Meet The 2019 Skift Design Award Judges – Skift

Yves Behar, founder and CEO of fuseproject
Yves Béhar is a designer and entrepreneur who believes that integrated product, brand and experience design are the cornerstones of any business. He is the founder and CEO of fuseproject since 1999; co-founder of August Home, the leading provider of smart locks and smart home services; co-founder of Canopy a boutique co-working enterprise; and co-founder of Forme, a subscription home fitness system. His collaborations with renowned partners such as Herman Miller, Movado, Samsung, Puma, Issey Miyake, Prada, SodaStream, Swarovski, Canal+, British Gas, Nivea and many others have received international acclaim.

Liz Lambert, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Bunkhouse
Liz Lambert, the former attorney turned hotelier and designer, first purchased a seedy motel on South Congress Avenue over 20 years ago, and transformed it into Hotel San José, which has become known today as the quintessential “Austin” hotel. The success of Hotel San José, which sparked a revitalization in the city’s now thriving South Congress district, led her to launch Bunkhouse group, a hospitality company founded on the pillars of design, music, and community-driven experiences.

Jen Rubio, Chief Brand Officer, AWAY
Jen Rubio is the co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of Away, a global lifestyle brand designing thoughtful objects to make traveling more seamless. Before starting Away, Jen built her career as a branding, creative, and social media expert, redefining how customers and brands connect. In 2015, Jen was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Marketing and Advertising. She lives and works in New York.

Jan Chipchase, founder of Studio D
Jan Chicpchase is the founder of Studio D, a discreet design and research consultancy that specializes in difficult to reach demographics, ultra light luggage brand SDR Traveller, and expedition leader.

Lindsey Maxwell, Vice President, TEAGUE
With nearly two decades of experience across the commercial aviation industry, Lindsey Maxwell has worked with OEMs, suppliers, and airlines across the world to deliver some of the most recognized and successful designs in commercial aviation. Currently the Vice President of TEAGUE’s aviation design studio, Lindsey splits her time between leading the aviation industry’s largest creative consulting team, building strategic partnerships with bold brands in commercial aviation, and setting a vision for the products, services, and experiences that will shape the future of air travel.

Kristy Tillman, Head of Global Experience Design, Slack
Kristy Tillman currently serves as the Head of Global Experience Design at Slack. As the first in the role, she is building a vision and a team whose mission it is to lead the transformation of branded and built environments, workplace experience and culture, and their integrated services and programs through the use of design and technology to make Slack employees, partners and visitors’ lives more pleasant and productive.

Joe Geis, Global Head of Art and Graphics, WeWork
Joe Geis is an artist, designer and woodworker based in Brooklyn, NY exploring the balance and movement that lines, shapes, and negative space can create in different environments and spaces. Joe currently serves as Global Head of Art and Graphics for WeWork, where he helps transform buildings into beautiful, collaborative workspaces.

Colin Nagy, Head of Strategy, Fred & Farid and Columnist, Skift
Colin Nagy is currently Head of Strategy for Fred & Farid, an advertising agency based in NYC, Paris, Shanghai, and Los Angeles. Previously he was Chief Media and Strategy officer at The Barbarian Group, a digital creative agency named one of the “world’s most innovative” by Fast Company. Nagy also writes an opinion column On Experience for Skift, where he dissects customer-centric experiences and innovation across hospitality, aviation, and beyond.