Debayan is a design leader, storyteller, and culture-builder who’s spent the last 20+ years shaping how people experience products and technology. As Director and Head of Design at Samsung Research India, he leads teams working on everything from everyday digital experiences to bold future-facing breakthroughs. Originally trained in Industrial Design and Architecture, Debayan blends systems thinking with deep user empathy - and a knack for spotting opportunities where creativity can truly make a difference. He’s especially passionate about designing for daily-experiences using AI and XR, and about building thriving creative cultures in large teams and organizations. He’s spoken at industry and academic forums on topics like design thinking in the age of AI, crafting XR experiences, and why the best ideas often come from asking the most human questions. When he’s not immersed in design, Debayan can be found diving into books, singing with his daughter, or chasing stories across countries and culture

A versatile consumer research specialist with deep expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. With experience spanning across sectors such as consumer and industrial goods, media, and geo analytics. Have led various research projects across a wide spectrum of marketing themes—from brand advocacy and laddering to brand health, shopper journeys, and quick-turn dipsticks. Specializes in data interpretation, statistical analysis, consumer segmentation, perceptual mapping, and data modeling.

Ivan is a seasoned consumer-centric strategist with extensive experience in the finance and consumer lifestyle industries. At Great Eastern, he currently spearheads the Consumer Insights and Research function for Group Marketing. A champion of the consumer's perspective, Ivan leverages on consumer research, analytics, and market trend-scouting to help drive informed product design and marketing strategies. Previously, Ivan served as a global product management leader, overseeing consumer product creation for global markets at Philips and Sennheiser. His expertise in "futuring," innovation development, and product lifecycle management underscores his commitment to end-to-end consumer focus while aligning with business priorities.

Ernest Hui, Head of Design at Cathay, leads a team focused on creating innovative, user-centric designs. With extensive experience in UX research, they drive design strategies that enhance user experiences and achieve business goals. Ernest excels in user research, interaction design, and usability testing.

Mignon ‘Migs’ Bravo Dutt is currently the Head of Insights and Innovations at the Asia Pacific Breweries in Singapore (part of the Heineken Company). Migs is also an author who has published work in several countries, regions, and cultures. She is the author of the contemporary novel, The Rosales House, and the interlinked novella collection, Room 216, both from Penguin Random House SEA (PRHSEA). Migs has also published several essays, including one in the Washington Post about her pandemic experience in the USA. She has contributed prose and poetry to various anthologies and journals and has been featured in literary interviews and programs in Asia, Europe and the USA.

Shey Cobley is here to wage a friendly war on research theatre. With two decades in the trenches of design and strategy, she’s now leading bp’s global design studios where research isn’t a deck, it’s a decision-making weapon. Shey’s superpower? Making insights impossible to ignore. She’s worked across sectors, cultures, and chaos levels, always asking: “So what?” If your research doesn’t shift direction, change priorities, or spark a tough conversation was it ever worth doing?
She’s part strategist, part facilitator, part feedback troublemaker. Expect opinions, sharp questions, and practical ways to make research land in the real world not just a design file.