Deepak John Mathew has played a pivotal role in establishing the design department at IIT Hyderabad. He has designed and developed the dual postgraduate programme in Photography Design and has initiated an International Postgraduate Certificate Programme in Photography at the institute in collaboration with University for Creative Arts, Farnham, UK. Deepak has curated several exhibitions at National Institute of Design (NID), contributing to various NID publications over time. Having exhibited his work at many international and national exhibitions, he has authored several papers and written a book called “Principles of Design through Photography”. He is a renowned figure as a panel member, visiting faculty, lecturer, external evaluator, mentor and advisor to several universities and institutes all over the world.

Mikko is the Director and Professor of the Institute for Design Innovation at Loughborough University London, UK, and a Visiting Professor at Aalto University, Finland. As a researcher and practitioner passionate about design-driven social and enterprise innovation, the last thirty years has seen extensive work with large and small organisations, start-ups, NGOs, and the public sector in European, Asian, African, and South American countries. As a global design thinker and doer, he engages widely with service design, design for policy, design for business models, ecosystems and entrepreneurship with enterprises, health and education, university-industry collaboration, and humanitarian work.

Tarun is a design educator and Graphic Designer with 30 years of professional & academic experience. He specializes in typography and print production and teaches at the National Institute of Design Ahmedabad.

Prof. Tarun is an Indian design educator, mentor and graphic designer with a passion for letterforms, printed ephemera and letterpress. Former Chairperson Education and Founder head of Admissions Cell at National Institute of Design Ahmedabad, he has been teaching Graphic Design for the last 25 years.

His research areas and personal practice revolves around exploring cross-cultural identities through letterforms and calligraphy. His Gurmukhi Calligraphy (Punjabi Language) has been exhibited in several exhibitions both across India and abroad.

A keynote speaker at various national and international conferences, He is also the founder-
curator of the popular @35daysofgurmukhi on instagram.

A pioneering Indian automotive journalist, Adil Jal Darukhanawala has over 40 years of experience spanning magazines, events, and books. He presently heads Fast Bikes India magazine and is the first Indian ever to be honored at the Guild of Motoring Awards in the UK for his work on the Indian motoring history.

Founder and publisher, Project GTO Publishing. Editorial director, evo India

With his keen eye for detail and deep understanding of colour science, Harsha Paruchuri leads from the front at Pragati, India’s most premier packaging and printing company. Joining Pragati in 2000, he built up an expertise in digital pre-print and colour management, that enabled Pragati to deliver higher accuracy. As a Director at Pragati, Harsha leverages the latest technologies in packaging and printing to stay at the forefront of innovation, often pioneering their use in India. Combining his design expertise with business acumen, he ensures that Pragati keeps evolving constantly to keep step with the changing times and becomes a global player in packaging and printing.

Dr. Sanjeev Prashar is a professor at the Indian Institute of Management Raipur, with 32 years of experience in teaching postgraduate management courses, corporate training, and consulting. He holds an MBA and Ph.D. in Management from the University of Kurukshetra, India, and has published 90 research papers in reputable international journals such as the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Journal of Consumer Marketing, and Journal of Business Research. Dr Sanjeev has authored 70 case studies, including some available at Harvard Business Publishing, Ivey Publishing, and Emerald Group Publishing. His current research focuses on shopping behaviour, including impulse buying, online buying, and celebrity endorsement.

Pradyumna Vyas is a leading figure in India’s design ecosystem with over 35 years of experience in design education, policy, and promotion. He currently serves as Senior Advisor for Design Promotion and Innovation at Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and is President of the World Design Organization (WDO).

Former Director of the National Institute of Design (2009–2019), Prof. Vyas played a key role in elevating its global standing and advancing design for social impact and sustainability. He has also contributed significantly to national and global design policy, including his role in shaping India’s National Design Policy and WDO’s Global Design Policy Framework.

Recognised with multiple international honours, Prof. Vyas continues to champion design as a driver for innovation, development, and a better world.

Dr. Ashok Mondal is an alumnus of Visva-Bharati and NID Ahmedabad, and a former faculty member at NID. His work focuses on sustainability, material processes, and bridging traditional crafts with contemporary design.

He has contributed to initiatives such as SIDAC Odisha, the MSME Design Clinic Scheme, and NID Andhra Pradesh, and currently leads a key design project for the footwear and leather sector under DPIIT.

Driven by a ‘nation-first’ philosophy, he is committed to advancing Indian design globally while fostering social impact and sustainable development.

Ezgi Ezdar Onur is an innovation consultant, designer, and academic operating at the intersection of design strategy and systems thinking. She serves as the Vice President of the Industrial Designers’ Society of Türkiye and teaches Business Design, Innovation Management, and UX Design at Izmir University of Economics.

Ezgi Ezdar Onur is an innovation consultant, designer, and academic operating at the intersection of design, strategy, and systems thinking. She serves as the Vice President of the Industrial Designers’ Society of Türkiye and works as a part-time instructor at Izmir University of Economics, where she teaches Business Design, Innovation Management, and UX Design. With extensive experience in system building, Ezgi applies holistic methodologies to professional consultancy and academic frameworks, bridging the gap between strategic design theory and impactful real-world practice.

Dr. Gopal Meena, an NID graduate, is an accomplished designer, strategist, and educator with a broad background spanning both academia and industry, at national and international levels.
Currently, Dr. Gopal Meena serves as the Vice President of Strategy Initiatives at Chitkara Design School, Chitkara University. In this role, he guides the Design School strategic planning, improves academic programs, fosters cooperation with industry, oversees global collaborations, and streamlines internal processes.

Dr. Gopal Meena has introduced a number of steps to enhance the quality and relevance of design education. His efforts include establishing state of the art academic infrastructure, forming partnerships with national and international institutions, starting new courses and electives, and organizing design festivals, workshops, events, and competitions. He remains open to learning new design practices alongside students and uses creative teaching approaches to encourage student growth and imagination. Through different methods in design education, he inspires students to reach their academic and personal objectives.

Convenor, Art and Culture Pune international centre, trustee India foundation of Arts.

Arti Kirloskar, anartist anda passionate advocate for environmental conservation and cultural heritage.

With a background rooted in Ecology and Sustainable Farming, Arti bridges the gap between creativity and responsibility through herParijat Foundation and E+ART+H initiative- a farm and residency in the making .
She holds the role of Convenor for Arts and Culture at the Pune International Centre. A trustee at India foundation of Arts and a Director of Slk foundation.

Senior journalist and editor turned entrepreneur

Founder faculty and former Chairman of Education at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Emeritus Professor of CEPT University.

Balaram was the first to introduce Universal Design as a distinct field of study in India which won him the grand jury award of the International Association of Universal Designers. He is the first and the only indian to win the Ron Mace Designing for the 21st century award..He is practicing professor and one of the very few indian designers to publish regularly, having 12 publications to his credit.

He received four patents. He was honoured with the title of Design Guru by J K Laxmipati University in 2023.

Chartered Accountant (India & UK) and MBA in Mergers & Acquisitions, Mandar Shrikant Joshi is a shareholder in the holding company of Venture Catalysts Group, India’s first multi-stage venture capital firm with investments in 450+ startups across five funds (USD 350 million). He co-produces the reality TV show Horses Stable – Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar with actor Suniel Shetty, and serves as Trustee of CASP, supporting healthcare for over 30,000 patients and education for more than 10,000 children. As an independent advisor to India’s Ministry of External Affairs during its G20 presidency, he played a key role in creating the StartUp20 Engagement Group. A sought-after speaker at CII, IIMs, IITs, and NITs, Mandar advises business leaders, policymakers, and public figures, blending investment insight with a keen geo-economic perspective.

Brand transformer. Failed revolutionary. Dependant son. Dependable friend. Trying to build India’s first dedicated school of automobile design.

With over 30 years of experience, Pham Huyen Kieu is a prominent designer, global speaker, and founder of Haki Group and Experts in Action. He currently serves as a creative director, consultant, and curator, driving international design networks and major exhibitions like AsiaMeets.

CEO & Board Director | Founder, RKS Design | Creator of Psycho-Aesthetics® | Bridging Design, Brand, Psychology & AI | Author & Keynote Speaker | Featured in HBS case studies | 500+ patents / 200+ awards

Sarang Kulkarni is a Type designer and Co-founder of Ek Type, known for creating multilingual typefaces across Indian scripts.

Sarang Kulkarni is a Type Designer and Calligrapher from Mumbai. In 2005, he started ‘WhiteCrow’– a Design Studio that has steadily found its niche in multi-lingual branding, bespoke type design and calligraphy across Indian scripts.
He is a co-founders of ‘Ek Type’– an award winning collaborative type foundry started in 2013, that specialises in developing single and multi-script fonts across Indian languages. Most of Ek Type fonts are Open Source and available on Google fonts.

Sarang has designed the Modak, Gotu, Baloo (Devanagari), Anek Gurmukhi, Vilom and Naatak Gurmukhi Typefaces for Ek Type.
He is one of the 1st Indian selected member of an International organisation – Alliance Graphic International (AGI).

Abhinav Khandelwal is the Managing Director of FCML, a leading PAN India interior lifestyle products company. Since joining the company in 1997, he has played a pivotal role in transforming FCML into a renowned name across bathrooms, wood floors, kitchens, bespoke tiles, and mosaics. With a strong vision for design and innovation, he also founded DETAILS B.E. — a globally inspired private label offering accessible luxury with a focus on quality, aesthetics, functionality, and customer-centric design.

Industrial Designer with 40 plus years ofexperience in Auto Design, established several auto design practices in country.

Trained as an architect, Kelley is the founder/creative director of The Press Room, an interdisciplinary design studio. She also founded Studio SML (www.studiosml.net), an online archival of Singapore creatives. She is a Visiting Professor at Hangzhou Academy of Art, External Examiner for the M.Arch at NUS, and senior lecturer for B.A.(Hons) ID of LASALLE College of the Arts. She was conferred the SkillsFuture Fellowship 2021 and President’s Design Award “Designer of the Year 2020””, Singapore’s highest accolade in design.

30 decades of making consequential digital products: Jay’s design leadership spans Adobe, Flipkart, MakeMyTrip and Aarogya Setu to global pipelines moving $3 trillion a day. From typefaces to travel and airports, his work bridges the gap between young startups and storied institutions.

Design Evangelist and Educator

Sagarmoy Paul is a senior Communication Designer working in the industry for more than 35 years. He is an alumnus of the National Institute of Design, having studied Visual Communication. Sagarmoy founded Thoughtscape Design Studio in New Delhi, which has worked across multiple sectors, handling different media. He has worked extensively in development communication for The World Bank, UN organisations, GIZ, and other bilateral agencies.

Areas of interest: Data Visualization and Information Design systems; Heritage Conservation and Craft Development; Branding Strategy Design; Design Pedagogy and Mentoring.

Prof. Praveen Nahar is Professor and Head of the Department of Design at IIT Gandhinagar and former Director of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad. Trained as an industrial designer at IIT Delhi, with further specialization in sustainable design from TU Delft, Netherlands, he has over 30 years of experience in design education, research, and practice. His work focuses on systems-oriented design, sustainability, public-sector innovation, and design leadership. He has served on several national and international advisory bodies and has been a jury member for leading design awards in India and abroad.

Ramprasad Akkisetti is the Managing Director of CCBA Designs, a practice he co-founded in Pune in 1995 with the late Prof. Christopher Benninger. Over nearly three decades, he has led the firm to become an award-winning centre of architectural excellence, overseeing projects such as IIT Hyderabad, IIM Calcutta, Azim Premji University, and the Supreme Court of Bhutan.

Ramprasad continues to uphold the values and legacy of his late collaborator. Prof. Christopher Charles Benninger was a master architect, planner, author, and institution builder whose career spanned more than fifty years. His work, from landmark campuses and civic buildings to pioneering affordable housing, combined human scale, sustainability, and social purpose, influencing generations of architects and planners worldwide.

Manish Bhardwaj , Technical Advisor DRDO is based out of Pune and actively pursuing image building of DRDO ,www.drdo.gov.in

Having more than three decades of experience in branding and design, Sudhir Sharma is a reputed brand consultant who has played a pivotal role in shaping household name brands. He is a member of the first India Design Council, constituted by the government of India, and is member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Global Council for Design. Sudhir is a founder and President of the “DesignIndia”, the first online community of professional designers in India. He has served the jury panel of the inaugural Cannes Lions for Design in 2008, and Adfest in Pattya, Thailand. As an educator, he lectures and conducts workshops on innovation and creativity, specialising in brand clarity.