Kevin Bethune
Founder & Chief Creative Officer of dreams • design + life, author of Reimagining Design

Kevin Bethune is the Founder & Chief Creative Officer of dreams • design + life, a “think tank” that delivers design & innovation services using a human-centered approach. Kevin’s background spans engineering, business and design in equal proportion over his 20+ year career, positioning him to help brands deliver meaningful innovations to enrich people’s lives.

Exclusively represented by BrightSight Speakers bureau, Kevin’s work represents creative problem-solving that brings multidisciplinary teams together to see the future through an open aperture, and a deep industrial design approach to inform and influence desirable, feasible and business-viable design outcomes. In 2023, he joined Season 10 of The Design of Business podcast as co-host.

Kevin began his career as a mechanical engineer in the nuclear power industry. This chapter gave him deep product experience working with high performing teams across 14 nuclear reactor upgrade campaigns. After his MBA, Kevin joined Nike, Inc. in a business capacity, but quickly navigated to the Global Footwear product engine to drive advanced digital product creation capabilities, discovering the world of design in the process. After solidifying his creative foundation through further studies at ArtCenter College of Design, Kevin co-founded distinct design & innovation capabilities at two Tier 1 management consulting firms in Booz & Co. and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). As Vice President of Strategic Design at BCG Digital Ventures, he led a large cohort of designers that would influence and shape every corporate venture spun out from the incubator. Kevin left BCG Digital Ventures to carve his own path under the banner of dreams • design + life, focusing on unlocking human potential through strategic design, industrial design and the building of new ecologies. Kevin also serves as a Board Trustee for ArtCenter College of Design and the Board Chair for the Design Management Institute (DMI).

kevinbethune.com.com

Primo Orpilla + Verda Alexander
Studio O+A

For over thirty years Studio O+A has been a creative force in workplace design. What began as a two-person firm in Silicon Valley in 1991 is today a San Francisco-based design firm dedicated to new thinking about work, creativity and the many ways our environments shape the lives we live. Studio O+A was awarded the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for Interior Design in 2016. In 2012 Contract Magazine named Verda Alexander and Primo Orpilla Designers of the Year. In 2015 they were inducted into Interior Design’s Hall of Fame.

Primo’s design leadership and entrepreneurial spirit have shaped Studio O+A’s evolution from a space-planning startup to a trailblazer in workplace design. Known for his future-forward approach, Primo has led projects for companies like Facebook, Microsoft, and Uber—each one redefining how we work. His experimental initiatives include conceptual installations, next-gen office prototypes, and co-developing “A Toolkit for the Times,” a flexible guide for hybrid work. A dedicated advocate for design education and mentorship, Primo lectures globally, inspiring emerging talent to reimagine the workplace with purpose and innovation.

Verda’s artist perspective and initiatives at O+A have spurred innovation at the forefront of workplace design and challenged received wisdom throughout the industry. She continues to work on expanding the dialogue between art, design, and climate activism. Verda’s experimental projects for O+A range from pop-up installations on the future of the office, a mobile design lab partnering with communities across California, and an open source toolkit called “The Eco Playbook,” challenging designers at her firm and across the industry to put planet and people first in the design process. As the editor at large for Metropolis Magazine, Verda works to advance new thinking around sustainability, equity, and regenerative design.

HISTORY

Leaders Breakfast was started in 1989 by the IIDA New York Chapter and was expanded in 2001 into an international event series by IIDA Headquarters. In 2009, Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) was added as an additional partner, bringing the series to multiple Canadian provinces.

Through the support of two International Benefactors, MillerKnoll and Interior Design, Leaders celebrates design’s importance in the global marketplace by honoring the people who are both the legacy and future of design.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Each Leaders event features a renowned keynote speaker to provoke and encourage new ideas and recognizes one city-selected honoree making significant contributions to the design industry. With some distinction from city to city, the format of each Leaders event is standard: The morning begins with an hour of networking for designers, architects, and other industry professionals, followed by a sit-down breakfast. During breakfast, attendees are treated to a presentation by the keynote speaker, and the locally-chosen honoree is given the Leadership Award.