Australian International Design Awards - Assessment Panel

In keeping with our mandate to provide a global benchmark of design excellence, our local judges are joined by international design experts, all from highly reputable organisations across all disciplines of product design and development.

2010 Assessment Panel

Consumer Panel

Stefanie Kubanek Associate Partner Pentagram Design Inc Consumer Panel (International – USA) Stefanie is a New York-based Industrial Designer whose work is inspired by her native-German roots and cosmopolitan perspective. She received her Master’s degree in Industrial Design from the Royal College of Art in London. As an Associate Partner at Pentagram Design, Stefanie is part of a bi-continental team and combines the roles of designer and design manager, engaging in every aspect of the design process from concept development, market research and business strategy to design, testing and production. She has been working on a variety of projects within international design teams in the US and Europe. Her work ranges from designing contract and residential interiors, aeroplane interiors and products, signage, packaging and branding for clients such as Herman Miller, United Airlines, Cargill and more. Stefanie’s Resolve system for Herman Miller received a Gold IDEA Award in 2000, and her new First and Business class airline seat for United won the first prize in the aviation category of the Csondé Nast Traveller Innovation and Design Awards 2008. For the past 8 years Stefanie has taught Industrial Design at Parsons The New School for Design as well as courses at Pratt Institute and the Free University in Bolzano, Italy.

Andrew Hartman Design Director for New Business Philips Design Consumer Panel (International – The Netherlands) Andrew is responsible for connecting top companies with design related expertise within Philips. He is an innovation catalyst and engages on a multi sensorial level to build a brands relationship to socio-cultural trends and emerging technologies. With a degree and background in product design, Andrew has 20 years of global design experience and has earned numerous design awards. Andrew served as Jury Chairman for IDSA’s 2009 IDEA design awards and speaks regularly on the value of design as a business tool for innovation and positive change. Andrew is also an Instructor of Product Experience at the Design Academy Eindhoven in The Netherlands.

Kazuo Tanaka President, GK Design Group Inc Executive Board Member, Icsid Consumer Panel (International – Japan) Born in Tokyo in 1956, Kazuo is currently the President of GK Design Group, which was founded in 1952 and is the most comprehensive freelance design office in Japan. In 1981, Kazuo graduated from the School of Design at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts where he majored in Industrial Design (MA). In 2005, Kazuo was appointed to the Director of Sign and Street Furniture for the EXPO Aichi, Japan project. He has been a juror for the Good Design Award since 2003, the Red Dot Design Award in 2008, the Braun Prize in 2009 and the iF Design Award China in 2009. Since elected as an Executive Board Member of Icsid in 2007, Kazuo has been widening his activities internationally.

Mark Elmore General Manager Industrial Design Fisher & Paykel Appliances Consumer Panel (International – New Zealand) Mark is responsible for Industrial Design at Fisher & Paykel Appliances, a New Zealand based company that designs, manufactures and sells premium appliances through Australasia, USA, Asia and Europe. With over 25 years’ experience in this role, Mark has been part of Fisher & Paykel’s growth from a regional supplier to a global brand. Customer driven products such as DishDrawer, CoolDrawer and CookSurface have helped Fisher & Paykel build a reputation as a design and thought leader in the industry. These products have been recognised with IF product design awards, Australian International Design Awards and NZ BeST design awards. Mark is a graduate of School of Design, Wellington in New Zealand and for the last 5 years has been a member of the Better by Design advisory board.

Paul Charlwood Managing Director, Charlwood Design Co-Victorian President, DIA Consumer Panel (VIC) Passionate about design in all its facets, Paul has engaged with many areas of design culture during his distinguished career. Paul established his versatile Industrial Design consultancy Charlwood Design in 1993, and has since developed a reputation among clients and peers for his innovative, simple yet elegant design solutions for consumer, medical and capital applications. Consequently, the consultancy has collected a raft of design prizes and accolades, among them multiple Premier's Design Awards, 'Gold' at NeoCon, and a Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum, as well as being admitted to the Australian Manufacturing Hall of Fame. Perhaps the most visible Charlwood Design creations is the Queen's Baton for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, where the consultancy also designed the Unity Count Down piece and Medal podiums. Always eager to support Australia's design culture, Paul is the Co-Victorian President of the Design Institute of Australia, where he co-authored the DIA education policy and contributes to policy and strategy for industry and government. In 2006, he founded the Melbourne Design Guide, a 350-page book on local design culture, and has been a key driving force in establishing the Design for Sustainability working group with Sustainability Victoria. For more information, visit: www.charlwood.com.au

Graham Paver Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design University of Newcastle Consumer Panel (NSW) Graham began his career in the manufacturing industry and moved into Industrial Design through degrees in Resource Utilisation and Environmental Design. His work has received several patents and a number of awards including The Prince Philip Prize, an Australian Design Award and The Institution of Engineers, Australia (IE Aust.) Award for Engineering Excellence. Graham is currently Head of Industrial Design at the University of Newcastle where he has research interests in the energy efficiency of domestic appliances.

Professional / Technology Panel

John Barratt President and CEO Teague Professional / Technology Panel (International – USA) As President and CEO, John dedicates his time to positioning Teague for future success while building on the company’s rich heritage, striking a careful balance between building the Teague brand and safeguarding the legacy. During his time in this position, John has established and strengthened Teague’s partnerships with some of the world's leading brands including Hewlett-Packard, Nike, The Boeing Company, Starbucks, Panasonic, LG, Samsung, Rockwell Collins, T-Mobile and Microsoft among others. John began his career in Industrial Design, gaining global experience in operational and strategic roles with Exatiss Concept Design and Philips Design. His industry experience established his true passion: building, leading and inspiring great teams to achieve extraordinary results.

Rob Geddes Managing Director PROdesign Australia Professional / Technology Panel (QLD) Robert is a multi-award winning Industrial Designer and Managing Director of Brisbane-based studio PROdesign Australia. A champion of the Australian design industry, his three decades of work range from branding to product design in fields such as medical products, commercial and industrial instruments, transport, consumer and architectural products, and children’s products and toys. An Accredited Designer and Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, he was Smart State Designer of the Year in 2008. Rob heads a design team which has won numerous accolades and awards including being a Top Nominee in the Danish INDEX:07 international design awards, several Australian Design Awards and Design Marks, Powerhouse Museum Selections, a Memento Award, Queensland Design Excellence Awards, People’s Choice Awards and numerous Design Institute Gold and Silver Awards. Robert has been a Director, National Vice President and Queensland President of the Design Institute of Australia – Australia’s peak professional body for design. For more information, visit: www.prodesign.com.au

Craig Wilson VP Innovation and Commercialisation ITL Design and Manufacturing Professional / Technology Panel (NSW) Craig is the Vice President of Innovation and Commercialisation for ITL Limited - a publicly listed Australian company specialising in the development, manufacture, export and distribution of medical and scientific products for global markets. In this role Craig overseas all aspects of the generation and selection of new product ideas and the development and commercialisation of these ideas. ITL commercialises several of its own products each year as well as assisting its clients get their products to market successfully. Prior to joining ITL Craig was the Managing Director of CWP Design, a successful product development business he established and ran for 12 years. Craig’s international experience includes working extensively with Malaysian and Chinese based manufacturing facilities, developing products and markets in the USA as well as spending several years based in Europe. Craig holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and Bachelor of Industrial Design from the University of Canberra as well as more recently completing the General Management Program at the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Sandy McNeil Principal Nielsen Design Associates Professional / Technology Panel (NSW) Sandy is Principal of Nielsen Design Associates, one of Australia’s leading Industrial Design studios. He is qualified in both Industrial Design and Production Engineering and has authored and/or directed the development of products ranging from toys and telecommunications equipment to cable management systems, bicycles, medical devices and industrial capital equipment. Much of Sandy’s work is for clients based in Asia, Europe and the USA where he is known for his ability to respond to clients’ strategic, creative and technical needs with well-integrated product designs that frequently incorporate novel technology. Sandy has numerous patents to his name and has earned a reputation for developing highly innovative product and manufacturing solutions to challenging problems. Production volumes of some of his innovations exceed 100 million units. Products developed under Sandy’s direction have received awards for design excellence, innovation and engineering excellence, three products in which he has been involved have been awarded Australia’s highest design accolade, others have earned a place in the permanent collection of the Powerhouse Museum.

Morgan Drew Director of Innovation Abuzz Solutions Professional / Technology Panel (NSW) Morgan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Built Environment (Industrial Design) from Queensland University of Technology. After graduating in 1994, he created a furniture design partnership which, after displaying furniture designs in a custom built interactive display at a trade show, led to discovering a niche for well designed interactive devices (kiosks). Shortly after, Morgan moved to Sydney and founded Abuzz Technologies in 1997, Australia’s first specialist kiosk solutions company. For 13 years Morgan has overseen both the design of all kiosks and software interface of Abuzz placing a strong emphasis on user-centric design. Abuzz is long respected locally and internationally as a leader and innovator in the self-service kiosk industry. Abuzz has won numerous awards including four Australian Design Awards out of 5 entries.

Bob Davis Engineering Manager Open Access Professional / Technology Panel (NSW) Bob is a design engineer with over 30 years’ experience in a variety of areas, including computer typesetting, industrial control and monitoring systems and telecommunications. He was the project manager and principal engineer responsible for the design of the Siemens MP-20 Payphone, a finalist in the 2006 Australian Design Awards. He has been involved in the design and development of many high-tech engineering systems. His area of expertise ensures that products not only satisfy customers' expectations but also have sufficient diagnostic capabilities for maintenance, support and compliance with all relevant standards. Bob has been a contributor and active participant in several telecommunications standards bodies, most recently being the chairman of the ACIF working committee reviewing safety standards for telecommunications equipment. Bob has also participated as a judge for the Australian International Design Awards for the past 4 years.

Architecture / Interior / Housing Panel

Dr Steve Cummings R&D Manager Caroma Dorf Architecture / Interior / Housing Panel (NSW) Steve has been involved with the research and development of sanitary ware products for the past 30 years in Australia. In 1976 he joined Doulton Australia as Chief Designer. Directly following this in 1980 he joined Caroma Industries in the position of Research and Development Manager. Since 1981 Steve has taken an active interest and focus on the development of bathroom products which minimise water consumption. During his time at Caroma he has been responsible for major innovations including the first vitreous china two button dual flush cistern, the 6/3 litre dual flush and the 4.5/3L Smartflush. These technologies have been recognised with many accolades including an Australian International Design Award, Award for Excellence in Sustainable Design and finalist selection in the INDEX: Awards. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and various Standards Australia committees including the WS32 which assisted in the development of Australian Standard AS/NZ 6400-2003 Water efficient products - Rating and labeling. In 2001, Steve successfully completed a Doctorate of Environmental Design at the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Canberra.

Craig MacLaren Product Manager Hager B&R Architecture / Interior / Housing Panel (NSW) Craig is an Industrial Designer with over 20 years experience in both manufacturing and consulting environments, with nearly half of this time concentrating on projects for the Australian electrical industry. With a large array of successful design projects behind him, many of which are Australian Design Award or Design Mark winners, his portfolio includes products such as banking and Eftpos equipment, LED and pool lighting, military products and electrical wiring accessories. With experience in high volume manufacturing he has in the past not only designed products but also the injection moulds and the fixtures which produce them. Currently working with Hager B&R as a product manager for wiring accessories, this position requires Craig to coordinate Australian market requirements with Hager’s design and manufacturing teams based in China, Italy and France. Craig holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from Sydney College of the Arts and is a member of the Design institute of Australia.

David Granger Managing Director bangdesign Architecture / Interior / Housing Panel (NSW) David is the Managing Director of bangdesign. After studying and working in the industry together for a number of years, David and Bryan Marshall founded their Sydney based design studio in 1989 with a collective of 6 key ideas: "we believe in collaboration – design does not happen in isolation"; "outward thinking - it's not about us, it's about them"; "process - design is a verb not a noun"; "diversity - the cross-pollination of ideas keeps us creatively fresh"; “we believe in holistic design – it’s about considering everything, and being open to the possibilities”; and "real solutions are about real people – never lose sight of people". From early on, both David and bangdesign have nurtured and valued their long-standing relationships, providing enduring opportunities to apply their passion for product/furniture/environmental design. A growing list of national and international client-collaborators drives an expanding appreciation for finding ways to bring people and design together.

Stephane Thomas Director The Fire Company Architecture / Interior / Housing Panel (NSW) Stephane is an entrepreneur with a street smart sixth sense for design, a bold sense of style and a remarkable eye for detail. As one of the founders of The Fire Company, an international leader in environmentally friendly ethanol-fuelled fireplaces, Stephane has been instrumental in the design, manufacture and distribution of EcoSmart Fire since its inception in 2002. EcoSmart Fire is currently represented in more than 20,000 residential and commercial environments in over 52 countries. Since winning a highly sought after Design Mark at the 2004 Australian Design Awards, EcoSmart Fire went on to win several other awards including the 2006 ‘Best of Year’ Roscoe Award for the most popular innovation held at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, the USA Vesta Award for most outstanding innovation, and a prestigious Australian International Design Award in 2009 for the EcoSmart Fire Zeta. As head designer at The Fire Company, Stephane continues to collaborate with a number of international and Australian designers to create inspiring new designs for this ever-evolving concept of environmentally friendly fireplaces.

Madeline Lester Madeline Lester + Associates (MLA) Member IDA, Immediate Past President IFI Architecture / Interior / Housing Panel (NSW) Madeline co-founded design firm Interni in 1988 and Madeline Lester + Associates (MLA) in 2005. She has more than 35 years of experience as an interior designer and a design management consultant working on residential, retail, hospitality and commercial projects. Madeline is an Executive Board Member of the International Design Alliance (IDA) and the Immediate Past President of the International Federation of Interior Architects and Designers (IFI). She is also a Past National President of the DIA and the current Adjunct Associate Professor of Interior Architecture at the University of New South Wales. Madeline is well known as a keynote speaker at international conferences as a design professional. She remains on the Course Advisory Panels of Raffles University of Design in Singapore, the Interior Architecture Program at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and The Designed Environments degree programs at Think Education, Billy Blue.

Raj Nandan Managing Director Indesign Group Architecture / Interior / Housing Panel (NSW) Managing Director and Publisher of Indesign Group, Raj was involved in the purchase of his first magazine title, Architectural Review Australia [ARA] at age 22. In 1994, he relaunched ARA, which was soon after sold to a media company where he worked as publisher of the title until 2000 as well as a number of other publications. In 2000, Raj launched a new boutique-publishing house in Sydney, Indesign Publishing, with launch the title Indesign magazine. Indesign magazine found instant success and now circulates in 41 countries worldwide. Today, Indesign Group produces a stable of high quality design titles including Indesign magazine, DQ [Design Quarterly] and the recently launched Habitus magazine. Raj recognised the need for a holistic offering to the industry and in particular a cross-platform presence. Publishing for Indesign now pushes the boundaries between traditional print medium, new online mediums and industry events run nationally. The group of products by Indesign Group today includes the phenomenally successful Saturday Indesign [SID] and Brisbane Indesign [BID] events, The Collection, Launchpad, Indesignlive.com as well as contract publication for clients.

Transportation Panel

Brian Johns Director IDEA01 Consulting Mitsubishi Motors Australia Brian is currently the Director of IDEA01 Consulting, a project management and product development company based in Adelaide. The company focuses on providing design and engineering solutions for local companies wishing to manufacture in China. Further to this, IDEA01 provides project management across a broad range of engineering functions, including mechanical, electrical, and manufacturing facility decommissioning and relocation. IDEA01 is currently engaged by Mitsubishi Motors Australia. Prior to starting this company, Brian was for a number of years Director of Design and Product Development for Sunbeam Corporation, one of Australia's favourite brands of home appliances. In previous lives prior to Sunbeam, Brian spent over a dozen years in the automotive industry in various positions across the globe. He also has a long history in developing military laser based systems, water based transport and medical laser products.

Paul Cockburn Managing Director Design Field Writer, Motor magazine Transportation Panel (NSW) Australian-born and English-trained, Paul founded Design Field, among Australia’s most innovative and influential studios, in 1970. Four of his consultancy’s works, including the early, iconic and internationally best-selling Eveready Dolphin lantern, are in the permanent collection of Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum. In 1990 Paul began a second career as a writer and columnist, with work published in titles as diverse as the Financial Review, Canberra Times, Australian Boating, Expanse and Inside Sport. His fascination for design, automobiles, travel, adventure and humour, however, has drawn him to motoring journalism for two decades and his work for Wheels and Motor magazines has been rewarded with five national writing awards. Paul’s media and design experience has led to extensive judging engagements including the Wheels Automotive Design Awards, Wheels’ Young Designer of the Year and Motor’s Performance Car of the Year awards. This has also ensured a long and ongoing association with the Australian International Design Awards.

Andrew Crick Managing Director Schremmer Crick Associates Transportation Panel (NSW) Andrew has over 25 years’ experience as an Industrial Design consultant. Formerly in partnership with one of Australian product design’s founding fathers Paul Schremmer, now retired, Andrew has had a prolific career in helping many leading manufacturers in Australia and oversees bring their products to commercial reality. Andrew’s designs of ovens and cooktops for St George Appliances, barbecues for Beefeater Barbecues, coffee machines for Sunbeam Corporation and metering devices for Ampy Metering have become common place in the typical Australian household. Also, found on worksites and streetscapes throughout the world are his designs of hard hats and other safety equipment for Scott Health & Safety, and light poles for Goldspar. This eclectic background in design for high volume manufacturing gives Andrew a unique insight into all elements of product development.

Angelo Kotsis Design Director Design Resource Transportation Panel (NSW) Angelo has over 10 years’ experience in the industry, having worked with key clients in the Australian and international markets. Angelo works directly with clients in developing new products and managing client projects throughout each stage of the development process, specialising in appearance design and innovation. Angelo has been responsible for successful design programs with some of Design Resource’s key clients, including the Eveready Dolphin flashlight, a touchscreen electronic payment terminal for Verifone, novelty lights for Disney and the new signage system for the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. Angelo also has a passion for cars and has subsequently delivered some of Design Resource’s major transport projects. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the automotive industry and enjoys model making.

Brandon Gien Executive Director Australian International Design Awards Executive Board Member and Treasurer, Icsid Transportation Panel (NSW) Brandon is Executive Director of the Australian International Design Awards, Australia’s longest standing national design awards program. Among other roles, Brandon represents Australia as an Executive Board Member and Treasurer of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design [Icsid]. Brandon also holds the position of General Manager, Corporate Services at Standards Australia, recognised by the Government as Australia’s peak Standards body. With a background in management and Industrial Design, Brandon has been responsible for transforming the Australian International Design Awards program over the past decade into Australia’s peak design assessment and promotion body. Brandon plays a key role in collaborating with design and creative experts from around the world and has affiliations with leading universities and design organisations across Australia and the globe. Brandon studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Newcastle where he later graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design. He is currently undertaking a Doctoral Thesis in Environmental Design at the University of Canberra. Brandon is also an active member of the Industrial Designer’s Society of America [IDSA].

Graham Paver Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design University of Newcastle Transportation Panel (NSW) Biography as above

Heavy Machinery Panel

Bob Davis Engineering Manager Open Access Heavy Machinery Panel (NSW) Biography as above

Graham Paver Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design University of Newcastle Heavy Machinery Panel (NSW) Biography as above

Student Panel

To view the Final Round Judging Panel for the 2010 Australian Design Award – James Dyson Award, click here.