Nicholas Ind is a founding partner of Equilibrium.
Previously, Nicholas worked at FutureBrand and headed the brand consultancy arm of Icon Medialab. He has had his own branding consultancy in the UK, was a Director of a design group and was an Account Director in an advertising agency. He has worked on projects for such clients as Mexx, Telenor, Greenpeace, Unicef, The Economist, ABN AMRO and Philips.
Nicholas is the author of eight books including The Corporate Image (1990) – selected as a business book of the year; Terence Conran – The Authorised Biography (1995); The Corporate Brand (1997), Living the Brand (2001/2004/2007), Inspiration (2004), Branding Governance (2007) and The Organic Organisation (2009). He is also the editor of Beyond Branding (2003).
Nicholas is a former Director of the Design Business Association, a member of the advisory board of Corporate Reputation Review, the editorial board of the Journal of Brand Management and an Industrial Fellow at Kingston University. He teaches on branding and communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Stockholm University and Copenhagen Business School. Nicholas is a Visiting Professor at ESADE in Barcelona.
Nicholas has an undergraduate degree in English and History, an MBA from Strathclyde Graduate Business School and a PhD from the European Graduate School in Switzerland.
Lorraine Gamman is employed as Professor in Design Studies, in the School of Graphic and Industrial Design at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design, London, where she has taught for over 15 years. She is also Director of Design Against Crime (DAC) at the University of the Arts London, which she set up in 1999, and which was validated as a new Research Centre by the University in 2005. She is currently Vice Chair of Designing Out Crime Association (DOCA), and a member of the Home Office’s 2007 “Design and Technology Alliance”
(www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/crime-strategy-07).
She also works as an independent assessor for a variety of research councils.
Lorraine Gamman is currently co-directing several collaborative externally funded research projects on bag and bike theft. These aim to use research to create pragmatic design resources, as well as new designs against crime. Design innovation generated by DAC projects is user-tested, prototyped with industry and applied in the real world to prove efficacy, prior to being disseminated more broadly.
Gamman wrote her PhD on shoplifting at Middlesex University in 1999. She has published widely on design including articles on DAC as “socially responsive design” (with Adam Thorpe). Her publications on crime include In the Bag – Get Smart Quick about bag theft, pick-pocketing and street crime, (2000 currently being revised for 2007 publication). Gone Shopping, the Story of Shirley Pitts, Queen of Thieves (Penguin 1996, film rights sold to Channel 4 in 1997). On visual culture publications include Female Fetishism: A New Look (with Dr. Merja Makinen, L&W Pubs 1994) and The Female Gaze: Women as Viewers of Popular Culture, (with Dr. Margaret Marshment TWP Pubs, 2000) and numerous articles. Her work has attracted research funding from the Design Council, the Home Office, Department of Health, British Transport Police and Transport for London (TfL), and more significantly from the Arts Humanities Research Council (AHRC) as well as the Engineering Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC).
Gamman’s most recent publications include papers on “Liberty Versus Security” (co written with Adam Thorpe) presented to the European Academy of Design conference in Izmir, Turkey, 2007, and ‘Design Against Crime as Socially Responsive Innovation?’ – presented at the July 2007 ECCA conference and the international Crime Science conference (both at UCL).
Adam Thorpe, Reader, Socially Responsive Design (0.6) in the School of Graphic and Industrial Design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design where he has worked since 2003; He is also Director of DAC’s Bikeoff initiative as well as Associate Director Design Against Crime Research Centre. Adam co founded the design label Vexed Generation in 1993 and continues to direct and manage (with Joe Hunter) Vexed Design, and take designs to market.
His research activities with the DAC Research Centre are practice-led and design focused. He has applied research findings to create numerous anti crime products, most recent designs
include a range of anti theft bike parking stands delivered in 2007.
Adam is interested in socially responsive design that embraces innovation and communication, and has contributed to the development of research methodologies that seek to maximise stakeholder value – through application of DAC principles. Also research dissemination strategies that utilise market intervention to promote best DAC practice via product benchmarking. A notable output of this market interventionist approach, developed with Lorraine Gamman, is the Karrysafe range of bags and accessories (www.karrysafe.com) that has been distributed internationally, exhibited at numerous international design events, and received extensive international media coverage valued at £870,000 (Design Council estimate). His work has attracted research funding from the Design Council, the British Transport Police, Transport for London (TfL) and Camden Council; more significantly in 2007 from the Arts Humanities Research Council (AHRC) / Engineering Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) “Design for the 21st Century” forum.
Adam Thorpe is co-founder and design partner of Vexed Generation Clothing Ltd. (est 1996), Karrysafe Ltd. (est. 2002), and Broke Bitter & Twisted (est 2002), companies he continues to co direct and design for. He is currently developing a new range of urban mobility clothing (2007) and has previously collaborated with Puma International AG on a range of global Urban Mobility clothing and accessories, which include co-designs of the Puma “anti theft” Bike, (2005).
Adam has consulted to fashion and accessory companies in the UK, Europe and USA on design and concept. He has also developed fabric innovations, with mills in the UK and Asia, which have been applied to Vexed garments. A specialisation in corporate social responsibility within the textile and clothing sector has been gained through research contracts with De La Rue Brand Protection Division and training with Just Solutions Network, which continue to inform his development of socially responsive design within DAC.
Roy Cross
United Kingdom
Cultural Relations
Kate Dempster
United Kingdom
I work for the British Council in the UK as an adviser in public sector reform, urban policy and regeneration. I had the original idea for Future City Game and have been involved in the Creative Cities project since its inception. Started my life at the British Council working in St Petersburg, Russia and have worked on projects in China, South America and Europe. I am a quarter Polish, part Northern English, part Southern English! Speak Russian, French and a tiny bit of Spanish. It is my second trip to Kaunas, having spent a summer travelling around Lithuania’s cities, forests and beaches in 1999. I am very excited to be co-facilitating the first Urban Ideas Bakery pilot and to be spending two exhilarating (if exhausting!) days with the group.
Ted Matthews
Norway
Design
BA (Hons) MA, Central St Martins College of Art and Design. I work for the British Council in Norway. Instigated the Urban Ideas Bakery project and have lead the design and formulation of the process and method. I am thrilled to see the Urban Ideas Bakery finally coming to life in Kaunas and I am excited about facilitating the process through the two days. I was also part of the team that developed the Future City Game together with Kate. Active in the debate around socially responsive design I occasionally lecture and advise on how attributes relating to the sacred could be utilized to improve design and community engagement. Last year published the short provocation ‘Sacred in the City’ as part of Norway’s contribution to the Venice Biennale.
Bernadett Ball
Hungary
Culture
In a place where you can no longer see the stars, the city’s brilliance lies in its people, its energy and its beauty. This is how I feel about the city, and especially Budapest, where
I reside. I would like to see the city thrive not only in its economic and industrial endeavors but through alternative policies for human rights, equality, and tolerance. Throughout my academic and professional career I have sought to entail these initiatives, by participating in non-profit projects with similar goals, in Hungary. Most recently I have been awarded a fellowship to research Canadian funded urban projects in Hungary, and
I am currently participating in several projects which deal with Urban Cultural Geography.
Michail Galanakis
Finland
City Planning
I graduated as a Doctor of Arts from the University of Art and Design Helsinki. My dissertation ‘Space Unjust’ deals with socio-spatial discrimination taking place in urban public space against certain transnational people. In my master thesis ‘Sustainable Public Space – 21st Century Agoras’, for the Design Academy Eindhoven (NL) I dealt with the system of public space, people and things, in the context of environmental sustainability. My diploma project in the Department of Architecture of the Polytechnic School of Aristotle University (GR) consisted of the design of an underground metro station as a public space housing social interaction. I have worked as an architect, university lecturer and conducted my PhD supported by numerous scholarships. I currently work as a freelance expert, lecturing and writing about inclusive urban public space.
Helena Dienstbierová Šimicová
Czech Republic
City Planning
I work as a manager of community planning and public participation programmes in the Centre for Community Organising of West Bohemia. As a production manager I also cooperate with The City of Pilsen on preparation for the city’s candidature to the European Capital of Culture in 2015. I participated in social services community planning projects, which were realised in many municipalities in the Pilsen Region. I also acted as a moderator of working and control groups and during public meetings. I’m the Future City Game Game Master since April‘08.
Jens Jacob Bierring
Denmark
City Planning
Born 23. August 1963 in Vienna, Austria. Architect m.a.a 1992 from The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Copenhagen, thesis in sustainable architecture. Worked as building architect in New York, Graz, Klagenfurt and Berlin. Post Graduate study in Urban Planning from Århus Architecture School 1997. City Architect in Copenhagen Municipality since 1999. Working mainly with city lighting, high-rise planning, sustainability questions and cultural heritage.
Vita Brakovska
Latvia
City Planning
My professional background is related to the implementation of innovation policy on national/ regional level. I have worked nine years in public administration on knowledge economy issues. Currently I represent NGO “Knowledge and Innovation Society” (www.zinis.lv) with a goal to encourage society to use innovation for improving their quality of social and professional life. I am ready share my competence in designing the regional/ local innovation development strategies for public sector, development of strategies for cluster initiatives, organizing competitions on innovative business ideas, development of innovation support tools, etc. I will get my professional MBA in innovation in 2010.
Lucie Akerman
United Kingdom
Culture
Aged 26, I’m currently a director of Steal From Work ltd and an independent project manager and curator working within Bristol over the past 3 years. Previously to my current role I was an assistant editor at Art-Interview online arts magazine. Now I’m specializing in site specific venues and the promotion of empty space utilisation throughout the city, currently working on a multi-site festival including the museum and historical institutions within Bristol.
Emily Read
United Kingdom
City Planning
I am an urban designer with a strong interest in the social software of our cities. Since completing studies in town and regional planning and urban design I have been based in London, working first for a public arts trust and currently in an architecture and urbanism practice. A major influence on both my professional work and academic background has been the notion that effective social engagement is a key to ensuring the success of regeneration and the future of the community as we know it.
Gregory Cowan
United Kingdom
City Planning
London-based architect, urbanist, educator and researcher, driving for improved communication and knowledge dissemination for urbanism and architecture. Currently researching ‘Streets at Night Time’ at the University of Westminster, I work with SPUR architects (Vienna) in London. I have recently collaborated with 1100:architect (Frankfurt and NY) and with IF-Untitled architects. Since working in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, I work developmentally with international and Anglo-German bilingual teams. An experienced university lecturer and course moderator, I have researched and reported on architectural and urbanism education internationally.
A former VSO international volunteer, I am an experienced international development professional and teacher trainer.
Markéta Těmínová
Czech Republic
Culture
Born on Aug 21., 1988 in Ostrava. Studied at Ostravian University in Ostrava, I specialized on multicultural relationships in region. I was also studying also culture dramaturgy, focused on theatre, at Silesian University in Opava. I am experienced in working with disabled people, which I started doing already in high school. Before there was a dancing school, where we worked with disabled people as well, by using ‚contact improvisation‘. I am
a member of university students‘ union. We specialise in events like concerts, theatre performances and some sport activities. I am interested in theatre, dancing, events organising, music and literature. I speak fluent Slovak, basic Polish and intermediate English.
Andrzej Bartel
Poland
Youth Issues
I am 23 years old inhabitant of Nowa Huta – disadvantaged post-communist district of Kraków.
I am last year student of environmental engineering at Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza – University of Science and Technology in Krakow. I am involved in works of a few local NGOs, focused on cultural, social and environmental issues. This summer I was participating in Future City Game on revitalizing ideas for the centre of Nowa Huta.
I also work on TerazHuta.pl – local news and social website.
Maria Mikicka
United Kingdom
City Planning
An avid researcher of privatisation of public space, an aspirational urban designer in spe. After graduation from Technical University of Poznan, experience as architectural assistant in remote rural location in Northern Poland, I settled in Glasgow to study at the Mackintosh School of Architecture. Now working towards completion of Diploma in 2010 I try to balance final design project of primary school, dissertation on Pathfinders and Business Improvement Districts, on-line studies on sustainable communities with part-time employment as an interpreter, parenting and volunteering.
Darius Čekanauskas
Lithuania
Design
Multiple educational and practice background, helps me run own design/architecture studio (since 2005) and participate in vary creative projects. Our main field of activity is interior architecture and product design. Creation of merchandising for well known international brands is also having place. Participant of several international seminars, competitions and exhibitions: Salone Satellite (Italy), Saint Etienne Design Biennale (France), International furniture fair (Litexpo, Lithuania). British Council IYDEY (International Young Design Entrepreneur of the Year 2006) event – Lithuanian finalist.
Csenge Kolozsvári
Hungary
Design
I graduated in 2008 as a designer and in 2009 as a design manager from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest. I am a member of Szövetség’39, an association of young artists that deals primarily with designing for architectural context. At Szövetség I participated in several large scale projects, including the planning of two underground stations’ artistic surfaces, the development of artistic concepts for public buildings and also the implementation of these designs. Participated in a number of exhibitions with individual visual art works. I experiment with spatial situations which encourage communication between people and change their perception of space.
Ieva Hmielevska
Latvia
Culture
An experienced PR and city marketing professional.
I started my carrier as a Project Manager at DDB Porter Novelli, one of the leading Baltic public relations agencies. I launched world renown city marketing project „Cowparade” in Ventspils and took part in elaboration of Reputation Top™ for Latvian enterprizes. Later I became a Head of Liepaja City Marketing Department and elaborated cities’ graphic standard. Took on the initiative to bid Liepaja for the title of European Capital of Culture 2014 and became a Project Director in 2008-2009, meanwhile contributing also to the elaboration of Liepaja City Culture Policy 2009-2014. An active member of pro-European organizations as JEF and Paneuropean Union. I hold BA in Political Science and MBA in Public Administration. Fields of interest: public policy and planning, communication, impacts of cultural and interdisciplinary activity on local economic development. Future City Game GameMaster.
