All together! The DIA's State Chairs 2022/23 announced
Nathan James Crane, Catriona Gregg, Jan-Marie Jaillei, David Kay, Alisa Moss, Sarah-Jane Pyke, Nila Rezaei, Tom Skeehan, Daniel Spat, David Smith, Paul Turley, and Karen Webster
The DIA is excited and proud to introduce the State Council Chairs for the 2022/23 period. Led by National President Gavin Campbell FDIA, the announcement was made on Friday 25 November at the DIA's Annual General Meeting.
DIA President Gavin Campbell FDIA said: "It is with much delight that I congratulate and welcome these incredible designers and design advocates. Together we all add value, support and significance, and it is wonderful that we can invest in the Design Institute of Australia and the industry in this way."
Through the eyes of Australian designers, the DIA supports Australia's design community, cultivates collaboration and conversations and elevates the collective commitment to Australian design and its influence on culture and society.
A critical component of the DIA vision and strategy is to invite designers to exchange, engage and contribute within its open governance and transparent structure.
Sarah-Jane Pyke FDIA
NSW State Chair
Sarah-Jane, co-founding director and principal designer of interior design practice Arent&Pyke is one of Australia’s most recognised and awarded practitioners. Alongside Juliette Arent she has championed a signature interior style that is high concept driven while simultaneously delivering ease and joy through the skilful use of colour, texture and materiality.
With a preference for handcrafted objects and furniture pieces, Sarah-Jane works with a team of skilled artisans to deliver bespoke spaces which meld beauty with authenticity and are designed to endure.
With a Bachelor of Interior Architecture (UNSW) and more than 20 years in the business Sarah-Jane is a much respected and much-loved professional whose personal generosity of spirit is evident in the spaces she creates.
Nila Rezaei
NSW State Deputy Chair
Nila is a Sydney based designer focused on developing systems, products and objects that are delightful and intuitive to use. She has worked on a wide range of projects from award-winning consumer goods to internationally recognized public art installations, from design research and ideation through to prototyping, iterative refinement, testing and implementation. At the forefront of her practice she always focuses on a question: "Living in a world where people make thousands of product decisions per day and skim over millions of objects and platforms, How do we (designers) create products that are not only satisfying functional and aesthetic requirements, but uncover a meaningful experience. I believe by placing the honest human need at the core reasoning of a product we can create simple but more sustainable outcomes that last for a very long time; we design future proof solutions."
Nila has graduated from UNSW Art & Design, with a first class honours degree in object design. She has worked as a designer at one of Sydney’s leading product design consultancies, Vert Design Studio, with Clients ranging from entrepreneurs, start-ups, boutique brands and multinational organisations. After years of working at Australia’s best design consultancy, Nila has moved to the Australian micro-mobility start up, ZOOMO, as a Design Lead, to pursue her passion for sustainability in our urban environments, and to define and create mobility systems and solutions that are necessary for how we move in future. Nila is also currently lecturing at an undergraduate and postgraduate level at UNSW Art and Design, following her passion for sharing knowledge and fostering future designers.
Karen Webster FDIA
VIC/TAS State Chair
Karen Webster loves to make a difference! She is the Dean and Principal of the Melbourne campus of internationally acclaimed Design Institute ‘LCI’. Karen has been a design advocate and leading academic in Australian’s creative industries for over four decades. Before starting with the LCI network she held senior positions at RMIT University for over twenty years. Karen returned to an industry role as Design Director of globally awarded design company Buzz Products in 2017 before returning to her true love of fostering innovative and progressive design education at LCI Melbourne in June 2019. From 2005 to 2010 she was the Festival Director of the Melbourne Fashion Festival. She has served on numerous government and industry advisory boards across the creative industries including appointed as the first female Board Director of the Council of Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia in its 70 year history and was Chair of the Australian Fashion Council. In 2012 Karen was inducted into the Fashion Hall of Fame in Melbourne.
David Kay MDIA
VIC/TAS State Deputy Chair
David Kay is an industrial designer and is ANZ Industry Engagement Manager at Torrens University, Design and Creative Technology and Billy Blue College of Design. He has worked as an IP & Commercial lawyer and in R&D commercialisation. David aims to elevate design and innovation in Australia; hoping for designers to sit at the boardroom level to help lift R&D in Australian businesses rather than the current risk-averse, stagnant and mainly financial bottom-line decision-making practices that undervalue design and design thinking as a way of the future.
David develops relationships and collaborations between universities, industry, government, and community to help lift design's profile and boost student and designer employment opportunities.
He has his entrepreneurial start-up with an innovative product design that has commenced global sales (www.romanshower.com.au). He is currently designing house concepts, a leather concept bag, an equity logo and a sculptural and practical fruit bowl.
Daniel Spat MDIA
QLD State Chair
Dan is a professional and passionate graphic, user interface, user experience and multimedia designer. With twelve years' experience he has designed and delivered projects for Queensland State and Australian Government departments, software-as-a-service providers, not-for-profit organisations, small business and national retail franchises.
Dan holds a Bachelor of Arts (Computer-based Art, Design and Communication Studies) from the University of the Sunshine Coast.
He is a former DIA Graduate of the Year Award judge for the Visual Communication category. An active participant of design community events in South East Queensland and is also a member of the Australian Graphic Designer Association.
He seeks to forge stronger connections between industry and education. Empower students of all design disciplines through portfolio reviews, mentorship and passionate presentations. Dan has also ventured into the innovative circular economy sector where significant national wastage issues are beginning to be solved.
Paul Turley MDIA
QLD State Deputy Chair
Paul entered the design industry three years ago with a passion and drive for achieving client satisfaction. He is passionate about design education and mentoring the next generation of designers.
Paul holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Microbiology & Biochemistry), a Master of Social Science (Political Economy), and a Bachelor of Interior Architecture (Commercial/Interior Design) from Torrens University (Billy Blue College of Design).
With a background in medical research, Paul embraces a multidisciplinary approach to design thinking, and values the combination of scientific and creative approaches to projects.
He currently works as an interior design academic with Griffith University and as an interior designer and design communicator. He has served on the DIA Queensland Branch Council since 2017.
David Smith MDIA
WA State Chair
David is a designer with over 30 years industry experience in a wide variety of disciplines. Following studies in Interior Design, David spent time working as in-house design in manufacturing and brand consulting before launching his own multi-disciplinary design practice, United Studio, in 2005.
Projects have included architecture, interiors (workplace, commercial, hospitality, retail and residential), wayfinding and signage, product and graphic design and have ranged in scale from bespoke furniture commissions to multi-national brand environment programs.
In addition to his design practice David is current Chair of the WA chapter of the Design Institute of Australia and is co-founder and CEO of Markr Systems – a multi award winning tech-based solution in AR and Virtual Signage.
Catriona Gregg FDIA
WA State Deputy Chair
Catriona Gregg is a recognised Australian designer-maker specialising in contemporary bespoke furniture, interiors and limited edition products. She has a BA in Design, with further furniture studies at John Makepeace School for Craftsmen in Wood, Dorset, UK. Whilst working in London at the David Linley Furniture Co., in addition to significant exemplary furniture projects for private clients, her work included the 16.5m-long English Oak boardroom table for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. During her six years in London, whilst with Andrew Winch Designs and Dubois Naval Architects, she designed the interior fitouts of luxury yachts in New Zealand, Turkey and the UK. More recently, for Australia’s Oceanfast, her work included the fit out of Greg Norman’s 69.5m superyacht ‘MY Aussie Rules’. Recent projects have included luxury interiors, both architectural and superyacht, for Silverling UK, marine interior design management for Austal Shipbuilding and design coordination for GHDWoodhead.
Catriona’s bespoke furniture work is represented in public and private furniture collections and exhibitions in Australia and the UK. The ‘Chaise Longue’, was purchased in 1992 for the permanent collection by the Art Gallery of Western Australia. The pursuit of excellence, inherent in the ethos of the Makepeace School, continues to be the guiding principle of Catriona’s work as a designer/maker and mentor.
Nathan James Crane MDIA
SA/NT State Chair
Dr Nathan James Crane is a design thinker who is passionate about elevating the impact design can have for people both within and outside of the design profession.
An award-winning writer and editor, Nathan has been published in titles including Artichoke, The Adelaide Review, FORM Journal, LUXURY, Educate and Marmalade, and is a regular judge for design industry awards programs. Initially trained as an interior designer, during this time he was a sessional tutor and lecturer at the University of South Australia, where he completed his PhD.
Driven by an informed curiosity, Nathan offers commentary on emerging themes, practices and celebrated studios within the Australian design community. As a recognised voice, Nathan utilises his design education to authentically communicate the complexity of projects to audiences with resonance.
Nathan has also worked as a design educator and academic for 10 years, where his teaching practice is grounded in fostering students’ understanding of the role design plays in shaping our experience of the world.
Jan-Marie Jaillei MDIA
SA/NT State Deputy Chair
Jan-Marie Jaillei leads JMJ Interiors, a full-service interior design studio in Darwin specialising in residential interiors. Jan-Marie’s clients today benefit from over 20 years of international design insights she acquired while living, working, and studying in many of the world’s capitals. She gained invaluable perspectives on cultures, design styles and trends whilst working in residential design in London, New York, and the Middle East. Jan-Marie has studied Interior Architecture at the prestigious London Inchbald School of Design, Interior Decoration at Chelsea’s KLC School of Design and holds a Diploma of Architectural Feng Shui from the renowned New York Institute of Art. Having spent a total of 27 years abroad, in 2015 Jan-Marie returned to Darwin where she spent her childhood.
Tom Skeehan MDIA
ACT State Chair
Tom Skeehan is the founder of Skeehan Studio a design firm based in Canberra. It produces commercial furniture, light and product design, adopting a uniquely considered, material-minded process. Skeehan designs have been awarded and exhibited internationally. Tom is committed to education, his own learning and also activating knowledge of just how great good design can be. He regularly presents talks and events encouraging community participation, sharing of ideas and most of all enjoyment.
Alisa Moss MDIA
ACT State Deputy Chair
Alisa brings a great deal of experience and passion to her role as a director and owner in the national design practice, DJAS Architecture. Alisa delivers custom fit solutions through a focus on relationships; working closely with clients in a co-design and collaborative platform that enables the sharing of ideas and knowledge.
As a strong advocate for improving the design, quality and sustainability of indoor workplaces, Alisa was awarded a AV Jennings Churchill Fellowship. The Fellowship enabled her to research and continue her professional development in the design aspects related to indoor environment quality and healthy buildings. Alisa was awarded a second international fellowship through ISS Institute
Alisa’s practice is committed to encouraging the participation of women in the construction industry. She is an advocate for establishing flexible community friendly working arrangements within the industry and she supports a number of organisations in facilitating the development of positive, diverse and supportive work environments as a workplace designer and workplace change manager.
Alisa is also a director of the Alastair Swayn Foundation and The Swayn, Gallery of Australian Design. Both organisations support and celebrate design through collaborations and national and international research grants.