Design Declares Australia

Chairperson

RENY®

We are in the business of creative exploration, pioneering transformation for organisations & brands focused on designing better outcomes for humanity.

Co-Founder / Managing Partner

Co-Founder / Design Director

Surfrider Foundation Australia

Advisory Board Member

Chumpy Pullin Foundation

Member Board of Directors

Skin Check Champions

Advisory Board

ELECTRIC ⚡️

Partner

Eon Labs

Mr Simple - Sidelife

mwah. making work absolutely human

Luxottica Group

General Manager Wholesale

Oakley Asia Pacific

General Manager - Arnette Sunglasses ANZ

Sales Director

CEO / Partner @ RENY®Studio | B Corp

As a co-founder and managing partner at Reny ®, I have the amazing opportunity to help transform companies through Orbital Design (picking up where Human-Centred Design left off, giving Mother Nature a seat at the design table, leading to social and climate impact). 

I am an award-winning writer for my publication Uncluttered White Spaces (2009-16), and my new book, Lessons in Creativity, will be available in all good bookstores from May 2025 through Wiley Publishing.

As a certified B Corp, we design creative solutions, products, and brands that impact the community, climate, and humanities.

I have experience working with driven leaders, obsessive designers, genius engineers, demanding CEOs, ambitious CMOs, hard-driving founders, eager investors, observant writers, precise technologists, insightful artists, visionary directors, gifted misfits, hopeful students and passionate up-and-comers.

Client/Project experience: Patagonia, Google, K-Mart, Canon, Nike, Adidas, American Apparel, Dolce & Gabbana, Ray-Ban, Chanel, Prada, City of Sydney, City of Melbourne, Tourism Australia, Cancer Council, Heart Foundation, Mr Simple, Herschel, ProBuild, Stone Island, CP Company, Boxfresh, Giro, Oakley, Electric, Luxottica, Bank of SA, Westpac Bank, St George Bank, Australia Post, Land Rover, Boody, Re-Design, Vandal, Warner, Carryology, IMG.

I have advised senior executives and boards and worked with some of the world's most important brands. I currently serve as Chair for Design Declares, the advisory board for the Surfrider Foundation, and I was the founding board member for The Chumpy Pullin Foundation. 

My insights and writing have been featured in Fast Company, ABC, Inc. Magazine, and other prominent publications, earning me recognition as an awarded writer. My new book, Lessons in Creativity, will be available in May 2025.

I frequently speak on the value of Orbital Design (For Impact), creativity, and technology through platforms like TEDx and Vivid Sydney. I was also invited to speak at Parliament House with the Prime Minister and government officials on the role of creativity and design in shifting our future.

Ben Rennie

Board Member

Torrens University Australia

Reporting to the Executive Dean of Design, I lead and manage a large cluster of programs in the area of Postgraduate Design & User Experience courses; Undergraduate Digital Design and Digital Arts courses including UX Design, Photography and Photo Imaging, 3D Design and Animation, Film and Video. In parallel, I am also HDR Director for Design and Creative Technology Faculty. Academic Line Manager for a large team of permanent staff and casual staff. Leads the strategic vision for program development at a national level. Committee member of University Research Committee, Academic Board, Research Infrastructure + Equipment Committee and HDR Supervisor for MPhil and PhD level candidates. Organising committee for 10 year L&T Anniversary Conference. Current tasks include conducting a national internal review for all creative technology courses and strategising a road map for future implementation. Successful reaccreditation of Masters of Design with re-launch of new course structure and subjects in early 2024. 

Key aspects of this role include: Leading a national team of tenured and casual staff across Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane; curriculum stewardship, management and development of programs; staff mentoring; subject governance; research supervision and staff management.

Associate Professor - HDR Director; Head of Creative Technology Programs (National)

Griffith University

Led a portfolio of design programs in the Postgraduate and Honours areas. Authored and implemented a new Masters of Design program with a strong focus on experience design, design thinking, practice and strategy. New program was launched in July 2018 and has a strong growth trajectory. 
Convenor for the following postgraduate courses in Design Thinking, CoLab (Design Sprints), Design Exploration, Masters Research Projects.
Convenor of the 3rd year undergraduate capstone course: Business Practices in Creative Industries.
Co-teach on Entrepreneurial and New Business Ventures at Griffith Business School. 
Entrepreneur Champion for AEL Group
Innovation Champion

Head of Dept: Postgraduate Design and Hons programs in Design

Led a large suite of Undergraduate programs across Design, encompassing Majors in Interior Design; Visual Communication; Product Design; Immersive Design

Program Director: BDesign / BDesign Futures / BDesign + Business 

Royal College of Art

External Examiner: MA Design Products

Norwich University of the Arts

External Reviewer/Advisor for new portfolio of BSc courses in UX, Games Development, Interaction Design.

External Advisor

University of Salford

Head of Faculty: Senior Management role that encompassed overall management of Digital Design Directorate (Faculty) which included programs in BA Hons in Graphic Design, BA Hons Animation, BA Hons Digital Media and BSc in Computer Video Games. Introduced and implemented new MakerSpace in Mediacity site and led the validation for a new BA Hons in Digital Media. Budget holder (100K+) and conducted all staff performance annual appraisals. Advised and co-produced documentation for new BA Hons in Advertising and Communications. 
Membership of: Senior Management Executive Committee, Learning and Teaching, Board of Studies.

Director of Digital Design Faculty

Institute of Designers in Ireland

Invited to be a Judge on the annual IDI Awards 2016. 
The IDI Irish Design Awards exists to recognise, celebrate and promote exemplary design vision in Ireland. The awards showcase the best work across seven categories: Digital Design; Fashion & Textiles; Product Design; Structures & Spaces; TV & Film; Visual Communications, along with Design Education, Service Design and the principles of Universal and Sustainable Design. The Awards recognise outstanding achievement across the design spectrum in Ireland, uncover emerging talent and focus a spotlight on the importance of Irish design in the national and global context : economically, culturally, holistically.

Judge

Kingston University

External Examiner: MA Design: Product and Space

Queen Mary, University of London & Goldsmiths

External Examiner for BEng / MEng Design & Innovation

Expanded Territories: Creative Economy Seminar 2015: http://www.expandedterritories.com/

Creative Economies Seminar showcasing the diversity of Irish & UK creative enterprises and practices. A vibrant & dynamic mix of creative industry experts from UK and Ireland share their knowledge and cutting edge research of the Creative Industries

The focus for the seminar was ‘Creative Enterprise and Entrepreneurship’ and offered a balance of industry knowledge and globally recognised research in this area.
Particular focus on Product Design, Creative Industry research, Arts management and freelancing in the Digital era, Start-Ups & Expanding into International Markets.

Chair

Dr. Michelle Douglas is a globally recognised leader in design, currently serving as Associate Professor of Design and Creative Technologies in Billy Blue College of Design, Torrens University, Australia - a private sector University. Her additional roles include Head of Creative Technology cluster and HDR Director for the Design & Creative Technology Faculty. With 25 years of experience in renowned QS Ranked Top 10 Universities for Art & Design across the world, including the UK, USA and Australia, she has led multiple departments in developing cutting-edge programs across design, including product/industrial design, interaction, digital design, photography, games design, animation and innovation strategy. A seasoned interdisciplinary academic and strategist, Michelle's broad expertise spans human-centred design, experience design, sustainable practices/technologies, and the future of design education. Her students have won multiple awards, including UK New Designers 'Designer of the Year', D&AD Yellow Pencils, RSA Student Design Awards and Audi Foundation Design Awards. She is a driving force in shaping policies, innovation ecosystems, and responsible/regenerative design ethics. 
Board Member of Design Declares Australia
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts since 2010.

Dr Michelle D.

taplio

The Battle

Ben Rennie

Dr Michelle D.

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