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18/09/2025

New appointees to the DBA Board of Directors

By Design Business Association

We’re delighted to welcome three new Directors to the DBA Board, voted in by the membership at our AGM.

EDIT Brand Studio Co-founder and MD, Khadija Kapacee, Turner Duckworth MD, Georgina Leigh-Pemberton and Haleon Global Design Lead, Marketing Excellence, Simon Ritchie were appointed on Thursday 18 September 2025. Two existing Board Directors, TDC PR Founder and MD, Tim Duncan and HMA MD, Nicola Tiffany were also re-elected for second terms.

The Design Business Association (DBA) is the design industry’s trade association. The Directors of the DBA are a mix of DBA members and other design industry experts with extensive experience of integrating design into business strategy at executive level. They collaborate closely with the DBA’s management team to elevate the role of design in business and government and build confidence in design investment. 

Says DBA CEO Deborah Dawton: “The DBA’s membership is ever growing in its diversity of design discipline expertise, and its reach into UK and global organisations helps them to capitalise on the value that design can add. Our members and our Board Directors sit at the vanguard of that movement, and I’m delighted to welcome our new Board Directors. They help us to see what lies ahead for the industry, which ensures that what the DBA delivers is relevant and appropriate to the needs of members.” 

DBA Board Director

Khadija Kapacee, Co-founder and Managing Director, EDIT Brand Studio

Originally from Kenya, Khadija brings an international perspective to her work and believes that diverse leadership creates stronger outcomes: “As a female founder with an international background in design management and fluency in five languages, I bring both diversity and a global perspective to design practice. My experiences navigating the industry as a woman from a minority background inform my approach to leadership and my commitment to creating opportunities for underrepresented voices.”

“Having experienced first-hand how the DBA’s resources and network can elevate a design business, I’m passionate about making these benefits accessible to more members across the UK.”

DBA Board Director

Georgina Leigh-Pemberton, Managing Director, Turner Duckworth

Georgina started her career at advertising agency Ogilvy and Mather, before moving into design at Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR), working on icons from Heinz Baked Beans to Budweiser and Hovis Bread. She has worked in the UK, Europe and the US, leading independent and network agencies working with global design clients for 25 years. “At no time in my career in design has it felt more important that we support and promote our trade association and each other.”

“The DBA has been a cornerstone in my career in design, it is where I’ve looked for insight, support, community and inspiration, and it is an organisation I encourage anyone who works in the design industry to engage with.”

DBA Board Director

Simon Ritchie, Global Design Lead, Marketing Excellence, Haleon

“As Global Design Lead at Haleon, I’ve spent over two decades championing design as a strategic driver of business growth, brand equity, and human impact. I believe that for design to truly thrive within business, we must equip our design leaders not only with creative intelligence (CQ), but also with business (BQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ). This holistic capability is essential to achieving high-impact outcomes and elevating the role of design across the enterprise.”

“I’m passionate about helping the DBA shape the current and next generation of design leaders (both client and agency side) who can confidently navigate complexity, influence at the highest levels, and deliver meaningful design impact.”

Warren Hutchinson

John Gleason, Founder & CEO of A Better View Strategic Consulting and Jos Harrison, Global Head of Brand Experience and Design at Reckitt have stepped down from the Board at the end of their three-year terms, along with ELSE’s Founder and Chief Experience Officer, Warren Hutchinson who has served as Chair of the DBA Board since 2022 and will step down following the AGM. A new Chair will be elected by the Board from within the current Directors and announced in December following the next Board meeting. 

Says DBA CEO Deborah Dawton: “It’s been terrific to work alongside Warren Hutchinson, John Gleason and Jos Harrison on the Board. Their insight and perspectives on pivotal factors shaping design, from sustainability to AI to emerging global issues, have been invaluable in our work helping ready the sector for the future. My thanks to them all for the commitment and support they’ve given to the DBA.”  

 

Further details about DBA Directors, the Board and its role, can be found here.