People

On the communication front, Philipp took the lead in leveraging his deep expertise in information design and internationalization by spearheading the association’s efforts to build a digital ecosystem for its members with a vision of creating distributed virtual convening spaces for meet-ups and meaningful dialogue. The CumulusConnects micro-site, an interactive virtual portal that precedes this new Cumulus website, was launched in September 2020 as an agile response to the new realities of interrupted global travel and the cancellation of on-site conferences brought about by the pandemic. The “global conversation” series originally launched in the CumulusConnects site is also part of Philipp’s efforts to help Cumulus Working Groups, including the Leadership and Strategy Working Group that Philipp currently co-chairs, access expanded digital tools for perspective-sharing. As Cumulus becomes an active partner in the New European Bauhaus initiative, Philipp is extending this community-building work in the C+NEB initiative, while remaining an active member in several Board subcommittees (i.e.conference and new website committees), and bringing his digital ecosystem vision and commitment to developing innovative models for internationalization to the Cumulus family.

Philipp is a Professor at Köln International School of Design (KISD) where he is currently responsible for the international strategy of the School. His domains of design expertise, teaching, and research touch on information and interface design, interaction design, and the digital aspects and opportunities of urban transformations in a globalized world.  Philipp has served in many roles since joining KISD in 2001 as Chair for Interface and Interaction Design; he used to be both Head of School and Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. His vast experience developing experiential design curricula and leading international design collaborations that seek to bring innovative formats for learning and knowledge exchange at a global level include his prior leadership of the MA Integrated Design and the MA European Design programs, establishing Double Degree MA programs with the universities of Tongji (China), Chiba (Japan) and Taipei (Taiwan), and serving as a founding member of the Global Design Initiative with Lasalle College of the Arts (Singapore), Central St. Martins (UK), SCID (Taiwan), and Musashino Art University (Japan). Philipp lectures internationally and holds a Senior Fellow appointment at Musashino Art University, Tokyo, since 2017. He regularly serves on international design juries; since 2020 he is a member of the Executive Board of EQ-Arts. In addition to his academic trajectory, Philipp has led his design studio in Cologne for 20 years.

Phillipp holds a degree (German Diplom) in Visual Communication Design from the HfG University of Design Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany.

Rachel is deploying her senior expertise and broad understanding of design with a disciplinary focus on visual communication, brand identity and service design and design management to help realize several of the objectives within the communication pillar of the Cumulus Strategic Plan. One of her primary contributions in the past year has been to lead the Board’s work to refresh the institutional brand identity of the association, designed by California-based award-winning designer Karen Davison, which Rachel presented to all members in the General Assembly of 2021. Another important focus in Rachel’s board service has been initiating and chairing the Women in Design Cumulus Working Group as a platform for exchange, inspiration, and mentorship by and for women members. The group’s overall aim is to share knowledge across cultures to empower and promote inclusive environments for women in design to lead and thrive in. 

At AHO Rachel stands out as the first female Head of the Institute for Design (since 2012) and the first woman to hold the position of Pro-Rector. At the Institute she has been dedicated to effecting major curricular revisions and processes of transformation to better address the demands of educating designers to meet the needs of today as well as anticipating those in the years ahead.Rachel is the Head of the Institute of Design at The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) since January 2012. As Pro-Rector Rachel’s responsibilities have included branding, PR, and communication for AHO. Rachel teaches visual communication, brand identity design and design management at AHO as well as other design schools in Norway. She has also initiated and conducted several interdisciplinary projects across AHO such as the AHO WORKS EXHIBITIONS and she is editor of The AHO WORKS STUDIES series of publications.

In her 20 years of professional practice as a graphic designer in Switzerland and Norway, Rachel Troye has taken part in and had responsibility for a broad range of clients and projects. These have ranged from large global corporations like BMW, ABB, and The Airport Express Train in Norway to various cultural projects and NGOs. Rachel Troye is an engaged design leader and educator with executive board positions in organizations, educational institutions, and research centers. She is passionate about design’s potential to improve life and its innovation potential and create value for people, the planet, and prosperity.5

Rachel holds a BA in Psychology and French from Duke University in North Carolina, USA. She subsequently studied graphic design in Paris and London and has a BA Honours in Graphic Design from The London College of Printing. She has recently concluded the Solstrand Executive Leadership Development Program.

Watch Rachel’s 2021 presentation of the Cumulus brand identity refresh here.

In this capacity, Adam lends focused leadership in line with international best practices and legal requirements and in compliance with the Cumulus statutes. He collaborates closely with the Board and Controller of the Cumulus Host Institution, supporting the Secretariat team in their managing of all key financial matters of the association. In addition to this leadership role, Adam’s service has included hands-on involvement in the conception of the CumulusConnects online portal launched in 2020 as a response to the pandemic (serving on its editorial board). In addition, Adam’s is an ongoing contributor to the board’s new website and solidarity sub-committees. 

Adam joined the Limerick School of Art & Design (LSAD) at Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest (TUS)  in January 2021 where he is the Head of Design. He manages and works with a dedicated team of academics and researchers who deliver undergraduate & postgraduate programs and research in a full range of Design disciplines.

In his prior role, Adam was the Head of School of Design at The University of Limerick and a lecturer in Product Design. Adam’s research expertise and interests span Design for Sustainability, Design Education, Soft Product Design / Wearables, Regenerative Design, Transdisciplinary Education, and Design for Health.

Adam’s service to the field includes his participation as an educational member on the Irish National Design Forum (Convened by the Government Minister for Business Enterprise and Innovation); he is Vice-Chair of the Design Educators Ireland (DEI), a Fellow of the Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI)  and is also the Lead Editor for ITERATIONS Design research and practice review.

Adam holds a Ph.D. in Sustainable Design from Bournemouth University, UK, and a B Des (Hons) in Industrial Design from the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin. In addition, Adam has a Specialist Diploma in Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship from the University of Limerick.

Adam is a husband, & father of two wonderful girls. He volunteers as a Warden with the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation and as a  Group Leader for  7th Clare Ballyvaughan Scouts as well as being a beekeeper and outdoor enthusiast.

José  has acted as a key facilitator and Juror of the Cumulus Green 2020 signature student competition, before taking on his current role of co-chair of the current edition of the competition: Cumulus Green 2022: Nurturing our Planet. 

José is an experienced administrator, educator, and researcher at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where he served as the Director of The School of Design from 2013 until 2019. As a practicing Chilean designer, José is at the helm of various projects and initiatives with public and private institutions as clients and partners, many of them with a focus on information design. He is a founding member of the Public Innovation Laboratory (LIP-UC), a “do tank” composed of colleagues from the university and researchers from the Center for Public Policy. He is also a researcher at the Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (CIGIDEN), a board member at the Government Strategic Plan: Santiago Smart City, a  partner of Simplo, an innovation company focused on replacing single-use plastics with sustainable alternative solutions and founder of Wayfinding, a design consultancy in space navigation and signage. José is currently an academic visitor at  The School of Design, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

José holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Design and Multimedia Communication from Politecnico di Milano, Italy; an MFA in Graphic Design from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, California, and a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design (now part of Columbia College of Arts & Sciences, The George Washington University), Washington DC.

Most recently, he has extended his work as co-founder and co-chair of the ReveDa (Research Vectors in Design and Art) Cumulus Working Group by proposing and helping conceive the Cumulus Ph.D. Network that the association launched in 2020, an initiative he chairs. Lorenzo is an active participant of the Executive Board’s conference subcommittee and has been instrumental in leveraging his deep academic connections to expand the association’s membership in Italy, Europe, and Canada. Cumulus’ partnership with the Design Principles and Practices Research Network is a tribute to his introductory efforts. In 2021, Lorenzo co-chaired and delivered the Design Culture(S) Cumulus Roma conference hosted by Sapienza University. With a development arc of several years, Design Culture(s) is the first conference that Cumulus has brought to its members fully virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in this sense stands out as an important milestone for innovation and accomplishment for the association. 

As a Full Professor at La Sapienza University and chair of the Design Unit and Design Curriculum of the Ph.D. program as well as the Sapienza Design Research Interdepartmental Centre, Lorenzo continues to be an international keynote speaker, organizer, and active participant in educational initiatives, global conferences, and academic centers in the international design research community. Lorenzo brings a vast academic global experience to his teaching and research: he is currently a member of the Board of the Italian Society of Design SID, and a member of the Executive Board of EAD (European Academy of Design) since 2011. Among several international appointments, Lorenzo served as an ICCS fellow with the Canadian Government for two consecutive years, and a member of the Research Board of National and European researches (AHRB/EPSRC, CEE-COST), and coordinator of the ‘Programa Alta Formacion de Cuadros Dirigentes de los Paises del Mercosur’ from 2006 to 2009. He has served as a visiting professor for a number of international universities—including Hong Kong Polytechnic, University of San Diego, Emily Carr University, University of Calgary, and the University of Toronto, among others. Prior to his current role as a Full Professor at Sapienza University of Rome, Lorenzo served as an Associate Professor and the Graduate Coordinator of the Master of Design MDes at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada until 2013. Lorenzo’s contributions as an author, critic, and essayist may be found across many peer-reviewed journals. He is editor of ‘Design Principles and Practices: an International Journal’ (Common Ground Publishing, Chicago), director of ‘FIELDS. An Interdisciplinary Design Journal and member of the editorial advisory board of “The Design Journal” (Bloomsbury Publishing, London). Lorenzo’s publications include “Nomad+Design. 1. Categories” (2016), “Nomad+Design. 2. Phenomena” (2016), “Design for Social Innovation in Canada” (2016), “InterAction by Design” (2009), “09 YoungDesign” (2009), “Ethics & Design” (2008), and “D_Generation” (2007). 

Lorenzo holds a Ph.D. in Design from Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.

Michael is also acting as the chair of the Board subcommittee that is assessing the future format (s) and innovation opportunities for Cumulus conferences; additionally, he is also supporting key initiatives in the Cumulus network such as the Global Grad Show in Dubai and the European CORE Initiative. 

As an industrial design practitioner, educator, administrator, and researcher, Michael has occupied several leadership roles since joining the Zũrich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in 1993 as a lecturer. He was most recently the Deputy Director of the Department of Design (2015- 2020), before taking on the leadership of the Sustainability Center. Michael has been visiting professor at Jiangnan University, Wuxi (2015-2020), and Visiting Professor at the Napier University Department of Creative Industries in Edinburgh (2006). Michael lectures and publishes internationally about design, among other topics. As a practitioner, Michael is co-owner and CEO of FORMPOL AG, an interdisciplinary agency based in Zũrich.

Michael holds a graduate degree in higher education management from FLUG, Basel, and an industrial design diploma from the Zũrich University of the Arts.

These have resulted in contributions to the association’s strengthening of shared governance best practices and its ongoing work to champion access as well as diversity and inclusion in its practices and initiatives for all its current and future members. After chairing the Board sub-committee that conceived of the Executive Board Handbook ratified by the General Assembly in 2020, Teemu is currently helping lead the Board’s efforts to research and propose new solidarity-based models for increasing the association’s membership access.

As an Associate Professor of New Media Design and Learning and former Vice Dean for Research (2014 -2019), Teemu holds over two decades of experience in research and development of web-based learning. Since 1998 Teemu has led the Learning Environments’ research group of the Media Lab Helsinki at Aalto University. Teemu teaches, conducts research, designs, and publishes extensively in different academic peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and design forums. As part of his wider service to the field, Teemu is a frequent lecturer and keynote speaker and serves on program committees and as a reviewer and jury member internationally.

Teemu is a well-known advocate of open-source/free software in education, free knowledge, and open education. As an expert practitioner, Teemu gives in-service courses for teachers and carries out consulting and concept design for schools, universities, and ICT and media companies. 

Teemu has previously served in the Advisory Board of the Wikimedia Foundation, and has been an advisor of The Finnish Red Cross and several startup companies. He has co-founded and served on the board of the Peace Machine association and three startup companies. Currently Teemu is the chair of the Central Helsinki Music Institute, board member of the A-Clinic Foundation, Council member of the John Morton Center for North American Studies,  Member of the Long Now Foundation and Fellow of the RSA. Teemu has received several educational technology design awards in Finland and internationally.

Teemu holds a Ph.D. in New Media Design from the Aalto University School of Art, Design and Architecture.

You can find out more about Teemu Leinonen’s research at Aalto University here. 

With 54 nations, more than 2000 languages, a billion inhabitants, and a vibrant and multicultural art and design contemporary scene, engaging with an expanded set of African institutions remains an important priority for Cumulus. Robin’s advocacy in this arena has already resulted in an increase of Cumulus Plus grantees from the continent during his terms of service and a strategic partnership with the Pan Afrikan Design Institute (PADI), the association representing the interest of design professionals and design educators from numerous design disciplines across the continent. In the current Board, Robin has brought this work to bear in the solidarity sub-committee, focusing on the strategic plan’s objective to increase access to the Cumulus membership and flows of learning and exchange between Global North and Global South. In addition, Robin’s senior expertise as a multimedia designer with an expansive portfolio of work in interaction design has been instrumental in his chairing the new website subcommittee and helping impart an exciting vision for the association’s digital ecosystem. 

As a dedicated design leader and educator, Robin has been a lecturer at the Greenside Design Center starting in 2008 and currently heads its Graphic and Multimedia Design Department. 

As an award-winning practitioner, Robin has a passion for anything digital, which has as a result, led him to break into the New/Multimedia design arena and lecture internationally on the topic; he is particularly interested in interactive design, and specialises in physical or human computing, which is an area of interactive design that explores that potential of human/computer interactions that do not require the use conventional digital inputs such as keyboards and a mouse. When Robin isn’t taking technologies apart to see how they work, he’s trying to invent new ones—while also developing corporate identities and creating new typefaces.

Robin holds a Master’s degree in Digital Arts from WITS ( the University of the Witwatersrand). He began his training at the Vaal Triangle Technikon and honed his skills through an honours degree programme at the Greenside Design Center where he received a BA in Graphic Design.

The association has always championed initiatives for students such as competitions, study abroad opportunities, and promoted scholarships as well as the now well-established Cumulus Student Ambassador Program. Under the current strategic plan however, creating new spaces conceived “by students, for students,” within the programming of Cumulus represents an important goal that will require ongoing effort. Anne has been at the forefront of this effort: interviewing students, bringing their voices to bear on future planning, and nurturing the work of emerging student groups such as the CirroCumulus group. She is also co-chairing the Cumulus Green 2022 competition and led the Board’s effort together with the Secretariat to develop the design brief of the Cumulus Green trophy, overseeing its design and execution by a talented team from the Estonian Academy of the Arts.

Anne is an experienced administrator, educator, and Art Director with a robust trajectory of contributions to both industry and academia. She joined the Estonian Academy of the Arts as a visiting teacher in 1998; she has been leading the Continuing Education Department since 2006 and in addition took on the position of Vice-Rector in 2014.  Anne serves on several boards as part of her service to the profession, including qArted of Nordic-Baltic Network, the Estonian Academy of Arts Foundation, and The Union of Estonian Graphic Designers.  

Anne is the recipient of numerous awards for her work as a children’s books illustrator and designer; her publications and work are included in exhibitions nationally and throughout Europe on an ongoing basis. In 2016 she was recognized with the “Raisin of the Year” award for most extraordinary children’s book.

Anne holds a BA and MA degree in Graphic Design from the Estonian Academy of the Arts.

During his current leadership turn on the Board of Cumulus, Xiao’s focus has been to support the Board and the Secretariat in helping grow new program opportunities for students via Cumulus, a key objective of the association’s current strategic plan. As part of his board service, Xiao has also continued to amplify the visibility of Cumulus in China helping to recruit other national universities as members and identifying prospective partnerships with like-minded design organizations and outlets. 

As a Professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), Beijing, Xiao is a dedicated teacher who routinely lectures internationally; he has taught in more than 400 universities in China and around the world including teaching engagements in Germany, France, Denmark, Mexico, Malaysia, and Thailand. Xiao is also an active conference speaker, conference organizer, juror, and leader in the communication design field. He has served as the chief editor of Art and Design Magazine (2001-2003) and has designed and edited more than thirty communication design publications. 

As a practitioner, Xiao is an award-winning graphic designer and the recipient of the 2007 Top 10 Chinese Designers; his visual design work is in the collection of several museums. Xiao was the chief designer of the 2008 Medals for the Beijing Summer Olympic Games. His brand identity work includes communication systems and logos for exhibitions, conferences and organizations, including well-known logos for Pure Finland, Chinese Artists Union, the stamp design for “From Beijing to London,” jointly issued by the China/UK post, and the original logo for the Cumulus Green competition. 

Xiao’s service to the field also includes a Vice Presidency in the Board of ICO-D (formerly Icograda) from 2009 through 2011. 

Xiao holds an M.A from the University of Art and Design Helsinki (TaiK), now Aalto University.  Undergraduate Degree to add.