Stijn Debaillie has been elected as a new board member of BEDA
Stijn Debaillie, Managing Director of Designregio Kortrijk, has been elected to the board of BEDA – The Bureau of European Design Associations. We look forward to learning even more and sharing our knowledge within the BEDA community, as well as strengthening the European design network!
BEDA welcomes new Chair and Vice-Chair
Following the 57th General Assembly of the Bureau of European Design Associations (BEDA), which took place in Munich on 7 May, BEDA introduced the new President and Vice-President and announced the composition of the Board of Directors for the period 2026–2028 and the new members, alongside the milestone developments in its ongoing work.
BEDA announced Mark Illi, of the Swiss Design Association (Switzerland), as the new BEDA Chair. Antonella Adriani, of the Association for Industrial Design (ADI) in Italy, was appointed BEDA Vice-Chair. Following Mark Illi’s presidency, she will succeed him as BEDA President at the end of his term of office, thereby ensuring continuity and strong leadership for the organisation’s future.
Design is what humanity does to interact and organise itself and its environment. Europe has a long design experience and the resources to match. Let’s translate that capability throughout our societies — for sustainable growth and prosperity.
The BEDA Board of Directors, Term 2026-2028
BEDA now has 10 board members from nine countries. This includes the commitment of previous board members and four new board members, and also includes the President and Vice President. The newly elected BEDABoard of Directors serving a two-year term are as follows (in alphabetical order):
- Bart Ahsmann, CLICKNL, The Netherlands - Board Member since 2024
- François Caspar, Alliance France Design, France - Board Member since 2026
- Dita Danosa, Latvian Design Center, Latvia - Board Member since 2024
- Stijn Debaillie, Designregio Kortrijk, Belgium - Board Member since 2026
- Regina Hanke, (BEDA General Secretary) Deutscher Designtag e.V., Germany - Board Member since 2022
- Michał Stefanowski, Design Association SPFP, Poland - Board Member since 2026
- Isabelle Vérilhac, APCI - Promotion of Design, France - Board Member since 2026
- Tom Watts, Design and Crafts Council Ireland, Ireland - Board Member since 2024
Welcoming New Member Organisations to BEDA
At its annual General Assembly, BEDA members ratified two new organisations as full members of BEDA.
Design Campus Competence Centre, Hungary
Design Campus is a multidisciplinary innovation hub connecting education, research and industry through design‑driven thinking, and fostering creativity and collaboration. Click here for more information.
Design Federation, Estonia/Greece
Design Federation, which also includes ED Festival and ED Awards, is a European organisation developing platforms that recognise, connect and strengthen design across Europe. Click here for more information.
About BEDA
BEDA, the Bureau of European Design Associations, is a pan-European advocacy with 51 member organisations in nearly all European countries – representing millions of designers. BEDA speaks for the design community and influences policy development among members and in turn their governments. BEDA champions the role of designers in a business and a social context, promoting all organisations and governments to embrace design methodologies to solve complex problems and to lead innovative practices.
Stijn Debaillie
Coordinator
