Masterclass in Design - What is the Future of Design Leadership?

Join PARK in collaboration with WDO and hosted by BRP in their Montreal Office for this in-person masterclass on Design Leadership lead by Stephan J Clambaneva, Managing Director at PARK USA. Spend the day learning and interacting with your peers in a blended learning environment. End your day with an evening networking cocktail reception celebrating design leadership!

In today’s unpredictable world, leadership and design leadership in particular must evolve. Traditional concepts of great leadership no longer define success in our creative industry. It's time to explore a new kind of ethical leadership, one that moves beyond conflict and competition toward collaboration and innovation.

Stephan Clambaneva is the Managing Director of PARK. He is a sustainable design & circular innovation leader with global experience in business transformation, design innovation management, and holistic closed looped systems thinking for sustainable end-to-end product development. A creative polymath driving the triple bottom line by design and design driven innovation. As an IBM and Dassault Systemes Alum, Stephan has driven design, innovation projects for several clients in Canada over the years across multiple sectors including Mobility, Aviation and Energy. He has been nominated for the WDO Presidents award, the IDSA NY Bronze Apple and elected to multiple roles on the Board of Directors for IDSA.

When not consulting with PARK clients or educating tomorrow’s design leaders through the Design Leadership Academy, or serving on NYCxDesign’s Advisory Committee, Stephan ensures a sustainable future, giving keynotes, presentations and lectures always evangelizing on the power of Design.

Design Leadership - PARK Academy Masterclass

This is a Live one-day in-person class, which includes an education session, an interactive workshop, and individual feedback and networking opportunities with your peers.

Design Leaders display competencies beyond those of a traditional leader – they are more intuitive, more human-centered, and more visual. Whereas design management deals with ‘how, when and with whom’, design leadership is focused on the ‘why and what’, and the very best design managers and leaders know when and how to switch between leading or managing content, people or processes.

Over the course, you'll learn:

• Why is leadership important for design and organizations?
• What are the characteristics of good leadership and how does it apply to design?
• What can design leadership contribute to organization leadership?
• How can you navigate between design management and design leadership in your daily work?

We will help you to achieve the learning goals and you will be able to:

• Know the difference between design management and design leadership
• Show an understanding of how design can support new focus areas within your organization
• Know how design can inspire or lead organizations into new futures
• Demonstrate how to ‘lead content, people and process'

Course information:

• Date & Time: June 19th, 2025 8:00 AM -5:00 PM EDT
• Format: In-Person
• Tutor: Stephan Clambaneva IDSA, WDO

• Material: Laptop or iPad
• LinkedIn Certificate: Yes
• Location: Bombardier Recreational Products Montreal, QC office
• Evening cocktail networking reception [details coming separately]

Participants are also invited to join the celebration of World Industrial Design Day following the Masterclass at an exclusive evening networking reception in the presence of WDO stakeholders, Association of Industrial Designers Quebec (ADIQ) and others [WDO will provide details separately]

Don't miss this opportunity to connect with your fellow WDO members, the Canadian Design Community and like-minded individuals and learn from us about Design Leadership. Sign up now to reserve your spot!

Founded in 1998 in the Netherlands and Germany, now operating from the UK and the US, PARK builds and scales design and innovation capabilities for organizations and people that want to create a better tomorrow. Since its foundation 25 years ago, PARK has established itself as a global thought leader in the fields of Design Management and Design Leadership, partnering with over 300 distinct clients across the globe including AdventHealth, Haleon, Mars, Airbus, Smith + Nephew, DATEV, and Unilever. Through the PARK Academy (previously known as Grow), PARK has now educated more than 2500+ students worldwide, established internal design academies for clients including LEGO, Google, P&G, GSK, Unilever, 3M, Accenture, Cisco, Honda, Sony, Hasbro, Kimberly-Clark, Newell Brands, Roche, Samsonite, Staples, Johnson & Johnson, Kenvue, Brand Pack and many many others and led the delivery of numerous local design council education programs worldwide through partnerships with almost a dozen organizations including IDSA, WDO, dba, VDID and Dd.

PARK comprises a team of Design & Innovation Leadership experts based in Europe and the USA. Backgrounds are diverse, with deep experience working across industries, geographies, and design disciplines.

All PARK programs are hosted by consultants who spend their days guiding world leading organizations to maximize the value of design.

Please visit www.park.bz for more information on our services.