Programme
Looking both inside and outside the design sector, we have selected a diverse group of respected local and international speakers. We have asked each of them to address the subject of Joy and designing a Joyful Future from their own unique perspectives.
We are delighted to all be together once again. We know this conference is also about reconnecting with friends and colleagues. Your perspective matters, so after we hear the speakers, we look forward to exploring these issues together in the Q&A, panel discussion and during the short breaks.
If you want to fix a problem, get somebody with a disability to make things happen.
If you want to know what really works, who better to have on your team than a designer who starts every day ready to take on the challenges of an unequal world. Designers with disabilities are among the most prepared and resourceful creatives you will ever meet or hire. Noel will explain why designers with this unique perspective need to be full participants in every serious design programme – not people to be consulted – but active engaged creatives.
By reference to his own fascinating story, he will explain and discuss his current work and why we each need to be attuned to our own disabilities and why this sensitivity and common sense drives better design for everyone.
Noel Joyce
Lecturer at NYU | Mentor and Consultant in Design and Innovation | Disability Advocate, New York University (NYU) Shanghai | Adaptive MTB Ireland
If you want to fix a problem, get somebody with a disability to make things happen.
About Noel
When a mountain biking accident ended his career in the military and left him confined to a wheelchair Noel went back to education to study Industrial design. He went on to utilise his newfound skill set to become an entrepreneur bringing to life a number of small hardware-based startups.
Travelling to and working in Shenzhen, China he subsequently went on to become head of design at HAX a hardware startup accelerator where he worked with over 200 startups in the areas of robotics, medical devices, consumer products as well as many more industries considering the business needs of these startups as well as their design needs.
An advocate of design as a problem-solving activity and a keen interest in creating solutions to difficulties around many issues, Noel utilises his unique prism of living both with and without a disability to create solutions to complex problems.
Facilitating Joy in Our Work
Wendy loves helping people facilitate their own happiness. How we think about our businesses, our creativity, our colleagues etc all have a huge impact on how much joy we create in our daily lives. When we learn how to empathically question the negative stories we have in our heads we start to create some space for more happiness.
Wendy will bring her 30 years' experience working in the creative sector, with creative design agency owners, designers, theatre designers, actors who are just starting out, Hollywood executives, Netflix producers and every kind of role in between. Whether it's challenging ourselves regarding Fact versus Fiction, becoming "unstuck" or simply accepting where we are right now, Wendy will share some some very clear and simple skills that we can employ immediately in our personal lives and in our businesses.
Wendy Bollard
Mindset Coach, Wendy Bollard Mindset Coach
Facilitating Joy in Our Work
About Wendy
Wendy is a mindset coach whose empathetic honesty and innate ability allow her to get to the heart of the matter. Her clients range from design consultancy principals to Hollywood producers. Her 30 years of experience within the performing arts coupled with her extensive mental health training makes Wendy the perfect coach for clients in the creative industries.
Wendy was born in the UK to Irish parents. She spent her formative years in Canada and after years of teaching, coaching, & performing internationally she has recently made London her home.
Joy Has No Boundaries
Born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand; inspired by the controversial Benetton ads of the 1990s and with a desire to reach an audience of millions rather than an audience of one, Pum Lefebure's journey has been a truly global one. In 2003, Pum co-founded Design Army with her husband Jake. Wanting to do creative differently, they eschewed being in New York, where they would be one of millions and asked themselves, can we do fashion work, luxury brands or luxury hospitality globally in Washington? Can we be a different animal? Carving out a niche and identity that is not quite a design agency and not quite an advertising agency, Pum will share how Design Army has fused joy, optimism, collaboration and different disciplines to create stand out work that connects design, branding, art direction, dance and theatre. An exploration of the journey from foreign exchange student one of America leading creative agencies where creativity in design truly has no boundaries.
Joy Has No Boundaries
About Pum
An award-winning creative director and savvy business leader, Pum has developed numerous international campaigns for high-profile clients such as Adobe, Netflix, Neenah Paper, The Ritz-Carlton, PepsiCo, Saucony, Hong Kong Ballet and the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
Guided by an entrepreneurial edge, Pum has elevated Design Army’s reputation as a trendsetter while establishing her own hallmark: a distinctive union of the artistic and the commercial. With a rare balance of creativity, strategic thinking and industry savvy she has proven that good design is the cornerstone of good business.
Her thought leadership has appeared in Fast Company, the New York Times Adweek Entrepreneur and Forbes to name a few. She currently serves as Vice Chairperson on Board of Directors for The One Club for Creativity in New York
Books I’ve Never Written
Having been approached by a publisher some years ago to write a book – and having still not decided whether or not to write one – Jane will instead share a career’s-worth of learning directly with us, themed around the concept of “Books I’ve never Written”.
From “books” on Why people with big egos need to have kids; Why nobody should work before 10am; – to topics such as Youth (THINKHOUSE’s core competency) – Why listening to young people is important; Company Culture; Change – and why it is uncomfortable – to 50 ways to scale your agency, Jane will share her library of learning and insight in areas of Youth; Company Culture; Leadership; Creativity; Life & Wellbeing.
Books I’ve Never Written
About Jane
Founder and Head of Creative Innovation at the leading independent youth marketing agency THINKHOUSE, the first agency leader in Ireland to sign up to the international marketing industry’s Pledge to tackle the Climate Crisis, and founder of The Youth Lab, an insights and C-Suite advisory practice that demystifies youth culture and future-proofs some of the world’s largest organisations through insights, strategy and innovation work.
Jane McDaid is one of the leading authorities on sustainable action and a seasoned marketer who shapes the work of major brands. Leading a growing, international team, Jane’s ongoing mission is to deliver world-class, culturally-powerful and effective Transformation, Planet and Fame services for progressive brands that care about people and planet, with a focus on creative innovation, cultural relevance and better business practices.
Why staying in Flow means you are always at the top of your game
FLOW X DESIGN and TEAM FLOW are independent studies by Design Partners. For several decades, Cormac and his colleagues have been designing products that enhance people’s creativity, productivity and wellbeing. They work with innovative brands around the world to create experiences that feed into their mission of elevating human potential.
In any design process, we need to find fresh and unexpected ways to solve complex problems. We need to enable design teams to empower and inspire the people who use the products we design. The studies look at how people achieve flow states (how their mindset, environment, and equipment play a part in flow) and evaluate if the data can allow us to design better experiences for everyone.
Cormac will address how flow works in a team setting and explore the connection between Flow and Joy.
Why staying in Flow means you are always at the top of your game
About Cormac
Cormac Ó Conaire is the Chief Design Officer at Design Partners, part of PA Consulting. His expertise is in growing and leading high-performance creative teams to deliver continuous innovation. Cormac works across Design Partners’ team and closely with clients, with a focus on creative excellence, designing future experiences, and cross-disciplinary innovation. Cormac was also responsible for Design Partners’ voice - the brand, what it stands for, how it impacts the team culture and how it’s projected externally.
Design Partners creative output has consistently been recognised by various awarding bodies, winning over 100 design awards in the past 5 years: including Red Dot, iF award, IDI Grand Prix, IDEA Gold, Time Magazine’s Best Inventions and Fast Company’s World Changing ideas.
Any Joy in the Headwinds? Real speak from the Irish market
Three local leaders in marketing and strategy – MCCP, Opinions and FolkWT – will share their views on how the local business, consumer and cultural landscape is changing; what is happening on the ground today; how their own perspective influences how they are responding to recent economic headwinds and – as we continue with many uncertainties and a potential bumpy ride in 2023 – what positive areas for growth, opportunities and new trends will help businesses grow and evolve.
Any Joy in the Headwinds? Real speak from the Irish market
About Mark
Mark joined MCCP in 2017 and is the Strategic Client Partner, with responsibility for the strategic approach and leadership on key brand change projects for private and public sector clients. He previously worked in brand agencies in Dublin, including designworks and The Brand Union.
Mark is an expert in devising and executing marketing and brand development programmes, built on the interpretation and analysis of quantitative and qualitative research. Mark had overall responsibility for all elements to support the communications team in the Department of Health in 2019 and was a key member of the team for the Department’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. To date, the work has won four awards. In the education sector he led the project for the merger of DIT, ITB and ITT to create Ireland's first Technological University as well as the brand change programmes for UL and SETU.
Any Joy in the Headwinds? Real speak from the Irish market
About Gráinne
Gráinne brings over 20 years of award-winning experience in supermarket retailing, FMCG, innovation, commercial, CX, aviation and international business development. Working for brands such as SuperQuinn, Stafford Lynch, News International, Dublin Airport Authority and daa International she has developed a range of expertise across many different types of B2B and B2C brands.
She is best known for embedding and implementing strategy, effective change management and for her impact on better growth. Her signature strengths rest in forging strong alliances and she excels at asking bold questions that stimulate thought and perspective gathering. Gráinne is highly skilled in innovation, transformation, change management, new product development, CX & strategy.
Any Joy in the Headwinds? Real speak from the Irish market
About David
With almost 25 years’ experience in the World of Insight, David has been monitoring evolving consumer needs and the trends that will shape the future of design. David works with many leading brands on the development of their visual identities, packaging and positioning.
He is currently CEO at Opinions working with a wide variety of food and drink clients, among other sectors, and he has previously held senior leadership roles with Kantar, RED C Research and OI Research. He is a multi-award-winning researcher, an accredited thought-leader in his field and an active contributor to the development of the industry through academia and various board membership roles including the Marketing Society and AIMRO.
Any Joy in the Headwinds? Real speak from the Irish market
About Kim
Kim is an award winning, multidisciplinary strategist with expertise across foresight, innovation, brand and creative strategy spanning a breadth of categories including media, telco, FMCG, financial services, mobility and energy. She’s a rigorous, provocative thinker with a passion for unearthing insights that can challenge conventions, inspire creativity and ultimately drive sustainable growth for clients.
Before joining the team at Folk Wunderman Thompson, Kim was an accomplished Senior Innovation Strategist at jump!, a global Strategy and Innovation agency.
Disability is a mask that conceals a rich, surprising, and fertile ability
Marie will explain how she and her colleagues in Trinity College are educating their students and how tailored student work placements and paid graduate internships are leading to enriching careers in some of Ireland’s leading organisations. Employers of TCPID graduates include An Post, EY, Cpl, Arthur Cox, Fidelity Investments and Grant Thornton to name a few. Marie is looking forward to introducing this topic for the first time to the Irish design sector and will explore how graduates from this internationally ground-breaking programme are changing the work culture for the better and are bringing joy to the organisations they join.
As a graduate of the programme, Sadbh will discuss some of the opportunities and challenges she faced as a student in Trinity College and subsequently as an intern, both in a leading Irish law firm and now in Trinity College itself. She will talk about how she has overcome these challenges and how she has grown as an individual through active participation in the work environment.
Disability is a mask that conceals a rich, surprising, and fertile ability
About Marie
Marie Devitt is the Pathways Coordinator in the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities in the School of Education, Trinity College Dublin. Marie is responsible for building the TCPID Business Partners Network and securing both financial and practical support from the business community for the TCPID. She works closely with the TCPID Business Partners to develop work placements, paid internships and employment opportunities for students and graduates of the programme.
Marie has an honours degree in French and Italian from University College Dublin and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Studies from the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business. Marie brings over 20 years of business experience to the Pathways Coordinator role, primarily in the areas of business development, product development, marketing and customer relationship management.
Disability is a mask that conceals a rich, surprising, and fertile ability
About Sadbh
Sadbh Feehan is a graduate of the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities (TCPID) in the School of Education, Trinity College Dublin. Sadbh graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a Certificate in Arts, Science and Inclusive Applied Practice in June 2020. She completed a graduate internship in A&L Goodbody where she worked until July 2022. Sadbh began working as a graduate intern in the TCPID in September 2022 and has been there ever since.
Sadbh is a constant advocate for people with disabilities and has presented at a number of high-profile conferences and events, including most recently at a conference in Salzburg Austria.
Being a Responsible Creative Businesses: Sustainability How-To for Design Businesses
Climate change will affect us all. Protecting Earth is to all our benefit. Who is better positioned than designers and creatives to design a better ‘climate positive’ future? But where to begin; where to place our efforts; how can we utilise design to generate new revenue streams and achieve return on sustainability? Real opportunities exist in this space, for both agencies and in-house design teams.
sustHub assists organisations of all sizes to understand what exactly is this noisy sustainability subject and accelerate their impact. Learning is built on capabilities in measuring and implementing best-in-class environmental and sustainable practice in businesses, products, services and supply chains, delivering tangible, measurable value. Declan and Brian will share practical steps we can take as design leaders, to maximise the opportunities in this space and become truly responsible, sustainable and profitable businesses.
Being a Responsible Creative Businesses: Sustainability How-To for Design Businesses
About Declan
Declan Bogan is co-founder of sustHub, a sustainability training business, and CEO of innovate2zero, a strategy, innovation and sustainability consultancy business. Declan has worked internationally and locally with senior leaders and executives in over 160 organisations from startups to Fortune 500 global household brand names.
Declan has a particular interest in sharing his expertise and knowledge, to support leaders in creating more impactful strategies, informed decisions and plans. He focuses on the human side of sustainability, the circular economy, ESG strategy and the future of work. He holds a degree in Analytical Science and a PhD in from Dublin City University and a qualification in the circular economy from TU Delft.
Being a Responsible Creative Businesses: Sustainability How-To for Design Businesses
About Brian
Brian O’Kennedy is CEO of Clearstream Solutions, a leading independent carbon management and corporate sustainability consultancy which he founded in 2009. Brian has over 20 years’ leadership experience in global supply chain management and procurement, particularly in the areas of IT, Media, Print and Packaging.
Brian has served as Chair of the CDP Ireland Network, the global carbon reporting program, and is also a member of Steering Committee of the global Responsible Sourcing standard, Verego SRS.
He has a degree in Economics from Trinity College, a Certificate in Sustainable Management from BSI Group and is currently studying the Circular Economy at TU Delft.