2025 Leadership Forum – Beyond Interdisciplinarity

Don Norman is a Distinguished Professor, emeritus at the University of California, San Diego, former Vice President of Advanced Technology at Apple, and co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, emeritus . He has three honorary degrees, is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an honorary fellow of the Design Research Society. In 2021 he received the British Sir Misha Black Medal for Distinguished Services to Design Education. His 21 books include Emotional Design, Design of Everyday Things, and Design for a Better World: Meaningful, Sustainable, Humanity Centered. That last book compelled him to co-create a charity, The Don Norman Design Award, https://dnda.design, that rewards early career practitioners who practice what he preaches.

Dr. Atsushi Hasegawa is a leading figure in the field of information architecture. He founded Concent, Inc. in 2002, one of Japan’s pioneering independent service design consultancies, working across both public and private sectors in service design and UX design. Since 2019, he has been Professor at the Institute of Innovation at Musashino Art University, where he fosters the next generation of design leaders. He also serves as Vice President of the Human-Centered Design Organization Japan (HCD-Net) and Co-representative of the Service Design Network Japan Chapter (SDN Japan), actively promoting design culture in Japan.

Anne Boddington is Professor Emerita of Design Innovation with extensive leadership experience in Higher Education, having served as Dean of Arts & Humanities (Brighton), Pro Vice Chancellor for Research, Business & Innovation (Kingston), and Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange (Middlesex). She is Chair of the UK Research Excellence Framework 2029 Panel for Art & Design: History, Practice & Theory, a former Deputy Chair and Trustee of the UK Design Council, and a member of the Design Museum’s Research & Learning Committee. In Hong Kong, she serves on the InnoHK Scientific Committee and the Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications. As an independent consultant, she advises on governance, organisational design, and research strategy, and is committed to promoting equity, diversity, inclusion, career development, and integrity while reducing unnecessary bureaucracy and strengthening workplace culture.

Dr Edmund Lee is General Manager and Head of Group ESG Initiatives at Gold Peak Technology Group, a global leader in battery and acoustic technology innovation and manufacturing. He is also Director of GP Energy Tech International, a key subsidiary advancing next-generation rechargeable battery technologies, including a focus on Nickel-Zinc battery solutions for mission-critical backup power. With a scientific background in biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, and manufacturing, Dr Lee holds a PhD from King’s College London and an MBA from Warwick Business School. Over the years, he has become a seasoned public-sector entrepreneur, transformative change leader, design advocate, and senior executive across listed companies and mission-driven organizations. Dr Lee’s leadership portfolio spans across ESG for profitable and sustainable growth, organizational development, people and culture, stakeholder communication, creativity and innovation in design and branding. He is a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute (UK), a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Directors, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA). He has also completed executive education in Design, Sustainable Leadership, ESG Investing, Smart Cities, Blockchain Applications, and Corporate Governance at globally renowned institutions.

Miles Pennington is Dean (Prospective) of the UTokyo College of Design and Professor of Design-Led Innovation at the University of Tokyo. He also serves as Director of the international, multidisciplinary DLX Design Lab, which collaborates with researchers across the university to create new value through design. Before joining the University of Tokyo in 2017, he was Head of Programme for Innovation Design Engineering (IDE) at the Royal College of Art in London, a joint master’s program with Imperial College. An alumnus of IDE (1992), he has combined academic leadership with professional practice, including roles as Director of the innovation consultancy Design Stream and Director of the London office of the international design agency Takram. Since April 2023, he has also served as Specially Appointed Advisor to the President on Design Vision at the University of Tokyo.

Dr Ricky Tsui earned his engineering degree from the University of Hong Kong and completed his PhD in science at the University of Cambridge. His career spans over thirty years in technology research, product and process development, management and marketing. As Arup’s R&D Director and Arup University Leader for the East Asia Region, Dr. Tsui has played a pivotal role in advancing the firm’s business operations and growth. He has championed foresight, research, innovation, learning, knowledge management, and the incubation of new capabilities. Under his leadership, Arup has received multiple awards for excellence in knowledge management, innovation, and research. Recently, Dr. Tsui joined the East Asia Digital Executive at Arup, where he is driving the company’s digital transformation to enhance competitiveness in the digital era. He established a Digital Acceleration Hub in Shenzhen, assembling a team of digital experts and programmers in a collaborative workspace to accelerate this transformation. In his capacity as EA Ventures Leader, Dr. Tsui oversees venturing activities and seeks opportunities to collaborate with technical partners and start-ups. He also serves as a board director for Neuron Operations Ltd., a recent spin-off company from Arup. For more than 15 years, he has designed and delivered the award-winning Design School, enabling colleagues to develop skills in design thinking and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Jidong YIM, Ph.D. Head of Scientific Experience Research LG Electronics Formerly in Silicon Valley: CEO & Founder | AI One Radio Data Scientist | Microsoft Bing Researcher | Nokia Research