Jury Alumni

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  Allison Dring

  CEO, Made of Air

  2023 Sustainability Jury Captain

  Allison Dring is CEO and Co-Founder of Made of Air, a company that produces carbon negative materials to actively reverse climate change. Made of Air was named the Falling Walls 2020 Science Start Up Breakthrough of the Year and listed in Norrskens’s top 100 impact companies, 2022. Allison is an experienced entrepreneur, initiating climate positive technologies and applying them to real world building applications. She is the 2022 recipient of AmCham Germany’s Female Founder Award. 
  
  Previously, as Founder of Elegant Embellishments, she co-invented and manufactured proslve370e, an award winning building product that reduces urban air pollution using only sunlight.
  
  She is a veteran speaker on topics involving technology and the environment, including a foundational TEDx Berlin talk entitled "Ornament & Climate", which launched the idea of storing atmospheric carbon in buildings. She is a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader, and serves as Advisory Board Member for the Falling Walls Foundation, Creating Urban Tech Berlin and the The Lifeboat Foundation.

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  Ishmael Adams

  Principle Designer, Microsoft

  2023 Home & Living Jury Member

  Ishmael strives to create products and experiences that are empathic and fueled by observation, intuition, and collaboration. He has been a pivotal part of the entire process, from research, concept development, production, and manufacturing liaison. Ishmael has accumulated many skills and experience over his extensive career. He has worked with some of the most renowned companies and various industries, from sporting goods to consumer tech, and collaborated with inspiring and dynamic startups. Ishmael focuses on bringing new and unexpected solutions to products and experiences and is passionate about creating holistic design solutions for all. Since joining Microsoft Windows and Devices team, over a year ago, Ishmael has led projects across a variety of categories and new horizons. Prior to joining Microsoft, Ishmael was design lead at MNML based in Chicago, where he led projects for Bang & Olufsen, Logitech, Adidas, Samsung, and many more startups.

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  Zeeshan Hakkim

  Senior Industrial Designer, Minimal

  2023 Home & Living Jury Member

  Zeeshan Hakkim is an Industrial designer born and raised in India based in Chicago, Illinois at MNML. He completed his master’s degree in Product Design Management at ISD Rubika. His passion for design stems from an obsession towards creative problem solving by using, learning and adapting new tools into an ever-evolving design process. He believes that good design resides at the intersection of empathy and craft. Over the last 6 years he has had the opportunity to collaborate with small startups as well as fortune 500 companies to bring to life products from lifestyle brands, medical products, consumer electronics and furniture to name a few. Zeeshan’s skill sets span across multiple disciplines that include industrial design, product development, mechanical engineering, graphic design, packaging design, and branding.

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  Marcelo Coelho

  Faculty, MIT Department of Architecture

  2023 Lifestyle Accessories Jury Member

  Marcelo Coelho is Head of Design at Formlabs and Faculty at the MIT Department of Architecture. Spanning a wide range of media, processes, and scales, his work explores the boundaries between matter and information, fostering new forms of collaboration between human and artificial intelligence.
  
  Marcelo’s work has been exhibited internationally, including places such as the Rio 2016 Paralympic Ceremonies, Times Square, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and Ars Electronica, and can be found in museums, private collections, and millions of products sold all over the world. Recognition for this work includes two Prix Ars Electronica awards, Design Miami/ Designer of the Future Award, Red Dot Design Award, and Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Award. He holds a doctorate degree from the MIT Media Lab.
  

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  Scott Wilson

  Founder + CEO, MNML

  2023 Sports & Outdoors Jury Member

  Scott Wilson is a design entrepreneur and founder of the brand acceleration and product innovation studio, MINIMAL (MNML), in Chicago. With a diverse background in industries spanning lifestyle, sports, furniture, medical, consumer products, agriculture, and technology, Wilson has a passion for solving problems through beautifully simple solutions that connect emotionally and rationally with users. His studio has received numerous awards and recognition for its 15-year track record of commercial design successes creating billions of dollars in revenue for its clients and partners.
  
  In 2010, Wilson's Apple Nano LUNATIK Watch campaign sparked both the crowdfunding and wearable era and became the first $1 million Kickstarter fundraiser in history, changing the face of entrepreneurialism forever. He has been recognized as one of TIME Magazine's and Fast Company's Most Influential Designers and is a recipient of the prestigious Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, which is bestowed upon the top designer in the nation each year by the White House.
  

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  Bas van de Poel

  Co-Founder, Modem

  2023 Speculative Design Jury Captain

  Bas van de Poel is co-founder at Modem, an office for design and innovation committed to creating experiences for a new world. Whether through research papers with institutions like MIT, Harvard GSD or UC Berkeley or its work with clients such as Nike, Google, Teenage Engineering, and OpenAI. Prior to Modem, Bas served as Creative Director at IKEA’s research and design lab SPACE10 where he led large-scale digital transformation and sustainability programs.

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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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  Délia McNair

  Global Director of Technology Innovation, Nike

  2023 Speculative Design Jury Member

  Experienced innovation leader with a passion for fostering creativity, building strong team cultures, and leveraging technology for good. As Global Director of Technology Innovation at Nike, Délia brings digital and physical innovation concepts to life by building high-performing teams, shaping digital strategy, and developing streamlined innovation processes. Her 15+ years of experience include time at Netflix, DentsuACHTUNG!, PVH, and Google.

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  Lesley-Ann Noel

  Assistant Professor, Design Studies, North Carolina State University

  2023 Health & Wellness Jury Member

  Lesley-Ann Noel was trained as an Industrial Designer at the Universidade Federal do Paraná. She holds a PhD in Design from North Carolina State University and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of the West Indies. She is an Assistant Professor at the College of Design at North Carolina State University. She is co-Chair of the Pluriversal Design Special Interest Group of the Design Research Society. She is one of the co-editors of The Black Experience in Design for Allworth (2022) and has created several design tools for critical reflection such as The Designer’s Critical Alphabet and the Positionality Wheel.

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  Beau Perschall

  Director, Omniverse Sim Data Ops, NVIDIA

  2023 Emerging Technologies Jury Member

  Beau is a 30+ year 3D animation industry veteran and respected management professional with a long track record of delivering high-quality tools, services, and support on his partners' behalf. He's developed and maintained deep relationships with all of the major players in the 3D arena including NVIDIA, Amazon, Autodesk, Adobe, Apple, Microsoft, Maxon, Epic Games, and Unity just to name a few, and has been deeply involved in helping bring standards to 3D over the past 20 years as part of TurboSquid, which was acquired by Shutterstock in 2021. He was instrumental in the development of both the CheckMate 3D modeling standard and StemCell initiatives to help train artists on how to create visual content in a more consistent and professional manner so it could be utilized in multiple projects easily. In his role at NVIDIA, he is building a new 3D content creation standard called SimReady to help ensure that 3D art assets can be utilized across a wide range of machine learning, AI and simulation platforms in a consistent and predictable manner.

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  Jonas Damon

  Industrial Design Consultant, Office for Design

  2023 Lifestyle Accessories Jury Member

  Jonas Damon is an industrial designer and creative director, collaborating with startups and established companies through his New York City-based consultancy Office for Design. Jonas engages with a wide range of industries, including technology, personal care, furniture & lighting, architecture & construction, food & beverage, and retail & hospitality, interested in outcomes that explore aspects of discovery, engagement, and play.
  
  Prior to Office for Design, Jonas held leadership positions at Starbucks, where he founded the company's first internal industrial design team, frog design, where he led the firm's North American industrial design and mechanical engineering teams, and an earlier iteration of Office for Design.
  

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  Natalie Candrian

  Creative Director, OMORPHO, SAYSH

  2023 Sports & Outdoors Jury Captain

  Natalie Candrian is a Swiss designer, living in Zurich, Switzerland and is currently creative design director at fitness brand OMORPHO and footwear brand SAYSH. Her career has been focused on the world of sport, creating footwear, apparel and accessories for the world’s largest brands and iconic athletes.
  
  Candrian worked with icon Allyson Felix to design and develop the SayshOne, followed closely by SayshSpike, a bespoke track spike for Felix, worn during Tokyo 2021 Olympics where she earned two medals becoming the most decorated female track & field athlete in history. Candrian began her career at Adidas where she designed the signature TMAC 1, 2 and 3 basketball sneaker for icon Tracy McGrady. His signature TMAC 1, 2 and 3 are still being reproduced today having sold with more 1.5 million units.
  
  At Nike she joined the exclusive Explore design group reporting directly to the President, designing innovative concepts relating to consumer and product experiences. Working closely with athletes she changed the game of tennis with the release of Maria Sharapova’s “little black dress”. Sharapova won the US Open title that year.
  
  Natalie is named FastCompany’s 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2022.

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  Dylan Buffington

  US Marketing Manager, Pas Normal Studios

  2023 Transportation Jury Member

  Dylan Buffington is an experienced creative professional in design and marketing with over a decade of industry experience. He started his career as a freelance designer, working with clients from various industries to develop branding, marketing collateral, and industrial design. Later, he moved to a full-time role as a Lead Creative at Specialized Bicycles, where he honed his skills in visual communication and brand strategy. Dylan has been serving as Creative Director for various companies, focusing on creative leadership and management, developing high-performing projects from concept to completion, and creating innovative marketing campaigns that drive business growth.
  
  Currently, Dylan is the US Marketing Manager at Pas Normal Studios, a leading Danish cycling apparel brand. He is responsible for developing brand, retail, and activation strategies. Dylan's expertise in design and marketing, combined with his passion for the industry, has allowed him to drive business success and push the boundaries of what is possible. He is a skilled communicator and collaborator with a deep understanding of the power of design to connect with audiences and drive business growth.
  

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  Jeff Olm

  Colorist, Director, Filmmaker, and Editor, Perfect Pictures

  2023 Emerging Technologies Jury Member

  Jeff has over 35 years of experience in editorial, color correction, VFX, virtual, and augmented reality. He has worked on over 100 films and numerous award-winning productions including: Titanic, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Fifth Element, Avengers, Spiderman, Harry Potter, and Armageddon.
  
  Jeff has worked as part of the creative, production, and post-production teams for numerous companies including Disney, Dreamworks Animation, Marvel, Sony, Warner Bros., Digital Domain, Universal, and New Line. Jeff has also worked on virtual reality projects for the NFL, NBA, and MLB. He is an expert at creating workflows for media projects.
  
  Jeff also worked for Autodesk and was part of Flame, Smoke, and Lustre product launches. He has lectured for universities all over the world speaking about post-production and virtual reality.
  

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  Yesim Kunter

  Play Expert & Creative Strategist, Play to Innovate,

  2023 Toys & Play Jury Member

  Yesim Kunter is a recognized play expert and a creative strategist who understands the behavior of people to create new experiences and define new opportunities.
  
  As a consultant; develops “playful” experiences for Fortune 500 Companies, Universities, and Communities by applying ‘Play Philosophy’ to products, environments, communities, and culture creation as well as market research with future scoping; She has facilitated numerous successful ‘PlaytoInnovate® Workshops’ in training organizations with diverse backgrounds from kids to professionals for leveraging Creative Thinking and held talks at prestigious conferences.
  
  Previous to her consultancy she had worked for Toys R Us, Lego, and Hasbro as a play futurist.
  

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  Stuart Harvey Lee

  Founder, Prime Studio

  2023 Commercial Equipment Jury Captain

  Stuart Harvey Lee is the Founder of Prime Studio, a Product + Brand design consultancy based in NYC. He started his career as a Mechanical Engineer working in a steelworks before discovering his passion for Industrial Design whilst earning his Masters Degree at the Royal College of Art.
  
  He moved to New York in 1991 and cut his teeth working at both Smart Design and Able Design before founding Prime Studio in 1998. At Prime, Stuart is fortunate to work with a wide range of clients from global companies like Unilever and Bayer to startups like Harry’s and Welly. Most importantly he relishes designing products which make a meaningful difference to people’s lives.
  
  When he’s not designing Stuart can either be found challenging himself to ride the hills of the Hudson Valley on his favorite bike or desperately trying to cultivate his asparagus bed.