Speakers

Paul Arion

Global Head of Layout, DNeg

Originally from Transylvania, Romania, Paul Arion's career spans over 20 years in visual effects. Over the last decade, Paul worked for two of the leading companies in the world of visual effects, Moving Picture Company and dNeg.

His work contributed to more than 85 Hollywood titles culminating in three visual effects Oscars with his teams for Jungle Book (2017), Blade Runner 2049 (2018), and First Man (2019).

Paul continues to hone his skills and indulge his obsession with framing, lighting, and composition. He's currently based in London.

Jacinda Walker

Founder, designExplorr

Jacinda Walker is renowned for her work in design, diversity, research, and strategy. She is the founder and creative director of designExplorr, a social enterprise whose mission addresses the diversity gap within the design profession.

Her research on "Design Journeys: Strategies for Increasing Diversity in Design Disciplines" has been hailed as breakthrough work. This solutions-based thesis explores diversity in design disciplines and investigates effective strategies to expose Black and Latino youth to design careers.

Jacinda’s future goals are to help scale diversity in design initiatives within education institutions, corporations, organizations, and museums.

Forest Young

Global Principal, Wolff Olins

Forest Young is Global Principal at Wolff Olins—recently named Fast Company’s Most Innovative Company for Design—where he leads initiatives for the world’s most influential companies.

Forest is an MFA Critic in graphic design at the Yale School of Art, where he is also a distinguished alumnus and recipient of the Mark Whistler Prize. He recently served on the National Board of Directors for the AIGA, and his work has been exhibited at MoMA, the Royal College of Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, and at international biennials. He has received the industry's highest design accolades including the Gold Design Lion at Cannes and the Art Directors Club Black Cube.

Dana Salls Cree

Executive Pastry Chef and Author, Hello, My Name is Ice Cream

The human intention of artistry and the physical manipulation of craftsmanship both participate in the creative process, the driving force behind most of our occupations.

Dana Salls Cree used top kitchens across the world to shape her creative process. An award-winning pastry chef and author, Dana recently started an ice cream company in Chicago that pushes the boundaries of frozen novelties, both in product development and brand messaging.

From Japanese gardens to cosmic star nurseries, Dana absorbs the world around her, sourcing the material used to generate new works of culinary art, and shows us why it's so important to explore beyond your own field.

Anuradha Pehrson

LEGO Architect

An unexpected move across the world suddenly changed the course of Anu Pehrson’s life and career. A professional accountant, she seized on an opportunity to start afresh.

Architecture as a subject had always been a passion of Anu’s. Using LEGO bricks as a medium, she discovered she could design and build anything she imagined. So, she chose to become a LEGO builder—someone who designs and creates their own models.

Anu believes creativity comes from a place within and is translated by the mind to bring an idea into being. The process behind Anu’s intricately detailed LEGO creations—how inspiration leads to manifestation—is just as interesting as the final product.

Jeff Pelletier

Principal Architect and Founder, Board & Vellum

Architecture is a profession Jeff Pelletier loves deeply. He was one of those kids playing in a room filled with LEGO bricks who grew up to be an adult practicing architecture in a room filled with LEGO bricks.

Jeff spent a decade working for Seattle-area firms before founding Board & Vellum in 2011. He’s been honored with the “40 Under 40” award by Puget Sound Business Journal, recognized as one of the Top 200 Influencers in the Construction Industry by Fixr, and named one of the top two architects in Seattle by Build Direct.

He enjoys cooking, travel, hiking, skiing, volunteering with local non-profits, a good bourbon, and hunkering down in his LEGO room.

Scott Berkun

Author of How Design Makes the World

Scott Berkun is a bestselling author and speaker on creativity, leading projects, culture, business, and many other subjects. He’s a former interaction designer and project manager who worked for many years at Microsoft and WordPress.

His books include his latest, How Design Makes the World, as well as The Myths of Innovation, Confessions of a Public Speaker, and The Year Without Pants. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, the Guardian, Wired magazine, Fast Company, and more.

Srikanth Iyer

Founder and CEO, Homelane.com

Srikanth Iyer is a compulsive entrepreneur with more than 27 years of experience in founding and scaling businesses across multiple industries—from edtech to home interiors.

In 2014, piqued by his personal disappointment in dealing with the unorganized sector for home designing and decor, and envisioning a large opportunity, Srikanth founded HomeLane, India’s preferred home interiors brand.

An erstwhile ping pong player, Srikanth is an avid sports fan who dabbles in squash, cycling, and tennis.

Pablo Stanley

Co-founder and CEO, Blush

Pablo Stanley is a co-founder, CEO, and doodler at Blush (but mostly doodler). Previously co-founder of Carbon Health, staff designer at Lyft, and lead designer at InVision.

He gives talks and workshops around the world on product design, animation, illustration systems, storytelling, accessibility, behavioral economics, challenges of being a designer, and the art of comics.

Srikanth Iyer

Founder and CEO, Homelane.com

Srikanth Iyer is a compulsive entrepreneur with more than 27 years of experience in founding and scaling businesses across multiple industries—from edtech to home interiors.

In 2014, piqued by his personal disappointment in dealing with the unorganized sector for home designing and decor, and envisioning a large opportunity, Srikanth founded HomeLane, India’s preferred home interiors brand.

An erstwhile ping pong player, Srikanth is an avid sports fan who dabbles in squash, cycling, and tennis.

Scott Berkun

Author of How Design Makes the World

Scott Berkun is a bestselling author and speaker on creativity, leading projects, culture, business, and many other subjects. He’s a former interaction designer and project manager who worked for many years at Microsoft and WordPress.

His books include his latest, How Design Makes the World, as well as The Myths of Innovation, Confessions of a Public Speaker, and The Year Without Pants. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, the Guardian, Wired magazine, Fast Company, and more.

Jeff Pelletier

Principal Architect and Founder, Board & Vellum

Architecture is a profession Jeff Pelletier loves deeply. He was one of those kids playing in a room filled with LEGO bricks who grew up to be an adult practicing architecture in a room filled with LEGO bricks.

Jeff spent a decade working for Seattle-area firms before founding Board & Vellum in 2011. He’s been honored with the “40 Under 40” award by Puget Sound Business Journal, recognized as one of the Top 200 Influencers in the Construction Industry by Fixr, and named one of the top two architects in Seattle by Build Direct.

He enjoys cooking, travel, hiking, skiing, volunteering with local non-profits, a good bourbon, and hunkering down in his LEGO room.

Dana Salls Cree

Executive Pastry Chef and Author, Hello, My Name is Ice Cream

The human intention of artistry and the physical manipulation of craftsmanship both participate in the creative process, the driving force behind most of our occupations.

Dana Salls Cree used top kitchens across the world to shape her creative process. An award-winning pastry chef and author, Dana recently started an ice cream company in Chicago that pushes the boundaries of frozen novelties, both in product development and brand messaging.

From Japanese gardens to cosmic star nurseries, Dana absorbs the world around her, sourcing the material used to generate new works of culinary art, and shows us why it's so important to explore beyond your own field.

Forest Young

Global Principal, Wolff Olins

Forest Young is Global Principal at Wolff Olins—recently named Fast Company’s Most Innovative Company for Design—where he leads initiatives for the world’s most influential companies.

Forest is an MFA Critic in graphic design at the Yale School of Art, where he is also a distinguished alumnus and recipient of the Mark Whistler Prize. He recently served on the National Board of Directors for the AIGA, and his work has been exhibited at MoMA, the Royal College of Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, and at international biennials. He has received the industry's highest design accolades including the Gold Design Lion at Cannes and the Art Directors Club Black Cube.

Jacinda Walker

Founder, designExplorr

Jacinda Walker is renowned for her work in design, diversity, research, and strategy. She is the founder and creative director of designExplorr, a social enterprise whose mission addresses the diversity gap within the design profession.

Her research on Design Journeys: Strategies for Increasing Diversity in Design Disciplines has been hailed as breakthrough work. This solutions-based thesis explores diversity in design disciplines and investigates effective strategies to expose Black and Latino youth to design careers.

Jacinda’s future goals are to help scale diversity in design initiatives within education institutions, corporations, organizations, and museums.

Anuradha Pehrson

LEGO Architect

An unexpected move across the world suddenly changed the course of Anu Pehrson’s life and career. A professional accountant, she seized on an opportunity to start afresh.

Architecture as a subject had always been a passion of Anu’s. Using LEGO bricks as a medium, she discovered she could design and build anything she imagined. So, she chose to become a LEGO builder—someone who designs and creates their own models

Anu believes creativity comes from a place within and is translated by the mind to bring an idea into being. The process behind Anu’s intricately detailed LEGO creations—how inspiration leads to manifestation—is just as interesting as the final product.

Paul Arion

Coming Soon

Coming Soon