Meet the Design Guild Mark judges

Picture: DGM 157 Quiet Bench hm106, Designed by Magnus Long for Hitch Mylius

The Design Guild Mark has received an unprecedented number of entries this year, which are to be judged on April 25 2017.

The awards will be judged by the following eminent judges:

SIMON ALDERSON – TWENTYTWENTYONE

Simon Alderson co-founded twentytwentyone in 1996. The award-winning company is internationally respected for its carefully curated retail business. twentytwentyone has a dedicated commercial sales team working with architects and designers on progressive interiors projects. The company also produces a small collection of furniture and accessories and acts as exclusive UK agents for several international design collections.

JOANNA BIGGS – GA DESIGN

Joanna Biggs has worked in Hospitality Design for over 20 years and is currently Associate Director at GA Design International in London. During this time Joanna has had the opportunity to work with some of the world’s leading 5* hotel brands delivering luxurious, unique and timeless designs. Widely applauded for their lateral approach to problem solving, GA believe strongly in supporting and reflecting a Client’s objectives through design.

SUJATA BURMAN – WALLPAPER* MAGAZINE

Sujata Burman joined Wallpaper* as part of the fashion team in 2012 before moving to the interiors department to focus on design. She has since settled in the digital team in her current role of Online Design Editor where she contributes across all channels writing about art, interiors, lifestyle and fashion.

BARBARA CHANDLER – EVENING STANDARD

Barbara has written on design, decoration, furnishing and interiors for over 35 years and has written many books and won several awards. Contributing to many UK publications, she is currently design writer for Homes & Property at the London Evening Standard and has a design column in Homes & Gardens. As a photographer, Barbara has held many exhibitions. The most recent, entitled Joy of Design, displayed 69 photographs of designers, taken over several years, at designjunction, one of the main events at the London Design Festival 2013.

DIANA MONKHOUSE – SPACEINVADER

Diana has worked in the design industry for over 28 years and in all sectors of the built environment. She has specialist, in-depth knowledge and experience of the corporate office furniture industry and has worked on several large scale projects, working closely with manufacturers and product designers in creating new, trend-setting and advanced solutions. She is an experienced judge having judged many design awards in recent years. Diana is passionate about excellence in design and the opportunities for all British designers to raise the importance of design and the benefits it can provide.

JEREMY MYERSON – ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART

Jeremy Myerson is a design writer and academic. He is the Helen Hamlyn Professor of Design at the Royal College of Art, a Visiting Fellow in the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing at the University of Oxford, and Director of the WORKTECH Academy, a global knowledge network on the future of work. He co-founded the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the RCA in 1999 and was its director for 16 years, helping to pioneer the practice of inclusive design. He is the author of many books on design and innovation.

PHILIPPA PRINSLOO – JOHN LEWIS

Philippa is the Head of Design, Home for John Lewis. She has worked within the Home Design Industry for over 10 years, previously working for Habitat before she joined John Lewis in 2011. Her experience has brought a wealth of knowledge and creativity to John Lewis and her role is to lead and build the point of view on style and design for the business.

PERNILLE STAFFORD – RESONATE INTERIORS

Pernille studied three dimensional design at Berkshire College of Art and has more than 22 years of industry experience. In 2012 Pernille set up Resonate Interiors after heading up interior teams at both TP Bennett and Scott Brownrigg. She has undertaken a wide range of interiors projects from residential to education, hospitality to retail, with key expertise in the commercial office sector. She is a strong motivator and her passion for design ensures that projects have extraordinary attention to detail, creating memorable interior spaces for her clients.

JASON WILARY-ATTEW – THE CONRAN SHOP

Jason is the buying and merchandising director of The Conran Shop. Jason previously worked for the Fenwick Group, where he was the Director of Buying for homewares, furnishings and beauty, specifically focusing on its Bentalls department store. Prior to this, Jason worked at John Lewis for almost nine years, undertaking various roles within the company’s branding and buying departments. As Head of Buying for Furniture, Jason was responsible for expanding John Lewis’ own branded offer, overseeing the launch of Design Icons and managing its Design Collective ranges. He has a BA Hons in Product Design.