet). These projects ranged from packaging design to digital product illustrations to copywriting and art direction. Her diverse experience led her to specialize in helping clients hone their brand stories to better resonate with customers. Stephanie is particularly passionate about bridging the gaps between design and business strategy, and helping more people engage their own creative thinking.

• 

  Beau Oyler

  CEO, Enlisted Design

  2023 Packaging Jury Captain

  A design entrepreneur, Beau Oyler is the Founder of Enlisted Design where he works at the intersection of business, data, and design to create product experiences for the world’s most sought-after brands. Such as Allbirds, Samsung, Bose, MrBeast, and Amazon. His work has won every major international design award and can be found at the Museum of Modern Art, Apple Store, and Whole Foods, to name a few. Beau graduated with a degree in Industrial Design from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. He also serves as Chief Design Officer at Pattern, where he uses an industry-first approach that harnesses the soul of design and the science of data analytics to create craveable brands that consumers love.

• 

  Jacqueline Tang

  Creative Director/ Studio Director, Entro Communications

  2024 Built Environment Jury Member

  As a Creative Director at Entro, Jacqueline brings over 12 years of multi-disciplinary design experience to the team. Her expertise spans a wide spectrum, including experiential graphics, exhibition design, identity, branding and interior design. Drawing inspiration from all aspects of life, Jacqueline strives to create dynamic, user-friendly environments of all types and sizes. Jacqueline’s education in Graphic Design, Architecture, and Fine Art History allows her to approach each project with a unique perspective. She is a valuable member of the senior design team with a skilled ability to work with international and specialized consultants, architects and fabricators to deliver highly tailored, award-winning solutions.

• 

  Eny Lee Parker

  Founder, Eny Lee Parker

  2022 Furniture & Lighting Jury Member

  Eny Lee Parker is a spatial designer based in New York, emphasizing in objects, furniture and lighting, using clay as her main medium. Parker reclaims the essence of making used in traditional craft from our past – the slowness, the intention, the respect for natural resources, creating contemporary objects that brings awareness to our presence as well as to non-living things.

• 

  Cilia Indahl

  Head, EQT Foundation

  2023 Sustainability Jury Member

  Cilia Indahl joined the global investment organization EQT during the pandemic to set up the EQT Foundation, an impact first investor and incubator. The foundation provides catalytic capital to entrepreneurs, who are building solutions within climate, health or inclusion and supports research accelerating impact investing. Indahl has a double degree in sustainable innovation and international business from HEC Paris and the NHH and started her career as trainee for the Norwegian Mission to the UN, assisting on the negotiations of the UN SDGs. Prior to joining EQT, Indahl was CEO of the impact investing organization Katapult and Sustainability Director at Aker Biomarine, where she also holds a board position.