Speakers 2015
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Ahsan Ansari
Designer, CLaY Architecture and Interiors
Ahsan Ansari set up his independent practice 17 years ago and his array of work ranges from urban residences, weekend retreats to retail spaces and offices. The essence of his work is based on a set of intangibles: intuition, emotion, shared memories and experience.
Ambrish Arora
Ambrish Arora founded Studio Lotus in 2002 along with Sidhartha Talwar and Ankur Choksi. Today, Studio Lotus is considered amongst the most path-break...Read Moreing architectural firms in India, with over a hundred national and international awards in its portfolio for a diverse typology of projects, ranging in scale from Master Planning to Furniture Design.
The 60-member team prides itself on its culture of learning and innovation; Its projects seek to go beyond form and function, and critically examine the process of construction and the role of buildings as potential catalysts of change. A symbiotic use of technology and craft celebrates local resources, social and cultural influences, and a keen sensitivity to environmental impact.
Ambrish currently plays the role of Chief Mentor to the team. His interest lies in questioning existing frameworks and creation of new processes, to continually enrich the culture of inquiry and learning within and outside the practice.
Instagram: @ambrisharora & @studio_lotus
Amit Syngle
Managing Director & CEO, Asian Paints Ltd
As Asian Paints' Chief Operating Officer, Amit Syngle is the man behind India’s only research based colour trend prediction system. Amit has been re...Read Moresponsible for propelling the brand into a league of its own and has heralded several business initiatives over the last decade. In a first for the brand, Nilaya by Asian Paints collaborated with celebrated couturier Sabyasachi Mukherjee to launch a new line of handcrafted wallpapers that highlight authentic craftsmanship with contemporary flair.
Instagram: @asianpaints
Caroline Young
This creative nomad wears many a challenging hat. From fashion, travel, to advertising, Caroline adapts to her changing roles with ease. Having lived ...Read Moreand worked in London, Paris, Milan, Tokyo and studied History of Art in Brussels & Florence; it is no wonder she has collaborated with some of the most prestigious International brands and creative visionaries including Muji, Shiseido, Armani, Hermès, H&M, Peter Saville and Brian Eno. She also endeavours to promote and support innovative Indian design talent such as péro, Bodice, DRVV and Shivan & Narresh.
Dr B V Doshi
Founder, Vastushilpa LLP | Studio Sangath
Apart from his international fame as an architect, Dr Doshi is equally known as educator and institution builder. Dr Doshi has been instrumental in es...Read Moretablishing the nationally and internationally known research institute Vastu-Shilpa Foundation for Studies and Research in Environmental Design. The institute has done pioneering work in low cost housing and city planning.
Fumihiko Maki
A modernist architect, this octogenarian Pritzker Prize laureate is known for work that is a beautiful marriage of east and west. Born in 1928 in Tokyo, he studied at the University of Tokyo, Cranbrook Academy of Art, and Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
Gautam Seth & Prateek Jain
“If you think you can do it, you should do it.” This has been the core pillar of success for the self-motivated and enterprising designer duo Gaut...Read Moream & Prateek of Klove. Together they both have studied design with local craftsmen, which has helped them gain a deeper knowledge of crafts. They both started with small design objects and today construct giant installations which command awe in terms of scale and design. They are known for their mastery over hand-blown glass.
Giulio Cappelini
Born in Milan in 1954, he went on study architecture and attend the Bocconi University School of Business Management in Milan. Few people know that he...Read More started as an assistant to Gio Ponti. In 1979 he joined Cappellini S.p.A., where he initially focused on its corporate image before taking over company management. He is also the Art Director of Istituto Marangoni, Ceramica Flaminia and Alcantara.
Gurujit Singh Matharoo
He founded Matharoo Associates in 1992. In the short time since the firm’s inception his work has gone on to win both domestic and international cri...Read Moretical acclaim. He has been conferred with an International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, only the third Indian after architects Charles Correa and Dr B.V.Doshi to be inducted into the fellowship.
Janne Kyttanen
In 2000, Janne founded Freedom of Creation, a pioneering agency specializing in design for 3D printing. Leading a team of design and innovation expert...Read Mores, Janne created a portfolio of acclaimed and awarded designs. Janne’s work has been extensively exhibited and integrated into permanent design collections at leading galleries and museums around the world including MOMA, FIT, MAD and the Vitra Design Museum.
Jimmy Mistry
The driving force and inspiration behind Della Adventure Resorts Villas and Interiors, his passion for work extends beyond the ordinary. His adroit ed...Read Moreifices have left no room for doubt. It’s hard to imagine that a mechanical engineer would one day shake the roots of conventional architectural wisdom and carve a niche for himself.
Kohelika Kohli
Kohelika Kohli believes that the job of an architect / interior designer cannot be simply based on one’s credentials. An equally important role is p...Read Morelayed by one’s experiences and exposures to people, places and cultures. At 17, she went to Millfield School in Somerset, England to do her A-levels. After Millfield, she received her formal education as an architect from Pratt Institute of Design in New York and graduated in May 2004. After graduation, she returned to India and in October 2004, started her own architectural firm, Kohelika Kohli Architects. Since 1999, she has been a Director in her mother’s company, Sunita Kohli Interior Designs Pvt. Ltd. and is now the Managing Director. The firm is a research-based interior design and architectural restoration company that specialises in the design of public buildings and hotels and the restoration of heritage properties. As part of her job, Kohelika designs and executes half a dozen architectural and interior design projects a year – working in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England. She also develops contemporary furniture for homes and hotels under her sister companies Sunita Kohli & Company and K2INDIA. The companies are driven by the pursuit of excellence and quality; a strong belief that our surroundings directly influence the quality of our lives- whether in the work place, at home or the public spaces in between.
Lidewij Edelkoort
Often called Li, Dutch creative Lidewij Edelkoort is one of the world’s most famous trend forecasters. She considers herself as an intuitive thinker...Read More, who travels the world studying the evolution of socio-cultural trends before sharing this information with her clients in industries as diverse as fashion, textiles, interiors, cars, cosmetics, retail and food. Under her Paris based company Trend Union, Edelkoort creates trend books two or more years ahead that are used as tools by strategists, designers and marketers at international brands. She has worked for some of the world’s best-known companies, for example; advising CocaCola how Sprite should communicate with emerging youth archetypes; forecasting new consumer archetypes for Esprit as far forward as 2068 and many more. Having directed the celebrated Design Academy Eindhoven from 1998–2008 and establishing the Designhuis (a cultural centre for the promotion of design), Edelkoort has proven that both a city and a region can benefit from placing design at its core. She has subsequently advised the region of Wallonia and the cities of Genk in Belgium and Como in Italy on the benefits of creativity and innovation. In 2011, Edelkoort helped to establish the School of Form, a design school in Poznan, Poland, that especially caters to students from Eastern Europe, with a curriculum merging design and humanities studies.
Lipika Sud
As a Social Entrepreneur, she has worked extensively towards uplifting and reviving dying forms of arts and crafts of India. She works as a mediator b...Read Moreetween the government, corporates and other agencies. She is also involved in projects on Women Empowerment at both Rural & Urban Areas and has won several accolades.
Lyndon Neri & Roasana Hu
Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu are Founding Partners of Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, an inter-disciplinary international architectural design p...Read Moreractice based in Shanghai, China, with an additional office in London, UK. In 2013, they were inducted into the U.S. Interior Design Hall of Fame. They are also designing products for brands including BD Barcelona Design, Classicon, Gandia Blasco, JIA, LEMA, Meritalia, MOOOI, Parachilna, Stellar Works, and Neri&Hu.
Manit Rastogi
Manit heads Morphogenesis, one of India’s leading award-winning Architecture and Urban Design practices. He has recently been awarded Laureate of th...Read Moree SIA Getz Award for Emergent Architecture in Asia, Singapore 2014, which seeks to bring recognition to Asian architects, who through their vision and commitment have made a significant contribution in shaping the changing landscape of Asia.
Navroze Godrej
He joined the Company in October, 2005 as Manager, Special Projects, and has since focused on new product development and marketing and communications...Read More. His early projects include Godrej’s “Brighter Living” rebranding initiative and the re-design of the retail experience at sixty home furniture showrooms across India. In 2007, Navroze started to work on the company’s Disruptive Innovation initiatives, including chotuKool, a refrigerator intended for rural Indian markets.
Paola Navone
An award winning, (in December 2014, Paola was inducted in the Hall of Fame of design by the American magazine Interior Design) internationally acclai...Read Moremed architect, product designer, interior decorator and artist Paola maintains a multidisciplinary design studio, OTTO, in Milan. She is known for her ability to wield together the contrasting tastes of East and West into a global, multi-cultural mix of styles, whilst seeking always to combine modern design with traditional handicraft.
Patricia Urquiola
Born in Oviedo, Spain, she currently lives and works in Milan. Patricia studied at the faculty of Architecture at the Madrid Politecnico and at Polite...Read Morecnico di Milano, where she graduated in 1989. Having completed her thesis under the aegis of Achille Castiglioni, she also led the product development department at DePadova. In 2001 she opened her studio of product design, display, and architecture.
Rahul Munjal
Rahul is a dynamic leader who firmly believes in the Group’s philosophy of doing businesses that have high moral value and are good for mankind at l...Read Morearge. The growing environmental concerns and alarming rate of depletion of natural resources inspired Rahul to work towards a greener tomorrow which led to inception of HFE.
Raseel Gujral
Raseel Gujral Ansal has created, and realised multiple diverse projects. Widely acclaimed residential developments, corporate interiors and retail spaces have been infused with her immaculate sense of style and glamour which is a direct result of her great passion and meticulous planning.
Reza Kabul
After working with a leading architect as an Associate, Reza started his own practice in 1988. He is a pioneer in designing tall buildings, including ...Read Morethe concept of four cricket bat- shaped structures with a cricket ball balanced in between the handles, dedicated to the Cricket World Cup of 1996, and worked on 96 Iconic Tower in Colombo.
Romesh Sapra
With over 24 years of experience in the designing and execution of residential, commercial and automobile architectural projects, he is one of the mos...Read Moret respected members of the industry. He was also the Director, NEC-Exhibitions & Conferences Pvt Ltd, a company engaged in organising events and exhibitions at National and International levels in India and England.
Ruchira Ghose
Under her charge the Crafts Museum has embarked on a major rejuvenation project, which it is hoped will enable the Crafts Museum to meet the challenges of a museum of crafts in the 21st century.
Sebastian Wrong
His work draws upon the intersection of art, design and manufacturing. He also has taught Design Product at the Royal College of Art, Sebastian’s ex...Read Moretensive knowledge of manufacturing processes and materials, as well as his passion for quality product fabrication, are essential components of his Wrong for Hay brand and Wrong Shop mission.
Sharukh Mistry
Known for his integrity and inspirational leadership, Sharukh’s tireless endeavor towards holistic architecture takes inspiration from his keen observation of man’s interaction with nature. His team’s interactions with their clients make it unmistakably clear that Sharukh’s architecture has a heart
Shimul Javeri Kadri
Her interest in an architecture that is meaningful for the India of today, drawing from historical wisdom, but relevant and exciting for the vibrant I...Read Morendian market, has led to a practice that has commissions as varied as hotels for religious tourism, to a museum for Jainism, to an automobile design studio for Mahindra’s.
Soumitro Ghosh
Co-Founder & Partner, Mathew and Ghosh Architects (M&G)
Since 1995 Mathew and Ghosh Architects have designed the most important public spaces in the city of Bengaluru as well as many of the best designed pr...Read Moreivate projects. The practice flows into the realm of teaching as an extended space of learning. The studio is an extended place for learning and exploration of ideas.
Sumant Jayakrishnan
Founder, Scenografia Sumant
A scenographer, designer, installation artist and theatre practitioner based out of New Delhi, some of his projects include Deepa Mehta’s film “Wa...Read Moreter” (Art Direction), Tim Supple’s play “The Midsummer Nights Dream” (Stage & Costume Design), The India Art Fair and as a set designer in the world of Indian Fashion (Fashion Weeks and individual designer shows) and the Indian wedding (India and abroad).
Sunil Sethi
Since 2008, Sunil Sethi has been heading FDCI and its fashion events. Alliance, a sourcing and buying agency set up by him in 1988 has been representi...Read Moreng lifestyle stores such as Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel and Armani Casa for over 20 years. He also represents Indian designers at stores across Europe and one in New York. The Sunil Sethi Design Alliance teams up with designers to create textiles, handicrafts and carpets.
Sunita Narain
A writer and environmentalist, she uses her knowledge for change. In 2005, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government. She has also received the World Water Prize for work on rainwater harvesting and for its policy influence in building paradigms for community based water management.
Sussanne Khan
Sussanne Khan obtained an Associate Art Degree in Interior Design from Brooks College in California, and founded The Charcoal Project in 2011, a uniqu...Read Moree design concept store.
She makes use of metal, wood, natural fibres, concrete and geometric patterns that are woven together to create quiet luxe - her signature style: a combination of industrial chic with soft classics.
www.thecharcoalproject.com
Follow her here:
Instagram- @suzkr
Swapan Seth
Swapan Seth is amongst the largest private art collectors in the country and was instrumental in the creation of ARTIGER, India’s only Government pr...Read Moreopelled art initiative involving tiger conservation and public art.
From starting an advertising agency, Equus, and authoring the hugely successful, "This is All I Have to Say", to writing frequently for The Economic Times, Hindustan Times, Harper’s Bazaar, India Today and Travel+Leisure, Swapan's creativity spans across all mediums. Additionally, Swapan also runs a community called Sethoscope, on Facebook.
Follow him here:
Facebook - @sethswapan
Theron Carmine de Sousa
Partner, FWC LLP
Theron Carmine de Sousa (TC) is Consulting Director, Business and Brand Strategy at Ferry Wharf Communications LLP, with a presence in Mumbai and Sant...Read Morea Clara CA, USA.
FWC is a strategy and design firm that offers strategic solutions in the Design Thinking space and has a unique model for business and restructuring strategy for product related start-ups. It is essentially a consulting and advocacy firm that combines multi-vertical expertise, where recent work has delivered exceptional results. He has worked as an Independent Creative Strategist and Advisor to a series of international companies as well as The Brand Advisory Council.
His degree in Communication and Philosophy from Denison University, and post-graduate work in Media Strategy, along with his 17 years of experience working with over 40 luxury, finance and hospitality brands have equipped him to be a part of the Advisory Board of JBL Enterprise and Ballard Pier Associates.
Veer Singh
With a desire to live a more sustainable and conscious life, Veer eventually joined a nascent resort project that his family had embarked upon. Many m...Read Moreonths into it, the dream to create a place of wellness was born leading to Vana. Veer believes that it was his inner self and connecting with the estate and the forest around the retreat that provoked him to set this course for Vana Malsi Estate.
