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Deborah Dawton

Chief Executive, Design Business Association

Deborah began her career with the RSA working on their Student Design Awards and she set up her own business delivering design events, competitions and conferences all over Europe for leading organisations.

In 2003 Deborah joined the Design Business Association as CEO. Funded entirely by the design industry with a remit to drive up their professionalism and the profile of design’s value in business, the DBA’s membership has more than doubled along with the association’s turnover to nearly £1million.

She was President of the Bureau of European Design Associations (BEDA) for two years until March 2013. Deborah is a member the European Design Leadership Board, an expert group of design advisors to the Commission and in this capacity is often asked to address policy makers on the role of design in policy.

Her experience of the design sector in the UK, this European-level insight and her work with BEDA, has resulted in her being consulted on the potential structure and strategy for design support in various countries.

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Tim Duncan

Founder & Managing Director, TDC PR

Tim is the founder and managing director of TDC PR, an international communications consultancy working with clients across design, creative, technology and innovation.

Tim is a communications professional with over 15 years’ experience of working both in-house and for market-leading PR agencies. Prior to establishing TDC in 2013, Tim worked agency side at Grayling and 3 Monkeys Communications and then as Head of PR for leading design and innovation company Seymourpowell.

With broad experience working across a wide variety of B2B and B2C clients, issues and content, Tim is well versed in devising, developing and delivering comprehensive, strategic and tactical plans for external communications in support of business development, marketing, and reputation management.

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Louise French

Global Operations Director, forpeople

Louise brings over 20 years of experience in the design industry, having begun her career in communication roles at renowned consultancies such as Wolf Olins, The Clearing, and Venture Three. She then transitioned into operational leadership positions at Pentagram, Fruit, and forpeople. As Studio Operations Director at forpeople, Louise oversees all operations including people development, recruitment, IT infrastructure, building management, marketing, and communications. A member of the global leadership team, she implements company-wide strategies to support board ambitions, providing leadership to a 120-person team across London and Amsterdam.

Louise has led initiatives to increase diversity and spearheaded the firm’s first reputation and outreach-building programme. Since joining forpeople in 2016, she has been key in growing the team from 70 to 115 members and achieving BCorp certification in 2023.

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Khadija Kapacee

Co-founder and Managing Director, EDIT Brand Studio

Khadija has built and led EDIT Brand Studio, a specialist creative partner for arts, culture and knowledge, alongside her business partner Karen Hughes, since it was founded in Manchester in 2017. With experience leading large-scale transformational rebrands and campaigns for national, regional and local institutions, she has helped develop an enviable client roster which includes National Portrait Gallery, Hay Festival, Historic England, British Council, English National Ballet and English National Opera.

Originally from Kenya and fluent in five languages, Khadija brings an international perspective to her work. Under her leadership, EDIT has grown to a team of nine, being ranked 9th in Creative Boom’s 25 most popular design studios for 2025 and winning in both the Creative Review Annual Awards and Brand Impact Awards 2024.

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Georgina Leigh-Pemberton

Managing Director, Turner Duckworth

Georgina started her career at Advertising Agency Ogilvy and Mather after Graduating from Nottingham University with a BA in Medieval History. After a few years working on communications for consumer brands ranging from Argos to Persil, Georgina found she was increasingly drawn to the product itself, and how it showed up in people’s homes. From there she started her career in design at Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR), working on icons from Heinz Baked Beans to Budweiser and Hovis Bread.

Georgina left JKR to move to New York and lead the Sterling Brands team, before returning to London with her young family, and taking up the role of Managing Director of Turner Duckworth in London. Georgina’s career spans 25 years and is founded in a love for everyday brands we all buy, what makes them unmistakable, why they show up in cupboards and fridges across the country, and why they have a special place in the culture of our nation. Her personal interests lie in history, buildings, furniture, fabric and food.

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Simon Ritchie

Global Design Lead, Marketing Excellence, Haleon

Simon has positioned design at Haleon as a competitive advantage by establishing the mission to “Design for Human Impact.” He leads a global community of practice through the Design Centre of Excellence, driving creative leadership via the Advanced Design Leadership program and ‘Design Focus’ sessions that elevate brand standards and foster next-best practices.

Simon has spearheaded transformative brand initiatives, including the redesign of numerous brands across the portfolio in OTC and Oral Health. Previously at GSK Consumer Healthcare, Simon occupied the roles of Design & Ideation Director and Global Design Director where his work on brands such as Sensodyne, parodontax, and Aquafresh contributed to double-digit growth and earned multiple accolades, including Red Dot, DBA and Dupont Awards. 

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Matt Round

Chief Creative Officer, tangerine

Matt drives strategic and tactical design initiatives that elevate product, service, and experience quality, leading to commercial success at tangerine, a strategic design consultancy known for its outstanding work with international clients across various sectors. His career began in 1991 with bespoke furniture design for Harvey Nichols and luxury galleries, before moving into consultancy. Early in his tenure at tangerine, Matt contributed to the award-winning Club World seat for British Airways, which won the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards Grand Prix.

As a leader, he has played a crucial role in tangerine’s evolution into a globally acclaimed design studio, fostering relationships with top brands such as British Airways, Nikon, and Toyota. A respected industry figure, Matt has judged the D&AD Awards and delivered keynote speeches worldwide, including an address at the UK Parliament’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

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Andy Sexton

Partner and Executive Creative Director, 2LK

Andy is driven by a commitment for effective design (and with seven DBA Design Effectiveness Awards under his belt to prove it), he oversees 2LK’s ‘Effective Experiential’ approach to creativity.

Trained in product design and marketing, Andy joined 2LK in 2007, initially as a 3D designer. Moving quickly through various leadership roles, he became Executive Creative Director and a significant shareholder in the business when he was just 28. Since then, 2LK has more than doubled in size, becoming a globally recognised leader in brand experience design. From one-off activations to multi-format experiential campaigns and permanent installations, he leads the strategy and creative direction for the likes of Intel, TikTok, Canon and HSBC.

With his fingers firmly on the pulse of what’s happening now and next, Andy regularly contributes articles and speaking engagements, judges awards programmes, mentors for the DBA and actively supports the design faculties at both Southampton Solent University and University for the Creative Arts.

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Nicola Tiffany

Managing Director, HMA

Nicola started her career 20 years ago as an Internal Account Executive at HMA – the agency she now owns and runs. As part of HMA’s planned succession strategy, Nicola returned from maternity leave after her second child in 2015 to take the role of Managing Director before leading a management buyout of the agency in 2016.

Following the MBO, Nicola and the management team pivoted the agency’s focus to a sector specialism in Health & Life Sciences – working with the NHS, NHS-commissioned services, third sector organisations and businesses from start-up innovators to global pharmaceuticals as well as partnering with academia on digital health research projects.

Passionate about inspiring the next generation of talent and shining a light on the career opportunities in the creative and digital industries, Nicola dedicates time to working with local schools and colleges; weaving digital components into traditional design courses, setting live briefs, carrying out mock interviews, and participating in careers events and panel discussions.

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Stephanie Verschoor

Head of Design & New Digital Solutions, NatWest Group

Stephanie is a marketing specialist and business leader in brand & innovation strategy and creative development. As Head of New Digital Solutions & Design at NatWest Group she is responsible for customer experience design across the full user journeys in Commercial, Institutional, and international markets, across the NatWest Group’s portfolio of brands.

Prior to joining NatWest Group Stephanie led Reckitt’s design and brand communication across consumer touch points, design led innovation and delivered world class customer experiences for a wide range of well known global brands (e.g. Dettol, Durex, Enfamil). She has been the recipient of many global industry awards such as the Red Dot Product Design Award, the DBA Design Effectiveness Award, IF Gold Packaging Award and Dutch Best Book Design award. Stephanie is a driver of diversity and female leadership.