CEO / Co-Founder, The Circular Materials GmbH

In 2004, Karsten Bleymehl wrote his diploma thesis in product design entitled "New Materials in Product Design" at the HBK Saar (Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar). In the following year, he became Director of Library & Materials Research at Material ConneXion Cologne for the next eight years (2005 - 2013). Since 2009, he has been working as a guest lecturer at Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, where he lectures in "Materials & Design" and "Sustainable Product Development". In 2013 he founded his first company: MRC - Materials Research and Consulting. In 2019, his second company followed: The Circular Materials GmbH.

Head of Sustainability Design BMW Group

The interplay of lush designs on the one hand and minimizing the impact on our environment on the other hand is Daniela Bohlinger’s daily challenge. Having dedicated herself to a more sustainable approach in design, she was one of the masterminds behind the unique sustainable design concept of the “Project i" which resulted in the BMW i3 car, and has pushed ahead with innovative eco-friendly initiatives ever since. Apart from contributing to the company’s strategic development with regard to sustainability, she is a frequent guest lecturer at different universities, think tanks and panel discussions, and fosters a strong dialogue with players from inside and outside the automotive industry.

Prior to joining the BMW Group Design team 19 years ago as a colour and trim designer, Daniela had worked in different industries as a product designer, where she always felt confronted with the consequences of her work on the environment. She graduated with a Master from renowned Pratt Institute (NY) as a Fulbright Scholar and holds a degree from the UIDH Helsinki and the University of Applied Science Schwäbisch Gmünd.

Member of the Management Board, Iconstorm GmbH

Jochen Denzinger is a product designer and member of the management board of the Frankfurt office for strategic design Iconstorm. His work focuses on hybrid products as well as interaction and interface design. He is particularly interested in innovation and product development processes as well as design methods.

Strategic Product Design, dormakaba International Holding GmbH

Bernhard Heitz was born in Frankfurt /M. and studied Industrial Design at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences.

Some of the most important company names on his CV include Moll Design (Schwäbisch Gmünd), Group Four design and AndersonDesign (Connecticut, USA), Resopal (Groß-Umstadt) and SieMatic (Löhne). 

He has been in charge of product design at Busch-Jaeger Elektro GmbH (Lüdenscheid) for several years, where he developed products for modern building automation. Since 2013 he is continuing his career at DORMA (Ennepetal), and since 2016 at dormakaba International (Zürich) establishing a new global product design language. This responsibility includes all product ranges and product related digital interfaces.

Managing director of the Stiftung Deutsches Design Museum

Julia Kostial studied German and English language as well as political science in Darmstadt and then worked in PR agencies for ten years. After working independently, she took charge of the Corporate Communications department of the German Design Council from 2009 to 2017. She then took over the management of the Stiftung Deutsches Design Museum. Since 2020, Julia Kostial has been the managing director of the foundation.

Founding Director Crown Consultance / Representative des GDC für BeNeLux & EU

Born in Brussels, Dorian Kronenwerth worked as a bridge builder on construction sites, shaped by his interdisciplinary academic career in England, Italy and Belgium: where he studied subjects from philosophy, economics business studies to EU policy. Since 2016, he has been active in the EU world, be it on a regulatory level or in public relations, in areas such as digital, environmental and cultural policy. He closely accompanies the New European Bauhaus project for the German Design Council, relying on his knowledge of the EU as well as his extensive network and skills in economic diplomacy to generate understanding and value with and through the EU. ;

WDO President-Elect

WDO President-Elect David Kusuma is the Senior Vice President of Product Management & Innovation at Oregon Tool. Prior to this, David served as the Vice President of Research & Innovation and Vice President of Product Development Worldwide at Tupperware Brands Corporation. During his tenure, he was tasked with subverting conventional boundaries of innovation by developing new technologies and materials to create game-changing product solutions. As a result, they developed 150 to 200 new products every year, and launched them in over 100 countries around the world. David has also worked at General Electric (GE) as Global Manager, Design and Vehicle Engineering, to develop the use of polycarbonate as a viable alternative to glass in automotive window systems. Prior to GE, David worked at Bayer Material Science. David holds a PhD from Cranfield University (United Kingdom), an MBA from Tilburg University (The Netherlands), a MS in Engineering Management from Purdue University, a BS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, and a BS in Industrial Design from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Dipl.-Industrial Designer

Silke Meister did her degree in industrial design. She uses the design process as a powerful tool for the interface between design and pedagogy with the goals of promoting networked thinking, making learning comprehensible and particularly empowering young people to be self-efficacious. For the ENTDECKE DESIGN (Discover Design) initiative, she takes on the conception and implementation of workshop series.

Managing Director Scholz & Volkmer

As designer and managing director of the creative agency Scholz & Volkmer, Peter Post is responsible for the area of user experience design in addition to the operative business.
Born in Frankfurt in 1969, he studied communication design at the FH Wiesbaden. In 1995, Peter went to the Netherlands, where he founded and managed interaction design departments at various agencies. His clients included KPN Telecom, TNT Post, Randstad and Dutch Police.
In 2006, he joined Scholz & Volkmer as Unit Director. In 2008, he moved to the position of Managing Director and looks after clients such as Deutsche Bahn, Mercedes Benz, Lufthansa and Riese & Müller. Peter teaches the subjects Interaction Design and User Centered Design. His work has won awards at the red dot, the iF and the ADC, among others.

Together with Michael Volkmer, Peter developed the agency's sustainability strategy and develops communication strategies for clients in this context. He also lectures on trends and methods at the interface of design, technology and the common good.

Founder SHIFT GmbH

Carsten Waldeck is a designer, philosopher, and inventor from Hesse. Together with his brother, he founded SHIFT GmbH in 2014, which they jointly run to this day. With the m-series of SHIFTPHONES, the startup introduced the world's most sustainable and modular smartphone in 2016. The main goal of SHIFT GmbH, which operates investor-free as a 100% social business, is to maximise meaning and value - not profit. They want to do as much good as possible while doing as little harm as possible. Carsten obtained his diploma in communication design at the HS Darmstadt in 1999. His elaboration "iWorld" is considered truly pioneering for smartphones, social networks, and mobile internet as we know it today. Furthermore, studied computer science and philosophy in Marburg and worked as a research assistant at the Fraunhofer Institute in the field of "Mobile Information Visualisation". He published scientific articles about his invention "Liquid Browsing" and other innovations in the field of interaction. Carsten loves people, great design, music, sustainability, and social justice with all his heart.

Andrea Gerhard was born in Hamburg, she is a trained actress with a passion for sustainability. In 2019, she launched her own podcast "ZWEIvorZWÖLF", which revolves around the topics of sustainability and social justice. In her podcast, she talks to celebrities, scientists, activists and entrepreneurs on how they are working towards green and sustainable living.

This year she has moderated several events and conferences such as the Fashion Changers Conference 2021, Digital Marketing Summit hosted by Acquisa and Sustainability & Marketing Client Connect hosted by LinkedIn. She was also a jury member for the Annemarie Dose Award for Volunteering by the Hamburg Social Authority in 2021.