Designed for Life

In this episode, I am delighted to bring you the second part of the conversation with International educator and leader,  IB guru and podcast host Jason Reagin. Jason is currently the IBCP Coordinator at Chadwick International School, South Korea.  Since completing his educational studies at the University of Georgia, USA. Jason has pretty much dedicated his career to teaching overseas with posts...

Apprentice turned Masterchef! Jamaar, by his own admission, struggled at school. But through a combination of his mum, who led him to explore cooking at home and teachers who recognised his engagement and enthusiasm for the subject, Jamaar left school aged 16 and started a chef apprenticeship with study at  Bristol City College.  Jamaar is currently Junior Sous Chef at Michelin Starred Lucknam Par...

Ella Podmore is still young but has already crammed an awful lot of professional experience into her short career. In this podcast, we track her journey from school to her current role as Materials Engineer at McLaren Automotive, a position that she convinced McLaren, needed to be created.  Ella is involved in all material investigations, from first drawings through to the final product, Ella has...

Torri describes himself as a 'multi-disciplined creative chameleon' with over 16 years experience of working with some of the worlds biggest brands across a wide range of media.  In this wide-ranging and for me deeply fascinating discussion, Torri talks us through his journey from school where Art and creativity was a key outlet for him, how his art teacher worked to convince his parents...

In this, the second episode of Designed for Life released around a food theme in five days, we talk with Spencer Metzger Premier Sous Chef at the Ritz, London.  In this conversation we follow Spencers journey from school where he enjoyed food design and preparation in his Food technology lessons making jam roly poly, to a work experience placement at the Ritz obtained by cold calling the restauran...

Lolo Jones is chair of ELS, a company that describes itself as the expert in "experience learning". The company uses the latest technologies in XR, VR and AR to measure learners as they are experiencing learning, enabling better metrics and better learning outcomes.  Lolo has founded a number of companies, including Sutton Jones Multimedia, leading system integrator Interactive 1, online...

Hayley Roy is the founder and owner of Harp Design https://www.harpdesign.co.uk an interior design company working across residential and commercial sectors.  Hayley left school at sixteen and decided to travel and see the world while working as a hostess on private yachts, including almost three years working on Sir Philip Green's yacht Lionheart.  On her return to the UK, aged 21, she joine...

Nicola Lawler has been designing shoes for over 20 years.  The London born and based designer co-founded Lawler Duffy Shoes with Lori Duffy, while still at Cordwainers College and began her career by creating shoes for Joe Casely- Hayford. She has collaborated with many designers including Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan and Katharine Hamnett.  Having consulted for a diverse portfolio of clien...

This podcast takes Designed for Life in a slightly different direction as we seek to track the journey of a product from its original 'ideas phase' through product development, to manufacture, marketing and sales...All covered through https://pantee.co.uk/  Sustainable womens underwear made from surplus T-Shirts.  Amanda McCourt and her sister Katie have spent the last 18 months bringing...

Robin Wight was a co-founder of the advertising agency Wight, Collins, Rutherford, Scott (WCRS) in 1979 and was President of its parent company Engine until 2019.  WCRS and Robin were responsible for some of the most memorable advertising campaigns of the 80s and 90s including campaigns for Orange telecommunications "The future is bright, the future is Orange,"  the 118 118 adverts that...

Zoe is a British artist, maker, self-confessed tinkerer and materials engineer.  Perhaps best known to design and technology teachers for her part in the iconic BBC2 series 'Big Life Fix' this is only one of many TV appearances over the years including 'This Morning' with Philip Scofield and Holly Willoughby, The secret of landfill (2018), The secret story of stuff (2018) and m...

Becky is a design researcher and award-winning research team leader at the University of the Arts London. She is based at Chelsea College of Arts where she is Co-Director of Centre for Circular Design (CCD).  In October 2021 she co-founded World Circular Textiles Day 2050 with a team of like-minded collaborators who all want to create clear roadmaps for circular textiles, by drawing together curre...

Description In this episode we are in conversation with Laura Wood and Paul Pentelow, Co-Founders of Invisible Creations a design company with a stated purpose to 'Design for Dignity'. The idea for Invisible Creations® was created in the National Housing Federation’s innovation programme in 2018.  The initiative was supported by the social housing sector and the company was formally foun...

In this, the fifth episode of Designed for Life, the podcast brought to you by The Design and Technology Association in partnership with The Edge Foundation, we talk with Dids Macdonald OBE Co-founder and Chief Executive of ACID (Anti-copying in Design). At the time of recording, Dids was also Master of The Furniture Makers Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furniture i...

In this episode of Designed for Life we are fortunate to be in conversation with Pim van Baarsen CEO of the Silverstone Technology Cluster, a high-tech business group situated geographically within an hours drive of the Silverstone race circuit. Pim joined the Motorsport Industry Association after completing a Master’s degree in business studies. During his time there he was presented with the AIM...

In this episode, we are in conversation with designer and technologist Jude Pullen.  Winner of the 2020 Alastair Graham-Bryce "Imagineering" Award (Institution of Mechanical Engineers), Jude is a Product Design Engineer with an unparalleled appetite to investigate each subject matter that crosses his path.  With a passion for bridging seemingly disparate disciplines, he is fascinated by...

In this, the fourth episode of Designed for Life, the podcast brought to you by the Design and Technology Association in partnership with the Edge Foundation; we meet Brian Oppenheim one of Her Majesties lead inspectors, a former teacher and head of design and technology and currently an experienced lead inspector with responsibility for the subject.  In this conversation, we cover Brian's ex...

Michael Omotosho is a freelance Industrial designer based in Bradford and is widely recognised as a young highly talented designer with huge potential.  In this podcast, the second of a new series brought to you by the Design and Technology Association in partnership with the Edge Foundation, Michael talks us through his foundation years as he was educated in Nigeria. From his earliest years, he n...

Designed for Life is a new podcast (launch date end of August 2020) brought to you by the Design and Technology Association that sets out to entertain, Inform and Inspire. The podcast takes the format of a series of casual conversations with successful people doing interesting things; be this in education, design, manufacturing, production or any other associated line of business.  Our intention a...