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Gadi AMIT, NewDealDesign LLC, President & Principal Designer
Gadi Amit is a San Francisco based technology designer behind some of the most innovative and
market-winning products created over the last two decades. President of technology design studio
NewDealDesign, Gadi leads a multidisciplinary team uniting people, culture and technology to build
joyful experiences for the world’s top brands and disruptors alike. Select clients include Microsoft,
Fitbit, Google, Herman Miller, Postmates, Deutsche Telekom, Intel, and many more.
Gadi and his team have won over 100 international design awards, including Fast Company’s Most
Innovative Design Company. Gadi was selected one of Surface Magazine’s ‘Power 100,’ ‘Fast
Company’s ‘1000 Most Creative People’ and Fast Company’s ‘Master of Design.’ In 2013 First Lady
Michelle Obama presented Gadi with the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award at the White House
for an unrelenting commitment to crafting delightful design in everyday tech objects.
Gadi regularly speaks at conferences and contributes to top-media publications worldwide including
Bloomberg in San Francisco, Wired in London, Vivid Ideas in Sydney, Fortune Brainstorm Tech Aspen,
Brainstorm Design Singapore, and Design Week in Istanbul.
Anne ASENSIO, Dassault Systèmes, Vice-President Design Experience
Anne Asensio is a designer. She held executive roles in design management and innovation strategy,
at Renault, General Motors, and now Dassault Systèmes. There she founded the Design Studio,
gathering a multidisciplinary team in innovation strategy by design (Design Experience), design
research, design management and consultancy.
Anne Asensio has won several design and innovation awards and plays an active role in strategic
boards for companies and design schools throughout the world.
Jonathan ASHER, Dassault Systèmes, CATIA AEC Portfolio Director
Jonathan Asher bridges the architecture, engineering and construction disciplines as an expert in
generative parametric modeling, automation and digital fabrication.
An experienced architect, engineer and fabricator, he is responsible for the strategy and direction of
Dassault Systemes’ construction, cities and territories solutions for CATIA on the 3DEXPERIENCE
Platform.
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Abhishek BALI, Dassault Systèmes, 3DEXPERIENCE Lab Manager
Abhishek drives 3DEXPERIENCE Lab Startup Accelerator and Open Innovation program for North
America.
The Accelerator is focused on incubating early- to mid-stage startup companies around the space of
Product, Life and Nature that can potentially shift the scales of Innovation in their respective
industries.
Boston Lab was set up in May 2017 in collaboration with MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms and Fab
Foundation, and is a vital node for Dassault Systèmes to foster a culture of maker-ship within the
community globally, test out software-to-hardware integration platforms and support prototyping
needs of startups in the accelerator.
Abhishek served as Lead Designer (Mobile Phones) for Samsung Global Design before pursuing his
MBA from Cornell University. He is an artist and loves to write short pieces on Technology and
Human Emotions.
Enrico BASSI, Opendot, Fab La Coordinator
Enrico Bassi, graduated in "Design&Engineering" and “Product design” at Politecnico di Milano,
worked as Innovation designer in Milan and Miami for three years.
He worked as Fab Lab manager since 2011, when he coordinated the first Italian Fab Lab, Fab Lab
Italia. After that, he has been coordinator and president of Fab Lab Torino, a lab supported by
Officine Arduino, the Italian branch of Arduino.
He completed the "Fab Academy" in 2015, the international course about digital fabrication, held by
the founder of Fab Labs and professor at MIT, Neil Gershenfeld. In 2016 he became one of the
instructors of the following editions. He teaches “digital fabrication” in NABA and Domus Academy
(design master in Milan) and SUPSI (Interaction Design Master in Lugano). He coordinates the Fab
Lab OpenDot in Milan, in particular managing national and international project focused on co-
designing and developing digitally fabricated solution for people with special needs.
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Gian Paolo BASSI, Dassault Systèmes, CEO - Solidworks
Gian Paolo Bassi brings more than 25 years of experience in 3D, CAD, and PLM industries to Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. As CEO, Gian Paolo spearheads the development of SOLIDWORKS’ future
product and technology strategies designed for the desktop and the cloud, and collaboration with
the brand’s strong user community. He most recently served as the vice president of research and
development, where he was responsible for charting future product and technology strategies,
including the development of the brand’s cloud applications.
Prior to SOLIDWORKS, Gian Paolo was the founder and CTO of RIWEBB where he oversaw the
development of new technologies for the Mechanical and Architectural Design Automation industry,
collaborating with companies like Dassault Systèmes. Prior to RIWEBB, Gian Paolo served as vice
president and CTO of ImpactXoft, where he led the team developing functional modeling and
collaboration applications that are now part of CATIA. In this position, he co-invented three of his five
patents in functional modeling. He also served in the R&D organizations of companies like
Computervision and think3. Gian Paolo holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University
of Bologna.
Anna BERNAGOZZI, ECOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE DES ARTS DECORATIFS, Prof & curator of
French presence at Triennale exhibition Broken Nature
Anna Bernagozzi is Professor of design theory and history at the EnsAD – École Nationale Supérieure
des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. She also heads the EU research project 4Cs (from Conflict to Conviviality
through Creativity and Culture) at EnsAD.
The École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, which dates back to 1766, is a higher education
establishment under the supervision of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. EnsAD’s
mission and goal is the artistic, scientific and technical training of those designing and developing the
future of the decorative arts.
Additionally, Anna is a design consultant, an editor for design magazines and curator for several
exhibitions.
Enrico BIGARELLI, SHELL Eco-Marathon, Student/Team Member
Bigarelli Enrico is a student of Mechanics.
Since his childhood, he has been interested in the automotive world. He has been participating in
Team Zero C for 5 years, now he is an elder and experienced member of the group.
He had an internship experience for a few months as Production Manager.
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Franco BONACCINI, SHELL Eco-Marathon, Engineer - Technical Teacher
Franco Bonaccini is a Mechanical Engineer. He held executive roles in Technical dept. of few
companies, concerning the design and the production of consumer electric tools, like high-pressure
cleaners, hoists, wood cutting machines, etc.
Since 2001, he teaches Mechanical subjects at Technical Institute ITIS L. da Vinci Carpi (MO), in
particular Design, where the 3D aspect is developed using Solidworks.
Elvio BONISOLI, Pirelli & Politecnico di Torino – Parametric tire project, Associate Professor in
Applied Mechanics
Elvio Bonisoli is Associate Professor in Applied Mechanics at the Politecnico di Torino, Italy.
His main research interests are focused on mechanical dynamics, modelling, design and experimental
validation through CAD/CAE engineering tools.
The engineering interests for designing and developing of methodologies and tools is mainly devoted
to dynamic and vibrational systems, automotive component design, nonlinear dynamic applications,
such as energy harvesting devices, and identification techniques.
Author / co-author of more than 150 research articles in scientific journals and at international
conferences, he has worked with some industrial companies including Fiat Chrysler Automobiles,
General Motors, Magnetto Wheels, Pirelli Tyres, Valeo, STMicroelectronics or Lavazza.
Gianluca BRUGNOLI, McKinsey, Chief Experience Design
With over 25 years expertise in designing integrated UX / CX strategies for award winning digital
products, services and applications, Gianluca is the head of the McKinsey Design’s Milan team, where
he advises top-tier companies on how to incorporate design thinking and user insights into business
strategy and breakthrough product development.
Gianluca was previously Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director at Frog Design’s Milan office,
where he led a wide range of international multifunctional creative teams, innovation and digital
transformation programs across a number of sectors including financial services, e-commerce,
consumer products, telecom, media, fashion, enterprise applications and more. Gianluca has an
Architecture Degree and a PhD in Industrial Design, and he is also a design teacher at the Politecnico
di Milano.
Claudio CAPELLI, 3DCARE, UCL Researcher
Claudio Capelli, PhD is a researcher at University College London & Great Ormond Street Hospital for
Children (London, UK). Claudio graduated in biomedical engineering at Politecnico di Milano (Milan,
Italy) and he focused his main research activities in translating traditional engineering tools to
improve the care of patients with cardiovascular disease. Claudio is an expert of computational
models, simulations and virtual reality.
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Mario CARPO, University College London, Architect
Mario Carpo, Reyner Banham Professor of Architectural Theory and History, the Bartlett, University
College London.
Carpo's research and publications focus on the relationship among architectural theory, cultural
history, and the history of media and information technology. His Architecture in the Age of Printing
(2001) has been translated into several languages. His most recent books are The Second Digital
Turn: Design Beyond Intelligence (2017), The Alphabet and the Algorithm, a history of digital design
theory (2011); and The Digital Turn in Architecture, 1992-2012, an AD Reader.
Crisitano CECCATO, Zaha Hadid Architects, Associate Director
Cristiano Ceccato is an Associate Director at Zaha Hadid Architects. His work entails a range of
management, design and technology leadership responsibilities, leading large-scale public and
private projects. Professional focus includes technical team management, design and development of
building infrastructure, systems and cladding, including geometric and computational rationalization
and constructability resolution of structural and envelope systems; Business development, client
relations, project governance and cost control through integrated project delivery and associated
digital practice methodologies across the firm.
Cristiano has spearheaded ZHA’s entrance into the Aviation market since 2010. He is the Project
Director for the Beijing New Airport passenger terminal, and has led terminal and aviation
infrastructure project bids in China, Mexico, Turkey and the USA, establishing valuable
interdisciplinary partnership within the industry as a result.
Cristiano worked for seven years in the offices of Frank O. Gehry in Los Angeles. At Gehry Partners,
he was responsible for the development and application of parametric design tools and integrated
modeling principles, and associated digital construction methods, on a wide range of design projects
at all stages of development. He was also a co-founder and Director of Research & Consulting of
Gehry Technologies, where he was responsible for professional consulting services and technology
transfer. In addition to Frank Gehry projects, Cristiano worked on a wide range of external projects
through Gehry Technologies, including the Swire One Island East Tower in Hong Kong and the 2008
Olympic Stadium in Beijing, as well as cross-disciplinary research with Boeing. Cristiano also worked
for Arata Isozaki in Berlin and has executed a number of smaller projects independently.
Cristiano trained as both an architect and computer scientist, and has practiced architecture in
Europe, Asia and the US. He has lectured widely on the subject of computational rule-based design
systems and parametric form finding and construction in digital building processes. He has held
academic faculty positions in London, Milan, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Australia, where he is
currently a Visiting Professor of Architecture at QUT. He received his professional Diploma in
Architecture degree from the Architectural Association (1996) and an MSc in Computer Science from
Imperial College in London (1997). He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (UK) in 2004.
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Valérie FERRET, Dassault Systèmes, Learning Experience Vice-President
Valérie is Vice President of Learning Experience in Dassaut Systèmes. Her mission is to connect
education and industry on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, to provide the right skills and the right
mindset for people in the Industry Renaissance.
Valérie Ferret joined Dassault Systèmes in 2008, as Public Affairs and CSR manager. In 2012 she
became Public Affairs and Sustainability Director. She was responsible for developing the global
influencer network to promote the company vision on sustainable innovation.
Valérie holds a master in European Laws and Human Rights. She started her career in France in 2002
as legal counsel. Two years later, she joined a fast-growing private postal services operator in
Luxemburg to create the legal function. In 2006, she moved to the US and became Executive Director
of the French-American Chamber of Commerce in Boston.
She is married and proud mother of two children.
Matthew FIEDLER, re:3D, Head of Technology
Matthew Fiedler is Co-Founder and Head of Technology of re:3D Inc.
re:3D was founded in 2013 as a NASA spin-off company focused on decimating the cost and scale
barrier to 3D printing.
re:3D serves customers in over 50 countries as a full-service solutions provider offering their Gigabot
line of 3D printing machines, design and print services as well as contract research facilities. Over his
career, Matthew has built technical expertise in Tool and Die, Manufacturing Engineering
Technology, Biomechanical Engineering and Neuroscience. His areas of specialization encompass
polymers and thermoplastic welding combined with machine design and control.
Matthew leads research and development and engineering at re:3D and has managed projects
dealing with every aspect of product development.
Matthew's technical leadership has resulted in over 25 peer reviewed journal articles and
professional recognitions from the National Science Foundation, IEEE and NASA's Johnson Space
Center Technical and Special Reports.
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Annamaria FRANZ, CATAS, Marketing Dept.
Annamaria Franz, born in 1977 in Udine, took a degree in Mathematics with a thesis in Operations
Research in 2002. After some experience in AREA Science Park, the Trieste scientific park as a
technology transfer coordinator, in 2005 she started her career in Catas, the Italian wood and
furniture laboratory sited in San Giovanni al Natisone.
The Catas Technological and Chemical Departments perform a wide range of tests and research on
raw materials and end products, verifying that a product meets both the manufacturer’s
requirements and governing standards for quality, safety, strength, and durability. During
Annamaria’s permanence in the lab she worked in various areas.
Her nowadays activity is mainly focused on quality assessment of the mechanical tests carried out on
all kind of furniture, engineering and calibration of test equipment in the finished products
department. Within the marketing team, she manages and develops the marketing projects and
activities focused on the finished product department services.
Erik GRAB, Michelin, Vice-President – Strategic Anticipation and Innovation
Erik Grab is currently Vice- President of Michelin in charge of Strategic Anticipation and Innovation
for the Group.
He is also in charge of the MOVIN’ON LAB (former Michelin Challenge Bibendum), a co-innovation
ecosystem gathering over 300 international corporations, start-ups, academics, international
organizations, cities, public authorities and other entities.
His previous mission within the Michelin Group was as Global Marketing Director for the two main
business entities, namely Truck and Passenger Car.
Before joining Michelin, Erik had created a Business Consulting Agency, which he subsequently sold
to WPP, world leader in advertising and marketing services.
Erik began his career in sales, then turned to marketing consultancy and market studies, including
within the German Institute GfK before becoming the company’s French branch Director.
Erik is a strategic anticipation and innovation unconditional enthusiast and regularly speaks on
university campuses and international forums on the future of mobility and more generally on
innovation processes and methodologies.
He is also a member of the Futuribles International Board, President of the third research initiative
"Economy & Climate" at the University of Dauphine and President of the Strategic Orientation
Committee of ICN. He is also the new Mobilities Project Coordinator for the PFA (Plateforme de la
Filière Automobile Française) and Vice President of the “Mobility Factory” created by ADEME in
France, Canada and soon in Africa.
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Kerenza HARRIS, Morphosis Architects, Director of Design Technology
Kerenza Harris oversees advanced computational design and simulation for all projects at Morphosis.
Her team focuses on the research, development and integration of advanced technologies into the
design and construction process, using diverse software including Dassault Systèmes’
3DEXPERIENCE® Platform (CATIA) to model and rationalize forms, skins, and structures. She also
guides the firm’s use of AR and VR to create immersive environments that aid in testing and
communicating concepts through all phases.
Joining the firm in 2008, she has played a central role in major projects including the AIA National
Honor Award-winning Perot Museum of Nature and Science, where she led the creation and
coordination of the facade’s innovative pre-cast concrete paneling system.
Kerenza is also faculty at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), where her
teaching focuses on digital design tools and construction. She is a frequent lecturer on design
computation and the intersection of architecture and VR.
Oke HAUSER, MINI Living, Creative Lead
Oke Hauser (Dipl. Ing.) finished his architectural studies at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, with
first class honors and won the prestigious Bruno Taut Award for his thesis. After working at Rem
Koolhaas’ office OMA in New York and Herzog & De Meuron in Switzerland, he joined MINI as
Creative Lead for MINI LIVING, the brands venture into the future of urban housing.
Hélène HURET, Bernardaud, Director of Communication
Hélène Huret has been Bernardaud communication director and director of the Fondation
d’entreprise Bernardaud for more than 25 years. The French porcelain company was founded in
Limoges in 1863. Still family-owned, the brand has always striven for excellence, quality and
precision. Working in a field that is perpetually evolving, Bernardaud remains in the elite of design
and innovation, developing technologies that push back the technical limits of the art of porcelain
making.
Silvano JOLY, Centric Software, Italia Country Manager
Silvano is Centric Software Italia Country Manager. He has held sales leadership and management
positions in multiple software organizations over the last 20 years.
His experience includes operational management with large corporations as well as with rapid
growth and pre-IPO entities. He collaborates with Italian Universities, Italian economic newspaper
Sole24Ore, consulting firms in addition to being a pro-bono mentor to high-tech innovative start-ups.
Silvano is a committed supporter to the Piccola Casa Della Provvidenza (Cottolengo) the oldest Italian
institute dedicated to assist people with severe disabilities.
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Patrick JOUIN, Patrick Jouin ID, Designer
Patrick Jouin is a designer.
His creativity is expressed through both industrial design and decorative arts.
Associated with the greatest names for exceptional projects, Cassina, Kartell, Alessi, Puiforcat,
JCDecaux or Fermob, he occupies a special place in the international design landscape where few
know how to evolve with ease and strength. The career of Patrick Jouin, and his design agency,
Patrick Jouin ID, was recognized by a monographic exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in 2009 and
honoured by the Compasso d'Oro prize for the PastaPot in 2011.
Several of his creations have entered the permanent collections of museums around the world,
including the "Solid" collection at WOAgri, which in 2004 was the first series of furniture on a scale of
1 produced using 3D printing technologies.
Patrick Jouin is also involved in interior design projects with his partner Sanjit Manku, within the
Jouin Manku agency founded in 2006.
Tuba KOCATURK, Mediated Intelligence in Design (MInD) Lab, Director
Tuba Kocaturk is Professor of Integral Design at Deakin University, School of Architecture and Built
Environment, in Australia. She is the founding-director of the MInD (Mediated Intelligence in Design)
Lab; a transdisciplinary and practice-based research group that operates at the intersection of Built
Environment, Information Technology and Design Innovation.
Her expertise centers upon the creative, generative and collaborative use of information and
communication technologies and digital media in Built Environment and in Design. She has taught,
conducted research, delivered keynotes/workshops and published extensively in the areas of
Intelligent Built Environment, Digital Design Pedagogy, Design-Driven Innovation, and Digital/Physical
Place Making. Tuba’s work is predominantly practice-based and advocates the use of “design
thinking” and “system thinking” as a methodology for knowledge production and as a strategy for
cross-sector innovation. She has developed and led various research and taught programs and
practice-based design studios exploring the creative, collaborative and innovative adoption of digital
and media technologies in architectural and urban design.
Tuba is the Senior Editor of International Journal of ‘Architectural Computing, which is committed to
deepening the understanding of the foundations of digital systems for Architectural and Urban
Design and the technologies enabling their development and application. She is also the founding co-
director of Resilient Urban Ecosystems (RUE) Research Network and European Trans-Disciplinary
Network of Design. Tuba is currently collaborating with the City of Greater Geelong, in Victoria
(Australia) for the development of the city’s future agenda as a UNESCO City of Design.
Antje KUNZE, Dassault Systèmes, Senior Director for City Solutions
Antje is a Senior Director for City Solutions at Dassault Systèmes. She is working on what is needed to
build a healthy, liveable and resilient city and pushing digitalization on an international scale.
Previously she was a co-founder and CEO of CloudCities, a 3D web platform for urban planning and
design and a Solution Manager for BIM and Smart Cities at Esri Germany.
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Philippe LAUFER, Dassault Systèmes, CEO, CATIA
Philippe Laufer was appointed CEO CATIA in July 2012. He has been THE Man behind CATIA for 30
years, namely as VP R&D since 2006. His contribution has been crucial to CATIA’s present leadership
and he is unanimously recognized by our partners and customers as the worldwide CATIA expert. His
deep knowledge of the industry as well as the 3DS 3DEXPERIENCE platform and V6 applications has
already driven major successes deployments. Philippe continues to direct and oversee ALL CAD
related apps for the group when it comes to R&D, technologies and components re-use.
He began his career at Dassault Systèmes in 1985 as a developer and then worked in the Consulting
organization specializing in manufacturing.
After spending twelve months in Seattle in 1990-1991, helping DS’s client, Boeing, to deploy CATIA,
Philippe managed DS’s Automotive Competency Center. Through these experiences, Philippe
acquired deep knowledge in industries and customers business processes. Philippe leveraged this
expertise to manage the research and development of DS’s shape design and styling solutions and
drove these solutions to an undisputed leadership.
Philippe earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the “Ecole Centrale de Nantes” in 1983
followed by a Master degree in production automation from the “Ecole Nationale Supérieure des
Techniques Avancées“ in 1984.
Within and outside his job, he likes climbing unreachable mountains.
Arthur LEROUX, ENOGIA, Co-founder and president
Arthur Leroux is the co-founder and president of ENOGIA, experts in turbomachinery. Their flagship
product enables the recovery of wasted heat into electricity.
Arthur Leroux graduated from ENSAM ParisTech in 2008. He began his career in the management of
innovation projects at Bertin Technologies. His desire to get off the beaten track and his
entrepreneurial spirit pushed him to join forces with Antonin Pauchet and Nicolas Goubet, and to put
their skills to use in the energy transition by creating turbines that convert heat waste into electricity.
After four years of research, they marketed a green, reliable and robust product in 2015, which was
awarded by the former Minister for Economic Affairs Emmanuel Macron during the "CleanTech"
competition in the same year.
Since then, ENOGIA has almost doubled its turnover year-on-year, manufacturing more than 70
units, installed in about 20 countries. In 2017, the company was awarded the Deloitte Technology
Fast 50 prize as the French "CleanTech” company with the highest rate of growth in relation to its
turnover in France.
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Philippe LOEB, Dassault Systèmes, VP for the Home & Lifestyle, CPG and Retail Industry
Philippe Loeb is Dassault Systèmes’ Vice-President for the Home & Lifestyle, Consumer Packaged
Goods and Retail industries since 2012. In this position, he is responsible for helping brands and
retailers answer their customers’ growing expectations by delivering solutions to innovate from
concept to shoppers and consumers, on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Philippe Loeb brings over
twenty years of experience at Dassault Systèmes having served the company in multiple ways. During
his career, Philippe developed a joint venture between Dassault Systèmes and the communication
Group Publicis aiming at using 3D to co-create products with consumers. Prior to this position,
Philippe Loeb drove the strategic launch of 3DVIA, Dassault Systèmes’ brand dedicated to consumers.
Before this, Philippe Loeb was the executive technical assistant to Dassault Systèmes’ President and
CEO Bernard Charlès.
Karolina MANIKOWSKA, Nowy Styl Group, Product Management Department Deputy Director
Karolina has been working for the Nowy Styl Group, the third largest manufacturer of office furniture
in Europe, for 8 years. She leads a team responsible for workplace research, consulting customers on
office space trends and change management in the process of workplace creation. She also manages
a team of architects who support customers in creating attractive office spaces.
In 2017 Karolina has become a Chief of Product Management Department, who is responsible for
new product implementation and Nowy Styl Group portfolio maintenance and management on all
EMEA markets. Her team is interdisciplinary and consists of psychologists, sociologists, cultural
experts, architects, product managers and trainers, and is oriented to support customers with their
specialist expertise in various fields.
Emanuele MARCONI, SHELL Eco-Marathon, Student/Team Member
Emanuele Marconi is a Mechatronics student at ITIS Leonardo da Vinci.
Since 2014 he is a member of Team Zero C as mechanical designer on SolidWorks.
During his experience in the team, he has developed an interest in 3D modeling, more specifically on
surface design, with focus on aerodynamics.
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Thom MAYNE, Morphosis Architects, Founding Principal
Thom Mayne is founding principal of Morphosis, a global architecture firm engaged in architecture,
urban planning, and research since 1972. Based in Los Angeles, New York, and Shanghai with projects
worldwide, Morphosis’ work represents a wide variety of scales and typologies, from civic projects,
schools, and museums to commercial towers and city planning.
Under Mayne, Morphosis’ X-Tech group pursues technology and fabrication research, working with
industry partners to arrive at new solutions for constructability and performance. In partnership with
UCLA where he is a Distinguished Professor since 1993, Mayne also leads The Now Institute, a
graduate studio dedicated to applying design thinking to real-world issues facing cities today.
Mayne's distinguished honors include the Pritzker Prize (2005) and the American Institute of
Architects Gold Medal (2013). He served on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities
under President Obama, between 2009 and 2016.
With Morphosis, Thom Mayne has been the recipient of 28 Progressive Architecture Awards, over
100 American Institute of Architecture Awards and numerous other design recognitions. Morphosis
works have been published extensively. The firm has been the subject of numerous exhibitions and
over 33 monographs.
Xavier MELKONIAN, Dassault Systèmes, Dir. Catia Design Portfolio
Xavier MELKONIAN joined Dassault Systèmes in 2009 to take the responsibility of the CATIA DESIGN
domain.
Prior to join Dassault Systèmes, Xavier spent nearly 25 years in the software industry for styling &
design in various positions from R&D, business development, to product and industry management.
Xavier Melkonian is responsible at Dassault Systèmes to define the strategy of the CATIA Design roles
portfolio solutions for innovative Design studios to address the new challenges of style & design “in
the age of Experience” to gain the competitive advantage by design.
The CATIA Design portfolio provides a unified industrial design workflow from Creative Design,
human design, class-a surfaces modeling, Prototyping, Reverse Engineering to visualization and VR,
for both transportation and product design industries Solution Experience.
Eric MEYER, Morphosis Architects, Project Designer
Eric Meyer is a Project Designer at Morphosis Architects, where he leads the X-Tech group, a division
within Morphosis dedicated to material and fabrication research. Operating out of a full-service
fabrication shop, his team services the office’s specialized physical production needs, from
architectural models and full-scale mockups through component fabrication and installation.
Joining Morphosis in 2014, Eric has supported the resolution and delivery of significant projects
including the Kolon One & Only Tower in Seoul, an 820,000SF corporate laboratory facility defined by
a distinctive façade composed of fiber-reinforced polymer modules that were prototyped by X-Tech.
Eric received a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of New Mexico and a Master of
Architecture from the University of Michigan where he received the AIA Henry Adams Medal.
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Toshiko MORI, Toshiko Mori Architect, Architect
Toshiko Mori is an architectural force to reckon with. Her work on New York City public theatres,
museums, and subways has adapted the city to a greener future while maintaining its rich history. On
April 12th, she will be sharing her ideas about the convergence of science and art in design.
Caroline NAPHEGYI, LILLE METROPOLE 2020, WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL, Program Director
Caroline Naphegyi is the current Program Director of Lille Metropole 2020, World Design Capital.
Previously, she was the director of Lille—design, a platform that encourages the use of design by
public and private stakeholders to foster economic development, that supports designers, design of
public policies and social innovation through design
From 2000 to 2006, she contributed to the programming of Lille 2004 European Capital of Culture
and lille3000. Then, David Edwards, the founder of the Laboratory, entrusted her the direction of this
place dedicated to the development of research protocols associating creators and scientists. In
2010, she created Tomorrowland, a project management toolbox at the crossroads of disciplines,
and Design for Change, an international design competition that puts innovative solutions at the
service of public actors into practice.
Asheen PHANSEY, Babson College, Director of Sustainability
Asheen serves as the Director of Sustainability for Babson College, leading the development and
execution of the campus-wide strategic sustainability initiative; integrating sustainability throughout
the campus and curriculum; ensuring that the College’s sustainability efforts enhance and support
the long-term interests of the College; and positioning Babson as a thought-leader in sustainability.
Asheen has over a decade of corporate sustainability experience. From 2010-2017, Asheen led
several sustainability efforts for Dassault Systèmes, which was named the #1 on the Global 100 Most
Sustainable Corporations list by Corporate Knights. Since 2017, Asheen has consulted for several
companies in corporate sustainability, ranging from high-tech to the financial sector.
Asheen serves on the Board of Directors of Net Impact and the Advisory Council for the Power Shift
Network, both of which empower young people to drive sustainable change. He holds a bachelor’s
degree in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Babson College, and
frequently lectures at Babson and other universities.
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Claudia POLI, Visionnaire, Operations Manager
Operations Manager at Visionnaire with a specific experience in Supply Chain projects, Claudia Poli
grown and enriched her professional career, working mainly in large companies, dealing for over 15
years in Change Management, Lean Manufacturing, Plan Transfers, incorporation of acquired
companies and integrated logistics. In recent years, Claudia Poli has been involved in PLM and CPQ
implementations in the fashion field, helping the organization and the team to work together to
make the new tools effective. As Team Leader and Facilitator, Claudia Poli promoted Team Working,
Problem Solving and Driven Brainstorming techniques. Furthermore, Mindfulness techniques allow
her to better orient herself in the processes of change and faster reach her goals. All this allowed and
still allows her to have strong interpersonal skills, to be in tune with people of different cultures and
to support them in the development processes.
Atsushi SUGIUCHI, Morphosis Architects, Advanced Technology
Atsushi Sugiuchi is a key member of the advanced technology team at Morphosis, where he aids in
scripting on multiple platforms, BIM management, and optimization of complex geometry firm-wide.
Since joining Morphosis in 2012, Atsushi has supported the documentation and coordination of
major recent projects including the Hanking Center Tower in Shenzhen, Kolon One & Only Tower in
Seoul, and the new US Embassy Campus in Beirut. Native of Fukushima, Japan, Atsushi received his
MArch II from SCI-Arc, where he co-taught seminars on scripting in Maya and Rhino, and a BS in
Architecture from Portland State University.
Franck SYLVAIN, Eel Energy, CEO
After 27 years in finance, almost half of them at Morgan Stanley in London and the creation of Duet
Group, an asset management company, Franck decided to return to France with the aim of creating
value.
As the result of a meeting with an inventor JB Drevet, EEL ENERGY was born in 2012. Franck have
been the Director General for three years and one of the main shareholders.
Matteo TARABINI SOLMI, SHELL Eco-Marathon, Student-Team manager
Matteo Tarabini Solmi is the Team Manager of Team Zero C for Shell Eco-marathon Europe 2019.
He is the Team’s sole official liaison with the Organisers, and for the purposes of the project, he is
responsible for the correct organization of the team.
He has been part of the team since 2014, as mechanical designer and operator, accordingly to his
course of studies in Mechanics and Mechatronics at ITIS “Leonardo da Vinci”.
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Laura TEICHER, Greentown Learn, Executive Director
Laura Teicher is the Executive Director of Greentown Learn, the nonprofit sister organization of
Greentown Labs, which is the largest cleantech incubator in the US, home to over 95 startups solving
the world’s biggest efficiency, energy, and environmental challenges.
Greentown Learn has a complementary mission: to accelerate hardware startups’ path from
prototype to commercialization increasing survival, success, and impact. Building and testing its
programs at Greentown Labs, Greentown Learn then amplifies the impact of proven programming by
making it available to the broader cleantech and hardware community, beyond the walls of
Greentown Labs.
Laura leads Greentown Learn to ensure delivery on mission, and impact of programs to the growing
cleantech and hardware startups served. Prior to working with Greentown Learn, Laura served as
Executive Director at the Boston chapter of TiE, the largest global not-for-profit network dedicated to
fostering entrepreneurship. Underscoring her commitment to driving impactful, transformational
change, Laura has also long held leadership roles with the Boston Professional Chapter of Net Impact,
a worldwide network that connects and empowers young professionals seeking to use business as a
force for positive environmental and social impact.
Laura’s analytical and creative approach to identifying and tackling organizational opportunities
stems from a unique background that includes work experience in innovation, operations, and policy,
and degrees in business, studio art, and English. Laura earned her M.B.A. from Boston University in
2012. With a focus on building cross-cultural teams and creating shared value, she completed
portions of her studies in China and Brazil.
Mette THOMSEN, Centre for Info Tech & Architecture, Professor of Digital Technologies
Mette Ramsgaard Thomsen is Professor of Digital Technologies and leads CITA (Centre for
Information Technology and Architecture) at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of
Architecture, Design and Conservation.
During the last 15 years, her focus has been on the profound changes that digital technologies
instigate in the way architecture is thought, designed and built. In projects such as Complex
Modelling and Innochain she is exploring the infrastructures of computational modelling including
open topologies and adaptive parametrization. She is pursuing design led research at the interface
computational design and material thinking. Recent projects focus on advanced modelling concepts
examining how machine learning and big data can become solutions with highly interdependent
materials systems.
In 2016, she was awarded the Elite Research Prize for outstanding researchers under 45 years of
international excellence by the Danish Ministry for Higher Education and Science. In 2016, CITA was
awarded the “Innovative Academic Program Award of Excellence” by the prime conference within
the field, ACADIA (Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture).
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Lambert TRENORAS, GYROLIFT, CEO/CTO
Lambert Trénoras, PhD, CEO/CTO and co-founder of Gyrolift SAS. Lambert Trénoras holds a PhD in
Robotics from the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Lambert Trénoras holds an
international master's degree in Mechatronic Systems for Rehabilitation from the University Pierre et
Marie Curie (UPMC) and the Université degli studi di Brescia. He won the 2015 Demenÿ-Vaucanson
Prize for PhD research on the Gyrolift. He took an entrepreneurial training course at HEC Paris and
the acceleration program of Ecole Polytechnique.
The design can be source of inclusivity. With Gyrolift we are seeking to promote inclusive mobility,
developed mobility device for both valid and reduced mobility users. We are convinced that with the
design, we can remove the stigmatization caused by the medical device and change the human
experience.
Thomas VALLETTE, Stanley Black & Decker, Innovation Team Manager
Committed to strategic transformation and new business generation by new product design, Thomas
Vallette, Phd, worked for 17 years in innovation organization. Starting in Prospective design for
French Furniture Union for 7 years in collaboration with many designers, institutions and furniture
technical centers, he creates the innovation program “Habitat Senior” evolutive housing for elderly
people with more than 10 industrial partners, designers and architects.
Thomas Vallette is leading now in France the EU Breakthrough global innovation team as Innovation
Team Manager of the Hand Tools and Storage division in Stanley Black & Decker Company. His goals
is to lead an agile innovation culture from idea generation to product and solutions launches through
management of multidisciplinary and international teams and projects.
Masahiko YAMAGISHI, Honda Power Products, Design Leader Manager
MASAHIKO YAMAGISHI is a product designer of HONDA. He has started an exterior car design at
Honda R&D Wako Center (Automobile Design Center) as Exterior Modeler / Exterior Designer, and
then moved to Europe, Honda R&D Europe (Deutschland) GmbH (4-Wheel Design) as Exterior
Designer / Project Designer.
Now, he holds manager role in Power Product Styling Design at Honda R&D Life Creation Center.
MASAHIKO YAMAGISH has won several design awards and plays an active role in design events /
collaborations in Japan.
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Takumi YAMAMOTO, Takumi Yamamoto, Designer / CEO
Takumi has gained experience as a car designer in France, UK and Japan.
He studied and graduated at Tokyo Zokei University in Japan and Coventry University MA Automotive
design in UK.
In France, he joined PSA Prospective and cooperation design studio, before moving to Style Citroen.
At Citroen, he produced and designed “GT by Citroen” project in 2008.
In 2012, he joined Polyphony Digital, which is known for creating the iconic « Gran Turismo » series
of games for Playstation, as a design director of its European studio. He had initiated “Vison GT”
project.
Founded Takumi YAMAMOTO at 2017 for designing One-off Hypercars, robot, furniture and
industrial products.
January 2019, he presented “A portrait of db” project at Festival Automotive International.