Thomas Garvey is President of the World Design Organization, an international non-governmental organization that promotes the profession of industrial design and its ability to generate better products, systems, services, experiences, and ultimately a better environment and society. Garvey has worked across a range of design disciplines and global settings and has led international teams in professional design projects and research programs and co-chaired the reintroduction of the Research and Education Forum at the World Design Assembly in 2019. As WDO President he is focused on ensuring the evolution of the WDO Strategic Plan into the future. Garvey and his teams have earned numerous awards, and their work has been presented around the world. He holds a Bachelor of Industrial Design from Carleton University, a M.Sc. in Communications Design from Pratt Institute in New York, and a Ph.D. in Architectural Planning from the University of Tokyo.

Prof. Vyas was Director of the National Institute of Design(NID), India’s premier design institution, from 2009 to 2019, following two decades as a faculty member. During his tenure, he strengthened NID’s global standing and championed design for social development and sustainability, engaging with design communities across Japan, Taiwan, China, Africa, and Europe. He holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Design from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.

In 2009, he was appointed the inaugural Member Secretary of the India Design Council, where he led the implementation of the National Design Policy and launched the India Design Mark in collaboration with the Japan Institute of Design Promotion(G-Mark). He has also played a key role in WDO’s Global Design Policy Framework project.

In recognition of his contributions, Prof. Vyas has received numerous honours, including an Honorary Master of Arts from the University for the Creative Arts Farnham, UK (2010), the “Outstanding Contribution to Education” award from the World Education Congress(2015), the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by Times Education Icons(2017), and the title of “Good Design Fellow” by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (2019). He was also appointed Distinguished Professor at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Artsduring the Shanghai Global Design Summit (2019). Prof. Pradyumna Vyas was conferred an Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) by Karnavati Universityin recognition of his outstanding contributions to design education, policy, and global design leadership in 2024.

Prof. Vyas currently serves on the boards of companies such as Kirloskar Brothers, Dynamatic Technologies, and Carysil Limited, and recently completed his tenure withTitan Company Limited.

Drawing on his extensive international network, Prof. Vyas is committed to advancing WDO’s mission of “design for a better world,” with a focus on strengthening global design policy and enabling new models of design-led development.