The Design Programme Management

As Manager of The Design Programme in the South West, it’s my job to lead our fantastic team and ensure we deliver the best service for our clients and stakeholders. I’m responsible for all aspects of managing the programme: from liaising with funders in Brussels and creating partnerships with design organisations throughout the UK, to shaping all of our design related activity throughout the South West and speaking, on a daily basis, to local businesses who are keen to be part of the programme.Before working in design, I worked for a number of years in the University sector, managing large-scale projects with multiple partners. I established an international MBA programme in Poland, with French and UK universities and, before that, worked for the European Parliament in Luxembourg, Strasbourg and Brussels.

As well as managing the The Design Programme, I am a board member of the Design South West.

I thrive on bringing businesses together with other organisations, experts or resources, in order to achieve their objectives and maximise their potential.

“Design is so powerful; it can truly transform businesses. I’ve seen it happen time and time again.”

As the Programme Facilitator in the South West, I manage the Programme’s events in the South West region and I provide support to the programme manager and the design advisers.  

Before joining The Design Programme in 2007, I worked within the Innovation & Technology Services team at WSX Enterprise for six years. 

“It gives me a great sense of achievement to know that we have helped businesses achieve their potential.”

As Manager of The Design Programme in the South East it’s my job to make sure that we access the best support possible for our clients – I spend a lot of my time working with our wider partners such as universities, business support organisations, local and regional authorities and European networks, to ensure that we are aware of best practice in the field of design and innovation support for SMEs and plan our support to take advantage of this.

This allows the rest of the team to get on with the important business – helping businesses to grow by being innovative and using design to its best effect. Before working in design I ran my own business, was a Business Adviser, lectured at universities and worked for a multinational in finance, marketing and business development.

Alison brings to the team her interest in successful sustainable products.  As manager of the sustainable supply chain project in the South East, Alison has first hand experience of the exciting and innovative approaches that businesses can take to re-design their existing products (and launch new ones) to take account of resource limitations.  Her current work with university spin-outs and small start-up companies brings innovative business models into the forefront of their business planning and strategic development. Alison recently worked with Aerothermal Ltd, an engineering company specialising in the design and manufacture of autoclaves for the waste industry. And before that, her experience includes overseeing a growth through innovation project which helped small businesses innovate and develop routes to market for new and redesigned products and services. 
 
"Forward looking businesses should be asking “what should our design strategy be, given the environmental and social issues out there?” Answering this question will help you find more ways to be successful in the future."

Kathryn has worked for WSX Enterprise for many years, originally for Business Link in Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, where she managed the Specialist Adviser team, then moving onto Event Coordinator where she spent 8 years organising a wide variety of seminars, exhibitions and workshops across the region.

For the past three years Kathryn has worked on the Designing Demand programme in the South East. Latterly she has taken on the project management for the CHAIN2 and DIFASS projects.