Tales of Resilience Town Hall Part 2

Join IDC for the second part of ‘Tales of Resilience,’ a town hall focused on personal stories of interior designers who experienced the effects of an economic recession or financial crisis. Hear their tales of setbacks, survival, and ultimately, success. This event is free and intended for student and intern members to learn from senior designers and industry leaders, to ask questions and gain insight on how to move forward in their careers. The event will be moderated by Trevor Kruse, CEO of IDC. All members are invited!

Panelists:

Caroline Hughes, Retired – Principal Emeritus Figure3

Caroline’s 35 year career in corporate interiors is characterized by one key strength: design thinking. As strategic principal with figure3 for 15 years, Caroline developed human-centered discovery processes designed to uncover the needs of the people impacted by figure3’s work for large and small clients, helping figure3 to become one of Canada’s most-awarded interiors firms. Today, Caroline is retired from active practice but stays involved in our industry primarily with IDC as it develops the VODA awards program, training and symposiums geared to support Canadian designers interested in building their own design thinking skills.

John Gleeson, General Manager at Holmes and Brakel, Vancouver Office

John Gleeson is the General Manager at Holmes & Brakel BC. After a short tenure as an operations manager at a small hospitality construction company in Winnipeg, he relocated to Vancouver in 1989, and started work in the office furniture business. Over time, John’s career led him to two leadership roles at the Teknion dealer level. In his current role, John manages the B.C. market for one of Teknion’s largest dealers in Canada. Holmes & Brakel has recently celebrated it’s 45th anniversary and has been a Teknion partner since the brand was launched in the early 1980’s.

Lynn R. McGregor, Founding Principal at McGregor Design Group

Following graduation from Ryerson’s Interior Design Program in 1979, Lynn honed her skills working with two of the foremost Canadian Corporate Design Firms. In 1988 she launched her own firm, and remains dedicated to offering the highest possible level of attentive design and project management services. Her experience over the last 34 years, within various business sectors has provided her with a perspective and knowledge she is proud to offer her clients. Lynn has dedicated considerable time to volunteer work with ARIDO from co-chair of the Ethics Committee to co-chair of the Legislative Review Committee to President and now acts as ARIDO’s representative with the Design Industry Advisory Committee and Ontario’s Building Advisory Council, working towards a safer more accessible future.

Tamara Rooks, Creative Lead at figure3

Tamara Poyato-Rooks is a Creative Lead at Figure3, one of Canada’s leading interior design firms, and holds a Bachelors Degree of Interior Design from Humber College. Specializing in workplace design and recently gaining experience in the residential market, Tamara is always looking to push the design envelope. She believes client collaboration is key to successful projects and is passionate about leading clients and her team through the design process. Her goal is to deliver meaningful spaces that can often provide unexpected experiences and surpass client expectations with each project.