Meet the Chairman of HKDC and KODW 2024 Speakers

The 2024 Knowledge of Design Week (KODW) promises to be an exciting event, featuring a diverse range of workshops, seminars, and exhibitions. Organised by Hong Kong Design Centre (KHDC), attendees can look forward to engaging discussions led by global design and innovation leaders, exploring cutting-edge topics in various design disciplines. With its focus on fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, KODW 2024 aims to inspire creativity and drive innovation within the design community.

Prof. Eric C. Yim, MH, JP

Chairman

Hong Kong Design Centre

Prof. Eric C. Yim is a distinguished UK-registered architect, furniture designer, brand-focused industrialist, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and business innovation consultant. He also serves as an adjunct professor at several design schools both locally and internationally. Prof. Yim champions design and innovation, playing an active role in the design and creative industries community. He chairs the Hong Kong Design Centre and the Advisory Committee of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design. Additionally, he advises Our Hong Kong Foundation, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design, Hong Kong Designer Association, and Hong Kong Architecture Centre. From 2018 to 2022, he was a member of the Chief Executive’s Council of Advisors on Innovation and Strategic Development.

Prof. Yim holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Cambridge and a First-Class Honours BA and Distinction in B.Arch from the University of Manchester. In 2019, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Design and appointed as an adjunct professor at Swinburne University in Australia. He also holds the title of Professor of Practice at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design.

His numerous accolades include the Hong Kong Institute of Marketing Hall of Fame (2022), VTC Honorary Fellow (2022), Lifetime Achievement Award by HKF&DA, GAAHK Outstanding Achievement Award (Design) 2021, and the GBA Industrial Innovation Leadership Award (2019), among others. Prof. Yim was named Justice of the Peace in 2015 and served on the CPPCC from 2013 to 2018.

2024 KODW Moderator & Speakers

Alan Chan
Founder & Creative Director
Alan Chan Design Company

Alan Chan, a renowned designer, brand consultant, and artist, has amassed over 1,000 brands and 630 design awards in his 54-year career. His "Oriental Passion Western Harmony" philosophy is celebrated internationally. Recognized as the World's Outstanding Chinese Designer in 2017, Chan's fine art exhibitions span across the globe, and his works are featured in major institutions like the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich and M+.

Alexis Georgacopoulos
Director of University of Art and Design Lausanne (ECAL)

Alexis Georgacopoulos, born in Athens in 1976, is the Director of ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne, among the world's top 10 art and design schools. A product designer, he graduated from ECAL in 1999 and assumed directorship in July 2011. Georgacopoulos prioritizes student-centered education, fostering collaborations with leading brands and institutions. He also spearheads ECAL's expansion into entrepreneurship, research, technology, and innovation.

Calvin Sio, Founder & CEO | Director of Sustainability Zence Object Technology |

Calvin Sio is an interdisciplinary designer specializing in sustainable development. His award-winning works have been recognized by prominent international design institutions and featured in various media outlets, including TIME magazine's "2021 Best Inventions." Sio is committed to bringing Macau brands to the global market, showcasing products in prestigious cultural establishments like the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, Galeries Lafayette in France, LOFT in Japan, and Tsutaya Bookstore.

Dong Gong
Founder/Design Principal | Foreign Member Vector Architects |French Academy of Architecture

Dong Gong founded Vector Architects in 2008. In 2019, he was elected a Foreign Member of the French Academy of Architecture. Gong teaches design at several esteemed institutions, including Tsinghua University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His work with Vector Architects has been showcased in major exhibitions, including MoMA and the Venice Biennale. Notable projects like the Seashore Library and Yangshuo Sugarhouse have received international recognition.

Frank Chou
Founder & Creative Director
Frank Chou Design Studio

Frank Chou keeps capturing the essence of materials and objects, and creates elegant and significant design pieces. He has collaborated with renowned design brands in the Mainland and abroad, and was invited to be the first Chinese designer for Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades collection. Over the past years, Frank Chou was nominated for Designer of the Year by industry organisations and authoritative media. Meanwhile, Chou is the curator of the Talents area in Design Shanghai and the initiator of the public welfare activity Create Cures.

Laurent Ungerer, Founder & CEO of c-album

Laurent Ungerer, born in 1962, trained at École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ENSAD) in Paris before founding his own studio, c-album, following a decade at the Jean Widmer agency. He's renowned for his graphic work, including the Picasso Museum's 2014 reopening and winning bids for new visual identities for organizations like ICOM and the Comédie Française. Since 2017, he's been designing exhibitions for the Louis Vuitton Foundation and shaping the brand architecture for the National Museum of Natural History. Ungerer has also been teaching at ENSAD since 1992.

Nathalie Criniere
CEO Agence NC

Nathalie Crinière is an accomplished designer, graduating from École Boulle in interior architecture and École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in industrial design. She furthered her studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, USA. After gaining experience in Barcelona, she returned to Paris, working in different agencies before establishing her own. Now leading a team of fifteen, she serves as creative director, focusing on diverse disciplines such as scenography and interior design.

Olivier Segura
Managing Director L’ÉCOLE Asia Pacific

After years in advertising and communication, Olivier Segura found his passion in jewellery. With a background in biology, geology, and gemology, he founded a gem trading company in Bangkok. Returning to Paris, he managed the French Gemological Laboratory before joining L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, where he now serves as Scientific Director. He oversees new courses, exhibitions like "Garden of Emeralds" in Dubai, and co-authored the book "Precious Gemstones" with François Farges from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.

Penelope Luk
Creative Director Crafts on Peel

Penelope Luk is the Creative Director and founding member of Crafts on Peel, a non-profit foundation dedicated to preserving traditional crafts while supporting artisans in Hong Kong and beyond. She leads the organization in creative direction, exhibition curation, and talent development. Luk's expertise extends globally through her writings and presentations on crafts. She completed the Executive Education Programme at Cambridge Judge Business School and is a state-certified Chinese Tea Master, enhancing Crafts on Peel's public programs.

Rama Gheerawo
Director The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art

Rama Gheerawo, a respected international speaker, author, and designer, released his acclaimed book, 'Creative Leadership: Born from Design,' in March 2022, now available on Amazon. Honored with a 'Hall of Fame' award at the Design Week Awards in 2019, he is renowned for using design to tackle societal challenges. With expertise in Inclusive Design, Design Thinking, and Creative Leadership, he has overseen approximately 100 global projects, partnering with renowned organizations. Gheerawo champions inclusive practices, providing training worldwide and advising prestigious institutions.

Shirley Surya
Curator, Design and Architecture M+ Hong Kong

Shirley Surya, Curator of Design and Architecture at M+ in Hong Kong, has been instrumental in shaping the M+ Collections since 2012. She co-curated significant exhibitions such as "Building M+: The Museum & Architecture Collection" (2013) and "In Search of Southeast Asia through the M+ Collections" (2018), as well as M+'s opening exhibitions. Surya is currently co-curating I. M. Pei's first institutional retrospective, "I. M. Pei: Life is Architecture," scheduled to open in late June 2024.

For more info, please visit

2024.kodw.org