Awards 27

Nele Pieters is the director of Bokrijk and operates at the intersection of creativity, strategy and social relevance. With a strong background in marketing and innovation, she translates complex issues into clear concepts and narratives. As co-author of *You Do You* and an experienced thinker on identity and experience, she focuses on meaningful projects that connect people, heritage and the future.

David is a designer and maker connecting different disciplines, designing pathways between what is known and what is not known yet. He works between design, foresight, art, and science, drawn to spaces where imagination, complexity, and lived experience meet. He swings from the sensational and relational to the operational: how does it feel, how does it connect, what next? He sings about rivers and dances in the office after hours.

In 1992, Jeroen van Erp was one of the founders of Fabrique, which positioned itself as a multidisciplinary design agency. In 1994, he founded the digital media department. For a number of years now, Fabrique has been working extensively for international clients such as the Design Museum and Tate Modern in London and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Between 2015 and 2021, he was professor of concept design at Delft University of Technology.

Annemarie Piscaer, who is fascinated by dust, is a Dutch designer affiliated with the Avans Centre of Applied Research for Art, Design and Technology and a PhD candidate at KU Leuven/LUCA. She graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven and holds a Master’s degree in Education in the Arts. In 2014, she founded Studio Dust. Together with Iris de Kievith, she founded Lab AIR, which gave rise to the Smogware project, which uses tableware to visualise air pollution.

Timothy Macken is an impact investor, co-founder and former CEO of the design and innovation agency Made. Drawing on his experience in design thinking, systems thinking, investment and organisational development, he is working towards a world where everyone can live well, within planetary boundaries.

Hülya Ertas is a curator and architecture critic. Since 2020, she has been working at the Flemish Architecture Institute as a coordinator of exhibitions and publications. From 2004 to 2020, she worked at the monthly magazine XXI Architecture and Design Magazine. She completed her PhD at the Sint-Lucas Faculty of Architecture, Brussels, KU Leuven in 2024. Her main focus is on the social and political role of architecture and on critical reflection on architectural imagination.

Bie Luyssaert is Head of Public Relations & Communication at the Design Museum Ghent since 2020. At Design Flanders since 1999, she discovered her love for design in all its aspects. Promoting and supporting Flemish designers for more than twenty years has provided a thorough insight into the Flemish design landscape.

Elke Patteet has over thirty years’ experience in interior design and designer furniture. After studying interior design at Coloma in Mechelen, she worked as a sales representative for designer brands, including Spectrum. In 1993, she became a co-owner of Meubart. She was a co-founder of Occasionele Ontmoetingen and has been the owner of L/ Meubart since 2025.

Jop Quirindongo is the owner of Lowres Creative Studio in Amsterdam, a one-man studio specialising in visual identities. After studying Digital Media Design at the Utrecht School of the Arts, Jop worked as a partner at a graphic design agency, amongst other roles. He has now been working as a freelance designer for many years. Jop is also involved with Dutch Digital Design, a foundation that provides a platform for Dutch digital projects. At the BNO (Professional Association of Dutch Designers), he serves as a mentor and is a member of the Design x Artificial Intelligence working group.

Henk Willems is a graphic designer and the founder of Studio WillemsPeeters and the School of Branding. As a lecturer at Artevelde University College and a guest speaker on international courses, branding lies at the heart of his work, acting as the intersection between his professional practice and teaching. He has previously worked as a design director and creative director at numerous Belgian agencies and has led national and international projects for regions, cities, organisations and companies.

Caroline Goossens is the programme coordinator for Interior Design at LUCA School of Arts, where she oversees both the academic and organisational aspects of the programme. As a lecturer and communicator with a background in interior architecture and design journalism, she has written for trade journals and *De Standaard*, and has collaborated with the Flemish Government Architect and the Flemish Architecture Institute (VAi).

Amélie Rombauts is head of design, interiors and architecture at Knack Weekend and Le Vif Weekend and has written several books on trends. Every week, she reports on leading designs and interiors, interviews pioneering designers and delves into forgotten stories from the history of design. Each year, she chairs the jury for the coveted Knack Weekend Designer of the Year award.

Marten Kuipers has worked as associate design director in Amsterdam for more than a decade. For the last seven years, he has been working at digital agency DEPT® on identities, websites and apps within worlds such as fashion, finance and culture. He also judges at award shows and hosts his own conference ‘Speakeasy’, where craft and AI are often discussed.

At Howest, Becky Verthé coordinates the Bachelor’s programme in Industrial/Interior Product Design. Her students develop consumer products and industrial applications on the one hand, or furniture, interior objects and spatial solutions on the other. A hallmark of the programme is its hands-on approach, featuring prototyping, close links with industry and a focus on the technical realities of materials, execution and industrialisation. She is also involved in Trendvision and Linnen Steward. Until 2009, Becky worked at Designregio Kortrijk.

Alexis Jacoby is Professor of Strategic Design and Chair of the Department of Product Development at the Faculty of Design Sciences, University of Antwerp. He studied product development and has worked for twenty-five years in both the business world and in education. He teaches design methodology and strategic & systemic design. Together with his research team, he focuses on complex societal problems and the role that design can play in addressing them.

Brigitte Mouligneau studied law and worked for the Leuven Faculty of Law and the Flemish Government. Her interest in sustainable transitions and network management grew from her focus on the more complex long-term challenges. For example, she was able to work at Vlaanderen Circulair in 2016, where she has been focusing on the transition to a circular economy in Flanders as the Transition Manager since 2018.

Els Fonteyne is a circular economy expert at Agoria. With a background in product development, she supports manufacturing companies with eco-design, extending product lifespans and keeping pace with evolving regulations. She previously worked at Reynaers Aluminium in R&D as a designer and later as Group Communications and Sustainability Manager. She combines sustainable design with manufacturability and circularity.

Nansi Van Geetsom has an educational and academic background in spatial design and education and instructional sciences. She is the founder and programme manager of the international Postgraduate in Spatial and Service Design.  Her current research and teaching practice looks to the systemic approach of the merged discipline of space and service design, inclusive service design methods and service design for social inclusion.

Arnoud Raskin is a social entrepreneur and founder of Mobile School and StreetwiZe. Drawing on his background in design and culture & development studies, he has designed educational tools such as the mobile schools and FlagBags, which are used worldwide for informal education in vulnerable contexts. His work combines design, empowerment and systemic change. Arnoud is an Ashoka Fellow and, alongside his role at Mobile School, is active as a speaker and advisor.

Kate Stockman is an experienced brand and business strategist, future researcher and innovation coach and leads Future Business Studio, where she drives strategy and creative innovation projects for (inter)national design, fashion, food, hospitality and entertainment brands, helping them to see their blind spots and engage in sustainable growth. She is also a professor in trend Implementation (Erasmushogeschool Brussel), keynote speaker and has a background as a photographer and creative director.