Martin Darbyshire

Martin Darbyshire is founder and CEO of the world-renowned strategic design consultancy tangerine. He is internationally respected for his design expertise and ability to deliver commercially successful design solutions for global clients including Samsung, LG, British Airways, Huawei, Sky, Heathrow Express, Cathay Pacific and Toyota.

Before founding tangerine, with Clive Grinyer in 1989, Martin worked for Moggridge Associates and worked in San Francisco at ID TWO (now IDEO). Martin is responsible for the commercial management of tangerine, leading design projects and creating new business opportunities for tangerine. He spends much of his time travelling to Asia, the US and Europe, sharing his expertise in design and innovation, both with clients and government design bodies, he has also been a UKT&I Ambassador for the UK Creative Industries sector.

Most notably, he led the multi-disciplinary team that created both generations of the “Club World” business class aircraft seating for British Airways – the world’s first fully flat bed in business class, which, since its launch in 2000, has remained the profit engine for British Airways.

Martin was a board member of ICSID (International Council of the Society of Industrial Designers) for two terms, during which time he judged the World Design Capital 2014. He is also formerly a visiting professor at Central St Martin’s, University of Arts.

Martin is a long-serving a juror at the Red Dot Design Awards in Europe and Asia, as well as a regular keynote speaker at design and business conferences globally. In 2015, he was appointed a trustee of the UK Design Council and was recently awarded the CIC International Award 2016 for export success by the Creative Industries Council, UK.