Our People
DFGN is a community of like-minded individuals who share a common goal: driving change in the education field. Our community is diverse, with people from all walks of life, each bringing unique experiences and perspectives that enrich our collective efforts. We believe that change starts with individuals, and we take pride in the hardworking humans behind the scenes who make our UnBoxed'24 possible. Get to know our people!
ELINA KÄHKÖNEN
Elina commutes by her e-bike enjoying the Helsinki central park and sea side views around the year. Also, around the year she swims in the sea, lakes and in swimming hall. In summer she goes by boat to the sea to the beautiful archipelago In front of Helsinki. Literature is inseparable part of her life. University lecturer in interdisciplinary product development. She is a teacher in fourth generation, teaching developer around Aalto, leader of teaching co-developers in the field of sustainability and challenge-based learning. She believes that academia needs to urgently provide adequate sustainability competencies for the graduates. This means competencies with which graduates can tackle the complex multidisciplinary sustainability challenges as well as to assess the environmental and social impacts of their actions and make their conscious decisions accordingly.
Lucas enjoys climbing mountains in Colombia and the Andes Mountains, dancing salsa and merengue, and listening to music while walking. For Lucas, any conversation over dessert and coffee is much better, and he loves learning about other cultures, including jokes, food, and movies. Also, Lucas is a Project Management Professional (PMP) Industrial Designer, Master in Environmental Management and PhD from Swinburne University of Technology (Melbourne, Australia). Lucas believes in educational strategies that balance mind and soul, looking for enriching the pedagogical activities with innovative ideas where love nurtures the trust-relationships in projects and the creativeness of the initiatives. He is currently an Assistant Professor of the Department of Design at the Faculty of Architecture and Design of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, where he coordinates the Design Factory Javeriana Bogotá. He is a member of Colombian Icontec Committee 014 on Environmental Management and tools for sustainable development, and also a member of ISO Technical Committee 323 on Circular Economy.
LUCAS R. IVORRA PEÑAFORT
SARA FIGUEIREDO
Sara is an optimist chatterbox who sees design as an act to impact society positively. Her design approach tackles complex challenges through systemic strategies, experimenting, and innovating to create meaningful solutions that make a real difference. Sara is a doctoral researcher at Aalto Design Factory, advocating the fields of Product Development and Design Thinking. Her research interests revolve around human-centered design, product-service systems, and radical innovation. She was a teaching assistant in the Product Development Project Course (PdP ) for two academic years from 2021 onwards. She handled course practices by crafting methods to trigger collaborative work and helped student teams create innovative products that impact the users and the real industry. Currently, she is the strategy coordinator of Design Factory Global Network (DFGN), a network of innovation hubs on a mission to create change in the world of learning and research through passion-based culture and fostering radical innovation.
Felipe is a diplomatic weirdo passionate about international collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Since his early existence, was a very active kid, doing many sports, participating in multiple activities, and even creating small businesses in primary school. Yes, you guessed: his background is in business, and he specializes in entrepreneurship and innovation, based on his studies but mainly his experience as an entrepreneur, leader, and innovator. Originally from Chile, his purpose in life is to spread innovation methodologies throughout the world. During the last few years, he has been leading projects in Latin America in order to achieve this purpose. He is an Innovation Fellow from Stanford University and was selected as one of the 50 World Leaders by the University of Pittsburg. He has also been invited to present his vision at conferences around the world, like a TEDx conference a few years ago. Felipe leads the operational side of the Design Factory Global Network, where he takes care of the different resources and aspects of the network.
His friends and family call him “Pipe”, and he wears mainly white t-shirts (he has 9 of the same)
FELIPE GÁRATE
Our students
At DFGN, students come first, and we take immense pride in the talented individuals who collaborate with us to bring this event to life. These brilliant students are the creative force behind the event's visual identity, which beautifully encapsulates Colombian cultural elements, the event's host country. Meet our amazing students.
SERGIO
Lead designer
My name is Sergio Andrés Barrera. I was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, and I studied Industrial Design at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. All my life I have been fascinated by how design allows us to transform the way we perceive things to find innovative solutions. Finding key clues where we least think to boost the development of society and well-being for people is something that excites me, so I am always on the lookout for new challenges to learn about the treasures that await us in the drive to create a better world.
JUAN DAVID
Supporting designer
I am Juan David Varela, a passionate about branding, innovation and audiovisual creations. My journey into the world of visual communication design has been a universe of discovery and new perspectives. I have given life to numerous projects that have impacted brands, product development and innovation. I love movies and video games, explore new places and create special moments every day with curiosity, good music, desire to make the world a better place for everyone and never stop dreaming.
