Designing for your future self: No time to waste

Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute, Bobby has worked across most public policy areas in his 30 years career in policy research and evaluation, including being seconded to the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit. He sits on advisory boards including Chairing the Campaign for Social Science and the CLOSER Advisory Board, is a member of the Executive of the Academy of Social Sciences, and a trustee of British Future and the Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education.

Colum is a senior design leader with a significant track record of developing inclusive products and services in the private, public and charitable sectors.  In 2020 Colum joined the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art as Director for Design Age Institute. He has been Head of Design at the Ministry of Justice, Sainsbury’s, Homebase and the NHS National Patient Safety Agency, and has run design firms Crabtree Hall, CaulderMoore as well as his own consultancy.

In her role as Community Lead for the Design Age Institute, George launched This Age Thing in 2021 to build a diverse community of age activists, storytellers, creatives, designers and change-makers. A respected disrupter, innovator, and leader with 25+ years of experience, George is Director of the design studio This is Real Art, co-founder of The Age of No Retirement and specialist consultancy The Common Land, championing cross-generational thinking as a key for social and economic impact.

Shravan is an elected Member of the City of London Corporation where he sits on several committees including the main Policy Committee. A protagonist for the City’s Climate Action Plan, he works on delivering policy around sustainable urban environments in the Square Mile through his involvement in the Planning & Transport Committee. He spent 25 years in the energy sector involved in trade finance, supply chains and delivery of technology to operators across the world. He runs a think tank focused on sustainability bringing together policy makers, financiers and technology providers.

A Research Fellow at the International Longevity Centre (ILC), Sophia's work focuses on understanding the longevity economy and exploring ways to boost individuals’ retirement prospects in the UK as well as potential synergies between climate change and ageing agendas. Previously a policy and social researcher for ASH Wales and the Office for National Statistics, Sophia also holds a BSc in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Warwick and an MSc in Economics from the University of Nottingham.

The Design Age Institute is the UK’s national strategic unit for design and the healthy ageing economy. The Institute works with designers, businesses, researchers and communities to help address the challenges and opportunities of an ageing society through the transformative power of design.

Design for Planet is a campaign to galvanise and support the UK’s design industry to commit to a sustainable, climate-first future. Through Design for Planet, the Design Council will rally designers to bring about the societal shifts needed to accelerate the government’s transition to net zero and ensure the planet will thrive for future generations. As part of the campaign, Design Council is hosting its Design for Planet Festival on 9-10 November 2021 to champion design as a powerful agent of change.