Original Thinkers Podcast

Michael Berger is the Secretary-General and CEO of the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), bringing over 20 years of expertise in environmental and quality management and sustainable supply chain development. He holds a PhD in forestry and has served as a lecturer in corporate social responsibility at the Technical University in Munich, shaping minds for a sustainable futur...

Ona Flindall is the award-winning CEO of Oslotre, a leading Norwegian architectural firm with a focus on innovative and sustainable timber constructions. A prominent figure in eco-friendly architecture, Ona shares her expertise through frequent national and international lectures, and by teaching at the Oslo School of Architecture.. "Because we're timber focused, we're very concerne...

As Tasmania's Chief Forest Practices Officer, Anne Chuter plays a pivotal role at the independent Forest Practices Authority (FPA), balancing industry requirements with sustainable environmental practices in timber harvesting and conservation. "Sustainable Forest management is about environmental values, economic values, social values, and trying to embed all of those different things wh...

Jana Soderlund is a biophilic design consultant, a sustainability professional, and the Chair of Biophilic Cities Australia. "Biophilic design, it's more than greenery. It's about facilitating our connection with nature. It's recognising that we're biological beings and we're evolutionary, hardwired, genetically programmed to respond to nature." originalthinkers....

David Rowlinson is the Campaign and Marketing Manager for Make It Wood, a program at the Planet Ark Environmental Foundation. "Concrete and steel have their place. They're used widely and, in many cases, for good reason; they're cost-effective and so on, but they're extremely carbon intensive. There's an awful lot of energy that goes into their manufacture. In fact, both i...

Sophie Bence and Shamus Mulcahy are co-founding directors of Bence Mulcahy, an award-winning Hobart architecture firm founded by the pair in 2014. Sophie and Shamus believe that great design shapes the engagement between people and the world around them and that architecture should be driven by the spirit of generosity. They are interested in global ideas applied to the specific context and push t...

Scott van Tuil is a Tasmanian designer-maker and the founder of VAN TUIL Design Studio. Scott graduated from the University of Tasmania with a Bachelor of Environmental Design and was named the 2015 DIA Vic-Tas Graduate of the Year for Furniture Design. He works with a range of materials to create objects that are beautiful in both form and design. "I like the phrase – that if something is to...

Dayne Davis is the Managing Director of Timber Design Studio, a firm that designs timber buildings internationally. They bring sustainable and forward-thinking design approaches to the mainstream of society. "We actually have a really challenging one we're doing at the moment in the Middle East, a resort in the Middle East, where we're having to deal with a beautiful free-form canop...

With an eye for dramatic tension, Adam Gibson's photography reflects a life spent roaming within and beyond the wild Tasmanian landscape. Responding to diverse creative briefs, architecture, people, and landscapes are the heroes of his work. "I think my creativity gets nurtured from doing anything but being creative. So, in some ways it's about being in the ocean, it's about be...

Scott Balmforth is an architect and Director at Terroir — Terroir is a collective of architects and urbanists dedicated to producing work that increases the connection between people and the places they inhabit. With offices in Tasmania, Sydney, and Copenhagen,  Terroir engages in the world from opposite corners of it, bringing breadth and depth of experience and multiple perspectives on the fragi...

Peta Heffernan & Elvio Brianese of LIMINAL Studio — LIMINAL is a globally connected, creatively agile think-tank that integrates design and architecture with the disciplines of interior design, furniture, object design, arts, curation and production design. Embracing a multi-disciplinary design approach driven by purpose, function and meaning, LIMINAL was recently awarded the Tasmanian Archite...

David Brand has over 40 years of experience in forestry investment, forest management, science, and public policy and holds a PhD in Forestry Quantitative Ecophysiology from the University of British Columbia. David is the Founder, Chair and CEO of the forestry investment management business New Forests. New Forests manages nearly 9 billion dollars in forestry, conservation and wood processing ass...

Henry Williams is a multi-disciplinary designer and head of Henry Williams Studio. He was recently Senior Architect for Snohetta Australasia. Henry collaborated with Designer Maker Jon Goulder at Melbourne Design week for an exhibition called Self Portrait - creating a table from cross-laminated timber with a collection of ceramics and tableware. "A lot of the products that endure have been a...

Michelle Boyde is a designer and curator living in Tasmania, with a Bach (Design) at RMIT's School of Architecture and Design and a background in contemporary dance. Michelle approaches design in a broad-thinking and cross-disciplinary way, with a unique and transferable skill that spans fashion, interiors, objects and installation. She has designed and curated extensively within the national...

Fiona Lyda is the Principal behind Spence & Lyda, a Sydney retail showroom that seeks to showcase design that adds meaning to the living experience - pieces designed to stay in our lives for generations. She has a background as a production designer, art director and spent 20 years as a costume designer for film and tv, before opening Spence & Lyda. "What has always driven Spence &amp...

Brodie Neill is a Tasmanian-born London-based furniture designer and maker. Since establishing his studio in London's east end, Brodie's worked with an impressive roster of clients, including Reva 1920 Swarovski and Kundalini. He's collaborated with international brands, including Microsoft Mercedes-Benz and Alexander McQueen, and his limited edition works are included in galleries...

John Wardle is Partner at the award-winning John Wardle Architects , a practice internationally renowned for making extraordinary buildings and places that matter. As a Partner at a firm of 100 people, John says he is as much a navigator as an architect. He enjoys drawing the many threads together to create something far greater than ever first imagined. " An idea in its infancy is a fragile...

We'll be interviewing some of Australia's leading creative minds from architecture, design, the environment, culture and business about what it takes to have an original thought, its impact, and how it endures over time. We'll also explore how creativity can improve lives and make a meaningful difference. originalthinkers.com.au Links & Show Notes: Host: Claire Bennett - The Cla...