Marisa Yiu (Co-founder/ Executive Director), Kamsen Lau (Chairman, Board of Design Trust) and the Board of Directors are pleased to welcome new International Advisory Council members Jennifer Caroline Ellis and Eric Höweler, as well as Krizia Li, Andong Lu, Joe Li and Charade Woo to the Greater Bay Area Design Council. With expertise in design innovation and curation to transdisciplinary projects from Hong Kong, to Asia and internationally, these new members will strengthen the growth of Design Trust’s future.
Design Trust International Advisory Council member Jennifer Caroline Ellis is a curator and founder from Switzerland, Colombia and the UK based in London, following five years in Hong Kong. Passionate about the considered meeting of art, space and context, she has created over the last decade, meaningful projects and connections between artists, galleries and institutions globally. As the founder of curatorial studio Apsara, Ellis has curated, led and conceived solo projects from Frieze 9 Cork Street to the UNESCO heritage sites in Burgundy, France. With a twin emphasis on care and collaboration, Ellis has worked with international galleries, foundations, institutions, fairs and brands including Frieze, South London Gallery, Sullivan+Strumpf, Lehmann Maupin, and Breguet. With a particular interest in global artistic dialogue, Ellis’ projects have been featured globally from the Art Newspaper, Artforum and Forbes to Vogue. Ellis holds a Law Degree from King’s College London and a History of Art degree from the University of Cambridge.
Design Trust International Advisory Council member Eric Höweler (FAIA, LEED AP), is an architect, designer, and educator. He is co-founding partner of Höweler + Yoon and Professor in Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where he is the Program Director for the Masters of Architecture Program. Höweler’s design work and research focus on building technology integration and material systems. His projects range from cultural buildings and mixed-use residential buildings, to public spaces and interactive environments. Recently completed projects include the MIT Museum at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at the University of Virginia, and the Coolidge Corner Theatre expansion. Höweler's work has been exhibited widely, including at the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City, and the Venice Biennale. He is the co-author of Expanded Practice (Princeton Architectural Press 2009), Verify In Field: Projects and Conversations Höweler + Yoon (Park Books, 2021), and author of the forthcoming Design for Construction: The Tectonic Imagination in Contemporary Architecture (Routledge 2025).
Design Trust Greater Bay Area Design Council member Krizia Li is an emerging Asian ink contemporary art collector, and architecture and interior design enthusiast, the founder of Vermillion Lifestyle. Most recently, Krizia headed up omni-channel for McDonald’s Greater China. Krizia was named Industry Ambassador, Asia-Pacific region, by Design Anthology Awards 2023, included on the Gen. T List 2023 by Tatler magazine, was recognised at the HK Designers Association Brand Design Awards 2023, and received the Outstanding Cultural Creativity Prize by the Cultural Leaders of Tomorrow Awards 2022. She earned an MA (Hons) in Philosophy, Politics & Economics from Oxford University, a PgDip in Cultural Heritage Management from Hong Kong University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Krizia supported as a Benefit Committee Member for Design Trust in 2023.
Design Trust Greater Bay Area Design Council member Andong Lu is currently Professor and Vice-dean of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Nanjing University. He was a Fellow of Wolfson College and Isaac Newton Trust Fellow at the University of Cambridge. He is the China representative at the UIA's Work Programme on Public Space, UIA, a board member of the Committee of Urban Design, Committee of Architectural Critics, and Committee of Architectural Media, Architectural Society of China. He served as Chief Curator of the Chinese Pavilion, 2018 London Design Biennale, master planner of the UNESCO City of Literature, Nanjing, and Chief Curator of the 9th Bi-City Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture, 2022. Andong Lu received his B.Arch. degree from Tsinghua University and M.Phil. and PhD from the University of Cambridge.
Design Trust Greater Bay Area Design Council member Joe Li is a multidisciplinary Art Director and Creative Consultant with over 20 years of experience in the design industry. Joe has held prominent roles including Co-Creative Director of Shanghai Tang from 2012 to 2016. His career spans the realms of fashion, art, and culture, with early experience including working under Alber Elbaz at Lanvin, and he has collaborated with globally renowned names such as Cerruti, Circular Fashion Summit, Lablaco, and Swarovski. His experience also includes working on Detour, the eponymous Moleskine international travelling exhibition, and reuniting with Shanghai Tang to mark a milestone anniversary project. Joe’s work has been featured in notable publications such as PATTERN: 100 Fashion Designs, 10 Curators (Phaidon) and Young Asian Fashion Designers (Daab). His achievements have also earned him accolades, including the International Chinese Brilliant Designer award from Modern Weekly Media and the Designer of the Year Asia from the China Fashion Awards. Joe Li is a graduate of Central Saint Martins, London (UAL), where he earned a Master’s degree.
Design Trust Greater Bay Area Design Council member Charade Woo is the principal of an art advisory consultancy. She advises stakeholders and curates art projects in Hong Kong, Seoul and New York. Her professional interests include art media and publishing, public art, and museum development. Formerly, she was an Associate Publisher of ArtAsiaPacific magazine and Head of Sino Art of Sino Group. In 2005, she edited A Guide to Asian Art (JAK Publishing House). An avid equestrian, she runs an online retail shop catered to horse riders and serves as the treasurer of the Hong Kong Riding Club. She studied Finance at New York University (BS ’02) and Real Estate Development at Columbia University (MSRED ’12).
Design Trust also thanks the continuing support of the wider advisory and trustee community enhancing the work of the leadership and staff team:
2024 Board of Directors and Leadership Team: Kamsen Lau (Chairman), Marisa Yiu (Co-founder/Executive Director), Denise Lau, Gabriela Kennedy, Ivan Pun, Jonathan Cheung
Trustees: Victor Lo, Alan Lo, Daryl Ng, Joyce Tam, Yama Chan, Joanne Chow, Vanessa Cheung, Angelina Kwan, Desiree Au, Bosco Law, Justin Ng, Stephanie Lo, Charmaine Ho, Kristine Li.
Corporate Trustees: Chinachem Group.
International Advisory Council: Eva Franch, Beatrice Leanza, Liu Xiaodu, Rodman Primack, Thomas Heatherwick, Lyndon Neri, Lars Nittve, Zoë Ryan, Tom Dixon, David Gianotten, Giovanni Alessi Anghini, Liza Chong, Jennifer Caroline Ellis, Eric Höweler .
Greater Bay Area Design Council: Arnault Castel, William To, Eric Schuldenfrei, Aric Chen, Stephanie Poon, Winnie So, Ole Bouman, Cole Roskam, Suzy Annetta, Keith Tam, Kate Jones, Marc Cansier, Clara Brito, Rong Zhao, Human Wu, Keith Lam, Helen So, Manfred Yuen, Yoko Choy, Krizia Li, Andong Lu, Joe Li, Charade Woo.