Speakers

Katie May Boyd is an interdisciplinary designer and strategist specialising in colour, material and finish with expertise in sustainable and circular approaches. With a background in costume from the London College of Fashion and an MA in Material Futures at Central Saint Martins, Katie has worked across a wide range practices. Katie’s work explores boundaries between science, craft, tech and our relationship to our ever changing world and the problems that it hands us.

Katie joined seymourpowell in 2019 as CMF Strategist, working across consumer electronics, beauty, and transport, bringing products to life from conception to market delivery, as well as developing the Sustainable Material Index.

Callie is Founding Partner and Creative director of Volume Creative, a female owned and led, multidisciplinary design studio in the UK. She is an agent for change and a powerful ally for sustainable design innovation within the industry. Callie collaborates with brands that want to make a positive change in their industry and helps them to build deeper, more meaningful brand stories. She has led ground breaking projects across the airline, cruise and hospitality sectors.

Recently, Callie and her partners have launched a new service, called Spared. Spared supports brands by providing bespoke solutions for their waste/by-product in the form of new surface materials, art, furniture and objects.

Siu Lie founded Circular Symbiosis in the beginning of 2020 looking to rewire, restructure and connect stakeholders to create circular ecosystems after having worked in IT public relations, journalism, marketing and with an environmental NGO. Apart from a natural curiosity for innovations, Siu Lie has a profound belief that social interactions are the real driver behind long lasting systemic change for circularity. In her work she looks to speed up the transition by breaking silos throughout value chains whilst promoting new ways of collaboration.

Elina Kopola is the founder/director of TrendWorks, a consultancy specialising in applying research and design of materials to products across a wide range of industries. In 2021 Elina co-founded Green Cabin Alliance to build awareness for aviation sustainability and advise on aviation materials that are the most sustainable and energy efficient. 

With a track record of defining consumer need and developing colour, material and finish strategy for some of the world’s leading brands, she focuses on discovering and tracking trends, then distilling their commercial value to differentiate products and brand.

A trained textile designer, Ruth Greany’s diverse experience and skill sets spans trend forecasting, woven textile, colour development, materials innovation, manufacturing and teaching. Her insights into the future of design have accelerated a passion for sustainable, ethical and regenerative systems that ensure a healthier and fairer world for all.

She is co-director of Substance, a colour and materials agency which stands at the intersection of craft, technology, innovation and sustainability to develop bespoke and insightful strategies within design. She is passionate about education, lecturing in woven textiles, materials innovation and trend forecasting at several top universities across the UK, as well as running workshops within her local community focused on sustainable materials and natural systems.

Gijs Streppel started his career at MEYER WERFT in 2004 as a naval architect in the Sales and Design Department. During the next 17 years, he took over several management positions within this department. As Head of Ship Theory with in the Sales and Design Department, he was involved in the development of the Silversea Evolution Class of vessels, the first cruise vessel being able to run on fuel cells only while in port. Silver Nova is planned for delivery in 2023.

In 2021 his focus shifted to the strategic development of sustainability topics for the Meyer Group. As the Programme Manager Sustainability Gijs Streppel is working on the sustainability roadmap of Meyer with close contact to the cruise industry. He is reporting directly to the board of directors at Meyer Werft.

Gijs Streppel (41) grew up in the Netherlands and studied naval architecture at the Technical University of Delft.

Marketing Manager and responsible for sustainable business development at Dansk Wilton.

Lone is managing the Cradle-to-Cradle certifications of Dansk Wilton’s Colortec carpet solutions and is driving the ongoing recycling initiatives within the company.

For her, it is important to see sustainability as a journey and not a destination. Embracing sustainability requires continuous development and improvements.

Ben Orson is the designer of some of the most influential and award-winning aircraft interiors of the past 20 years, for companies including Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Singapore Airlines. Ben has led creative teams in the UK and USA.

In 2020, he launched Orson Associates, an aviation focused, multi-disciplinary studio, dedicated to creating the travel experiences of the future, offering expertise in strategy and brand, industrial design and engineering.

Throughout 2021, Orson Associates were privileged to lead the cabin development for FlyZero, a £15m, UK government funded research project seeking to deliver zero-carbon aircraft by 2030.

Thomas Westergaard is a hospitality management professional with extensive experience from Hotel & Cruise Operations. He is the CEO of Stay Tuned Hospitality, and has also been with Hurtigruten Group for eight years in various senior management positions. At Hurtigruten, Thomas has been responsible for designing onboard concepts and interiors in the fleet through refurbishment and New Build programs.

Thomas has four children and is currently based in Oslo, Norway.

Luke Pearson is the co-Founder and Director of Pearson Lloyd; award-winning product, furniture and innovation design studio, featuring clients such as Lufthansa, ThyssenKrupp, BENE, TAKT, City Of Bath, & Teknion.

Regularly serving on international panels at design events throughout the world, and juries for design competitions, Luke is currently a member of the independent Design Advisory panel for High Speed 2 (HS2) rail network, and advisor for Asia Design Platform (ADP).

Alongside Tom Lloyd – of Pearson Lloyd – Luke was awarded the distinction of Royal Designer for Industry by The Royal Society of Arts, and subsequently went on to be named in the top 50 designers ‘Shaping the Future’ by Fast-Co Magazine in New York.

George Scammell is Director, Interior Asset Management – Technical Operations for Princess Cruises. He is responsible for leading the in-house design team in managing all interior design initiatives, supporting interior revitalization, refurbishment, and maintenance for Princess’ fleet of 17 International ships.

A global hospitality design leader, George has extensive experience in the hospitality, cruise, and leisure entertainment industry.  Leadership positions include VP of Global Design for Wyndham Worldwide Principal for CORE architects, VP of Design for ForrestPerkins, and Design Management for Walt Disney World Resorts.  George earned his bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from Florida State University, is a licensed Interior Designer, and a Professional Member of both the American Society of Interior Designers, and the International Interior Design Association.

Giacomo Villa was born in Milan and holds a Master Of Science degree in Economics and Strategic Development of Small and Medium-sized enterprises. Giacomo gained experience on Development economics and Sustainability after spending 3 years researching and working on education, business development and access to microcredit of low-income entrepreneurs in the west suburbs of São Paulo, Brazil.

Since 2017 he joined Manifattura Testori SpA as 5th generation of the Company and Head of Sales to develop Aviation and Marine businesses promoting the transition toward Sustainability of the products range and the organization. Giacomo is also member of the Board of Directors since 2018.

Having studied Product Design at Central St Martins I started my career at Cambridge Product Design, a small agency with a big portfolio. I worked on concepts for high end audio products for companies such as Keff Electronics and Meridian Audio. Following this, I worked on a revolutionary surround sound speaker system for Canon.
After 3 years I moved to Grey Matter Design Consultants in London where I became Senior Designer and worked on various product and packaging portfolios including SKB and Prestige culinary equipment.

In 2000, after a short break, I moved to British Airways’ Design Management department. I worked on anything from lounges, wayfinding in terminals to revolutionary flat beds in business class seating.
Having worked at BA for over 20yrs I can say that I have specialised in aircraft interior products and services. I have helped develop 4 first class seats, cabins and experiences and 3 business class products.
I am responsible for the look and feel of all aircraft interiors- some designed in house, but often collaborating with some of the leading product design agencies in the industry, having formed great relationships with Priestman Goode, Forpeople and Tangerine, all who have helped us develop the great British Airways Interior experience.
I am currently a Panellist on the Crystal Cabin Awards and have previously judged the Design for Business Association and New Designers show at Islington.

Peter Joehnk is co-managing director of the Hamburg-based studio, JOI-Design, one of Europe’s most respected leaders in hospitality interior architecture and design. Peter believes there has never been a more exciting time to be a hospitality designer and that design is now recognised as crucial to the success of every development. Over three decades, Peter and his team have made major contributions to this evolving narrative, bringing to life luxurious and innovative hospitality destinations for leading brands as well as independent properties, garnering many awards in the process. The multidisciplined team also creates up-to-date serviced apartments and high-concept offices – all shaped by the DNA shared amongst our projects: providing a sense of culture, innovative approaches, inspiring great memories, visually authentic, and, finally, sustainable. These are the brand values JOI-Design chooses to follow.

Alan Stewart has 23 years’ experience in marine architecture, designing and project managing the interiors of Cruise Ships and Passenger Ferries. As a graduate in Interior Architecture in the 90’s, Alan joined SMC Design and has since worked on the interior design and brand development of both newbuild and refit projects for many of the world’s leading cruise brands. Alan’s vast portfolio of clients include Viking Cruises, DFDS, Cunard, P&O, & NCL to name but a few.
Alan’s passion and drive for innovative design have seen him rise to his current position of Company Director. His design experience combined with his industry knowledge have led him to work on numerous ship designs for multiple brands covering the globe.

Zuzana Hrnkova has 28 years’ experience in aviation business. Since September 2015, she has been appointed Vice President and Head of Marketing in ATR, European turboprops manufacturer, enabling sustainable and affordable regional connectivity. She leads the team responsible for Market Strategy, Airline and Product Marketing and continues to extend her aircraft, market and sustainability expertise into the regional segment.
Previously she worked at Airbus and her last assignment was Head of Aircraft Interiors Marketing, where she led the Aircraft Interiors Marketing team, covering all current and future Airbus cabins. One of her main tasks was to guide new cabin product developments ensuring that cabin design fulfils all passengers’ and airlines’ expectations. One of her main achievements was the A350XWB interior design and market validation.
Zuzana is a graduated engineer and private pilot in 1991 from the Air Transport University of Zilina, Slovakia and from the French School of Civil Aviation (ENAC), Toulouse in 1994.

Sioban Imms is an expert in CMF (colour, material and finish), trends and creative direction. She has a decade of experience researching and identifying how consumer lifestyles change in response to socio-political shifts, nascent technologies and aesthetics. Previous to this, her focus was hands-on making and working with manufacturers to produce large scale installations and products. As co-director of Substance (a colour and materials agency), she creates strategies that help brands find pathways to responsible design and circularity.

Petra, originally from Sweden, has been practicing Interior Design in multiple geographical locations. Starting her career with land-based projects working for Wilson Associates in North America and for HBA in London. The introduction to ship design came via Tillberg Design of Sweden which led her to heading up the design department for P&O Australia for the last 6 years in Sydney. Petra just embarked on a new journey starting her own design firm called STUDIO BERG+.

As Vice President Sustainability & ESG, Linden aims to ensure that MSC Cruises grows in a sustainable way. In this role, Linden works in collaboration with numerous internal and external partners. She established the Executive Chairman-led Sustainable Advisory Board, responsible for approving actions to meet the sustainability goals of the business and ensuring sustainability is embedded across the entire organisation.

She manages the publication of the annual MSC Cruises’ Sustainability Report and is currently involved in driving the decarbonisation strategy, as well as tracking and reporting sustainability actions and goals across the business. She represents the cruise line on several external programmes and initiatives including the Green Shipping Programme in Norway and the Waterborne Technology Platform.

Linden has a solid background in environmental protection and sustainability, with experience both as a consultant and in the corporate environment. As a consultant this included working on many diverse projects in Hong Kong and the South East Asia region, including the implementation of environmental management systems and developing environmental and sustainability reporting regimes for government and non-government clients.

She joined Cathay Pacific as the Manager Environmental Affairs in 2003 and in 2009 took up a position at Etihad Airways, initially as Head of Environment and then as Head of Sustainability for the Etihad Aviation Group.

Linden led several successful aviation projects including instigating the voluntary carbon offset program ‘Fly Greener’ at Cathay Pacific and leading the drive towards sustainable alternative fuels at Etihad. The latter including facilitating the longest flight using alternative fuels into the Middle East in 2014 and then enabling a flight powered using sustainable biomass grown and refined into jet fuel in the UAE, a first for the region.

Simon leads Cundall’s net zero carbon and sustainable governance teams. He is an environmental specialist focusing on carbon reduction policy and strategy, and is widely recognised as a leading authority on net zero and whole life carbon in the built environment.

Simon has authored official policy on embodied and whole life carbon in the UK and internationally. He is also a member of the UK Green Building Council’s Members Advisory Committee, the British Council for Offices (BCO) Environment, Social & Governance Group (ESG), the Whole Life Carbon Network (WLCN) committee, the Green Property Alliance, and is chair of the CIBSE Knowledge Generation Panel.

He co-wrote Cundall’s One Planet, One Chance Sustainability Roadmap, which sets out how Cundall can achieve maximum impact using the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including becoming the world’s first carbon neutral certified engineering consultancy in 2020 using science based targets.

Ben Tilston is a Director of Design for IHG in the UK & Ireland, working with their Owners and development partners to deliver loved and trusted hotels across their Lifestyle, Premium, Essentials and Suites brands. Ben has worked on prestigious hotel and hospitality projects around the globe, amassing over 15 years of experience in design leadership across Architecture, Interior Design & Project Management. As part of his work in IHG’s Hotel Lifecycle & Growth team, he has been instrumental in developing new tools, resources and ways of working to deliver IHG’s Journey to Tomorrow ESG commitments in the area of hotel construction and refurbishment.

Prior to joining IHG in 2016, he has worked as an Associate at Dexter Moren Associates and Wimberly Interiors / WATG, with further experience as a Designer at Jestico + Whiles; all in London, UK. He holds a Master of Architecture (MArch) from the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, and a BA (Hons) Architecture from the Kent School of Architecture, Canterbury.

Ben’s young twins, Jack and Eddie, are the driving force behind his passion for sustainability in the hospitality sector and generally wanting to save the world!

Tasha Jackson is sustainability director for Boeing Commercial Airplanes Product Marketing, responsible for the market assessment, product sustainability strategy, and customer engagement activities. In this role, she leads the development of messaging to describe Boeing’s vision and practices to achieve sustainability goals and to leverage opportunities to partner with airline customers to meet industry goals.

Jackson previously served as product marketing manager for Boeing Global Services (BGS), where she highlighted the environmentally conscious aspects of Boeing flight operations products. These include the launch of Fuel Dashboard and paper-to-digital transformations with FliteDeck Pro helping customers to reduce their fuel and paper usage and improve their overall environmental impact.

Early in her career, she worked as the regional market manager for Microsoft’s Windows program and Hill’s Science Diet’s consumer selling program, where she managed business-to-consumer selling teams.

Jackson holds a Master of Business Administration with emphasis in marketing from the University of Denver and a bachelor’s degree in business marketing from the University of Northern Colorado.

Felicia Zwebner is Principal and CEO of Felicia Zwebner Design and FZ Collection.
Known for her elegant, luxurious, and natural aesthetic, Felicia believes that current environmental crises requires ethical design. Processes should neither exacerbate climate change, nor promote the use of materials from at-risk ecosystems.
Felicia’s experience as an auditor and business consultant informs the choices she makes in both her design and manufacturing portfolios: materials, processes, and transportation are all carefully scrutinized for artistic and environmental integrity.
At FZ Collection, Felicia works with Ritz Carlton Luxury Yacht Collection, Holland America Group, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Azamara, Carnival Corporation, MGM Resorts & Casinos, Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG. Clients value FZ furniture because they recognise it endures and satisfies exacting specifications and sustainability requirements.
Felicia works with a foundation called Sundara, which educates children in India about personal hygiene and distributes recycled soap gathered from the hospitality sector.

Beatrice Siri was born in Genoa and spent her Sunday afternoons as a child watching cruise ships leaving the port – dreaming to be designing them one day!

After graduating in naval architecture and marine engineering in 2000 in Genoa, Beatrice started her career with Costa Cruise line. Beatrice enjoyed working with them for 14 years, growing from Hotel interiors superintendent to Director of Newbuilding and Hotel maintenance.

Finally, 7 years ago Beatrice joined Royal Caribbean which has given her the opportunity to broaden her horizons thanks to an inspirational and multicultural environment. At Royal Caribbean, innovation is at the core of our values and Beatrice has been lucky enough to lead many multibillion projects for Celebrity Cruise, Royal Caribbean and TUI Cruises.

As Associate Vice President Architectural design and Outfitting, Beatrice is responsible for creating amazing ships, while building on continuous improvement and connecting great teams, top experts, amazing architects and incredibly talented yards and contractors.

On top of her love for travelling, architecture, art and sustainability, Beatrice is a true believer in expanding human potential. This passion led her lately to become a Certified life Coach, to be able to help people to enjoy life and go above and beyond their limits…and mine too!

Ana is an experienced sustainability and circular economy professional passionate about advancing circular economy, climate action and sustainable development in the built environment.
As Lead Built Environment for the EMEA region, at the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, Ana is responsible for outreach, education, policy development and adoption of C2C Certified with product manufacturers and the wider built environment stakeholder community. Her prior work experience also includes project management, consulting advice and research in areas ranging from circular economy, resources efficiency, waste management, strategic environmental planning and environmental impact assessment.

Ana also serves as a Program leader for the executive education online course at Cambridge Judge Business school ‘Circular economy and Sustainable Strategies’.

Ana holds a postgraduate diploma in Circular Economy from the University of Exeter Business School, a Master of Engineering in Resources Efficiency and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering. She is also a chartered environmentalist of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment in the UK and a recognized European Professional Engineer.

Tom Hupe is the Senior Director of Design, Hilton EMEA.

Within this role Tom oversees the Hilton EMEA design team based in the UK, Dubai and South Africa. Collectively the team is responsible for the review, elevation, approval and brand alignment of design proposals for all full service, luxury and lifestyle brands across EMEA.

The team currently oversees almost 300 active projects, which range from renovations to conversions and new developments.

Tom brings 20+ years’ experience of working as a designer exclusively in the hotel and leisure sector. During this time, he has been responsible for the design and project delivery of diverse and impressive range of hotels.

Tony Seville has over 35 years of experience in the manufacturing, refurbishment, repair, composite repair, line maintenance and base maintenance of commercial and VIP aircraft interiors.
Tony has held positions worldwide undertaking the roles of interior technician, supervisor, manager, consultant, and instructor helping many companies to manage workloads, cut production times, manage manpower and enhance companies’ overall capabilities.
During this time, Tony has studied the many different materials that aircraft interiors are manufactured from and researched the recycling and sustainability of these materials.
Following the research and case studies, he is now successfully recycling materials and working towards complete sustainability, carbon footprint reduction and the circular economy for airlines, MRO, cabin refurbishment companies, aircraft manufacturers, aircraft interior manufacturers, raw material manufacturers and aircraft interior designers whilst also working with clients on their ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) compliance.

Jan Magdal Poulsen, Brand & Product Director 

Jan has been working for EgeCarpets for more than 15 years. He is currently responsible for marketing, CSR/Environment, Quality and products. EgeCarpets’ ambition is to create the world’s most sustainable carpets. Jan has been working on implementing this, with initiatives such as a full Cradle to Cradle product program, EcoVadis platinum rating, and reductions in CO2 of more than 50%.

As one of the original start up members of Virgin Voyages, Jamie was instrumental in the concept, design and development of the entire end to end ship, terminal and beach club experiences. Coming from a physical product design background, Jamie was able to challenge the normal and redefine many aspects of the experience; from challenging what a Virgin Voyages cruise cabin should be, including introducing a sustainably sourced hammock to every balcony + redefining the room service through “Ship Eats”, to developing the award winning first ocean plastic sailor wearable at sea “The Band” – all with the core goals of innovation and sustainability whilst still operationally viable.  Jamie now heads up “innovation and development” within the Fleet Experience team, in order to keep the sailor + crew experience, standards and services high. 

Summit Host

A graduate of Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Roddy Clarke is a design writer looking at the social and environmental impacts of design. With a background in restoration, Roddy covers topics such as circularity, responsible design and the presence of traditional craft in a contemporary society. Contributing to titles such as The Financial Times and Forbes, Roddy hosts and speaks across various industry events while also consulting with brands to help them navigate their way to a greener future through transparent and honest communication.

Kristin May is the Chief Commercial Operations Officer for Vyv. Vyv is a health tech company and creator of proprietary antimicrobial lighting technology that is UV-free, chemical-free, and unlike other disinfection tools, designed for safe, continuous use in occupied spaces that matter most. Kristin is responsible for accelerating revenue growth and achieving customer delight through operational excellence at the company.
Kristin comes to the position with extensive leadership experience in health-related technology commercialization, sales, and delivery. Prior to joining Vyv, Kristin led New York-based Ellis Medicine’s strategy for excellence in patient experience, safety, clinical and operational quality outcomes, and regulatory compliance. Kristin has also held management positions with Carestream Health, General Electric Company, and partnered with Philips Healthcare. She is a graduate from Boston University School of Management, is Lean and Sigma, Black Belt Certified and deeply passionate about innovation and technologies role in addressing global health and sustainability challenges.

Arun Rana is heading interior design hospitality projects for AccorHotels Group in Northern Europe (UK, Ireland, BeNeLux, and Nordics). His remit is multiband from Economy, Midscale, Premium and Lifestyle brands. He is responsible for supporting Accor’s vision of growth and creating a second to none guest experience. He works closely with designers, architects and suppliers to inspire, create, and push the boundaries of interior design.

Originally educated in contemporary furniture and lighting design, with a passion for Graphic design and Architecture, Arun found Interior design a great way to bring all his creativity into one place. Previously he has managed two studios and a team of designers, he has worked on a variety of projects from one-off restaurants, bars, residential and hotels. Focusing on strong concepts to tell a story, he loves interiors that allow the guest to explore, discover, and find joy in subtle design touches.

Kirsty is the Managing Director of PriestmanGoode. She has been with the consultancy since 2001, following work with the Design Council and the British Council, promoting British design to international markets. Kirsty has been instrumental in developing PriestmanGoode’s concepts on the future of transport and establishing the company as thought leaders in design and innovation. She has led key projects in the rail and travel industry including work for OBB and concept work to increase capacity and flexibility in urban transport.

Emma Reynolds is a Senior Sales Executive at Ultrafabrics working with transportation design studios across the globe. With a focus on new material styles and product innovation, Emma works with a range of design, technical and commercial stakeholders. Emma is an accomplished sales professional and Ultrafabrics trend specialist. Emma is currently UK-based heading up Ultrafabrics EMEA transportation sales and has previously worked in Italy and California.

As Sustainability Manager at TUI Cruises, Victoria is working on sustainability topics for both the Mein Schiff and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises fleet. The sustainability team develops and implements the companies’ sustainability strategy & policies. It is working with all relevant departments on strategic initiatives and projects to deliver to the strategy.
Among other things, Victoria is involved in interior retrofit projects from the sustainability perspective as well as general material choices and product development in regards to circularity and sustainability.

Darren Brown will be speaking at Sustainable Design Summit. His bio will be available shortly.

My Nguyen was born in Vietnam and has resided in Seattle since the age of 2. She holds degrees in Interior Design and Fine Arts. My has earned accolades for award-winning and nationally recognized projects in marine, high-end residential, and hospitality design. She joined Holland America Group in a newly created leadership role to form an in-house design team that oversees the interior refurbishments and maintenance of Holland America Line and Seabourn’s fleet. My is also the head designer of staterooms on Holland America Line newbuild vessels.

After studying Architecture, and then spending the mandatory few years as a bartender, Jamie Granados eventually found his way to business development via publishing sales. Twenty-five years later he still enjoys putting people who can help each other in touch and letting the magic happen.

He has helped grow businesses that specialise in product design, marketing, advertising, research and insight, strategic innovation and product development, all classes of aviation cabin interiors, luxury hospitality interior design, and most recently automotive design.

For the past 10 years, he has had a bee in his bonnet about responsible sustainable design, and redefining ‘better’ to stop meaning ‘faster’ when it comes to travel.

Bryan Liska is the Director of Design for Hilton Latin America & the Caribbean. He oversees Design for the diverse portfolio of Hilton Full-Service, Lifestyle & Collection Branded Properties. Bryan has over 12 years of International hospitality leadership in Architecture, Interior Design and Project Management. His portfolio of completed projects include Award-Winning guest experiences, spanning five continents, for International Lifestyle and Collection Branded Hotels & Resorts.

Prior to joining Hilton in 2017; he was the Design Director at RAD Architecture in Miami, and managed Large Scale Hospitality Projects while at The Gettys Group, and Cendes Architecture in Chengdu, China. Bryan is Proficient in English and receptive in Spanish. He holds a Masters of Architecture (M.Arch) from Texas Tech University.

Matt Round is Chief Creative Officer at Tangerine. He helps companies to create remarkable experiences through the design of innovative environments, products, and services. His 30-year career has seen him working with global brands in North America, Europe, The Middle East, and Asia. He created the idea for the World’s first fully flat bed in businesses class for British Airways and he has redefined the travel experience for Finnair, Gulf Air, and Japan Airlines.

In Japan, he has formed strong relationships with some of the country’s most notable brands; Nikon, Toto and Toyota. All of whom have honoured him with the opportunity to lead multidisciplinary teams to design truly better products and experiences. His passion for creating innovative spaces helped Snoozebox Portable Hotels delight guests at festivals and events and win a Cool Brand award. His work for Finnair lounges has been described as “The best lounges the One World alliance has ever seen.”

Matt is a regular keynote speaker and has taken the stage in prestigious locations around the world including the British Embassy in Tokyo and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. He had been invited to judge design awards in Europe and Asia and in 2021 he was the jury president for D&AD in the product design section.

He places value on curiosity and creativity and believes that it takes creative leaps and discipline to translate insight into extraordinary ideas with the potential to inspire consumers and improve businesses. 

Lukas Kaestner is co-founder of the Sustainable Aero Lab, the leading accelerator that globally brings together founders, researchers, experienced industry professionals, and investors, to build the future of aviation. In addition, he is the President of the Crystal Cabin Award Association, the world’s most renowned award for aircraft interiors and passenger experience.

Lukas has been an aviation enthusiast since his childhood days and has been involved in the industry for a living since 2014, serving as Head of Marketing, PR & Events at the Hamburg Aviation Cluster, as well as the ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research. Before moving to aviation, he was a Communications Consultant in the fields of renewable energies, publishing, and startups. Lukas is a graduate of the Ludwig-Maximilian-University of Munich and holds an MBA from the University of Hamburg / Hamburg Media School.