At this year’s PARK Alumni Meeting, we brought together four high-profile design leaders as guest speakers and more than 50 graduates of the PARK Academy. Together, we explored and discussed the state of design management through our ‘Value Modes of Design Leadership’ model.

Our guest speakers from LEGO, Kenvue, VELUX, and Vipp’s MobilePay showcased how different modes of value contribution manifest in real-world organisational transformation and how leaders can translate these concepts into actionable results.

The two-hour gathering concluded with valuable insights from our panel discussion on industry-wide trends in design leadership, particularly in relation to the value modes model.

The Value Modes Framework

Through over 26 years of working with design leaders world wide we identified and consolidated five key areas where design leaders create measurable organisational impact:

1. Enabling Business: Aligning design initiatives with business objectives to enhance operational efficiency and strategic goals.
2. Catalysing Change: Initiating and driving transformation, challenging the status quo, and fostering innovation.
3. Building Bridges: Connecting teams and stakeholders, fostering collaboration across different parts of the organisation.
4. Developing Capability:  Building and nurturing design talent, fostering skill development, and creating an environment where design thrives.
5. Driving Growth: Leveraging design to create new opportunities, expand markets, and contribute to revenue generation.

While we apply this framework daily in our work and teach its structured approach at the PARK Academy, its true value lies in how it translates into real-world impact. Seeing it in action brings the theory to life, demonstrating how design leadership drives meaningful change.

Value Modes in Action: This Year’s Guest Speakers

This year’s alumni gathering featured an exceptional programme of design leaders who are transforming their businesses through strategic design leadership. Each speaker was selected for their demonstrated excellence in specific modes of value creation, offering concrete examples of how these frameworks lead to real business results.

Before integrating the model, we encouraged alumni—and readers of this article—to use it as a lens for identifying and understanding value contributions in practice, evaluating how design leaders leverage them to shape behaviours and drive business outcomes.

Gabriel Sas: Transforming LEGO Through Design Excellence

As Head of Operating Excellence in Design at LEGO, Gabriel Sas leads 12 design departments with an outstanding approach to design management. His focus on Catalysing Change and Enabling Business has transformed how LEGO approaches design operations. “People are LEGO’s most valuable asset,” Sas emphasised, sharing how his value-driven, empathetic leadership style has significantly enhanced both team performance and business outcomes. His systematic approach to removing inefficiencies aims to liberate designers to focus on their core mission: creating memorable play experiences that delight audiences worldwide.

Cassandra Cogbill: Leading Healthcare Design at Kenvue

Cassandra Cogbill, Head of Design – Self Care at Kenvue, delivered a masterclass in Building Bridges and Catalysing Change. Her four-step process for organisational transformation is a blueprint on how design leaders can integrate design management and design initiatives in large companies:

1. Map and understand your design team and key stakeholders.
2. Find co-conspirators.
3. Collaborate to co-conspire.
4. Co-conspire for change.

Empathy isn’t just a design thinking buzzword. Cogbill noted, “Empathy is our superpower in driving organisational change.” Her approach opens many doors, and allowed her to grow the impact of the Kenvue design organisation.

Ditte Pedersen: Driving Innovation at VELUX

Drawing from her rich experience at global giants like LEGO and IKEA, Ditte Pedersen shared how she’s applying lessons learned to drive innovation at VELUX. Her focus on Catalysing Change and Driving Growth has resulted in remarkable innovations. Pedersen’s insights about gaining top management support, maintaining a positive “can-do” attitude that is creating a following despite organisational obstacles, provided valuable lessons for design leaders at all levels.

Max Schrøder: Competing Through Design at Vipps MobilePay

Max Schrøder’s account of how design leadership helped Vipps successfully compete with Apple Pay in Scandinavia was a remarkable case study about the power of unifying multiple organisations through clear communication and empathic leadership. His emphasis on Building Bridges and Catalysing Change demonstrated how design thinking can transform technical challenges into user-centred solutions under immense time pressure. Schrøder’s approach to visualising complex strategies in ways that resonated with both designers and non-design stakeholders offered practical insights for design leaders facing similar challenges.

Industry Trends Panel Discussion

Following the keynote presentations, our speakers engaged in a panel discussion answering general questions and examining emerging industry trends through the lens of our Value Modes framework. The discussion revealed three primary trends reshaping design leadership:
Our guest speakers noted the positive disruption of design management through AI integration. Rather than viewing AI as a threat, design leaders are increasingly discovering opportunities to augment their capabilities and accelerate innovation cycles.

Sustainability emerged as a critical focus area, with our panelists emphasising the responsibility of design leaders to address environmental challenges through innovative solutions. The discussion highlighted how design teams are uniquely positioned to translate sustainability imperatives into actionable business opportunities.

The panel also observed a shift in workplace dynamics, with our speakers noting their organisations’ transition away from hybrid arrangements toward office-based collaboration. This trend is prompting design leaders to rethink their approaches for maintaining team cohesion and cross-functional cooperation.

Until next year’s alumni meeting, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to our exceptional speakers and dedicated participants who made this year’s meeting a remarkable success. As one participant remarked, ‘This is not just about design leadership, but about the future of leadership itself’.

Upcoming PARK Academy Programmes

We invite you to experience PARK Academy for yourself and become part of our expansive alumni network. To learn more about PARK Academy visit: https://park.bz/academy

New Design for Innovation Module

• Pilot programme via KCDM: Q2-Q3 2025
• Available for In-Company or Cross-Company programmes from Q3 2025

Upcoming Cross-Company Programmes:

• Ljubljana, Slovenia: February 15-17, 2025
• Tallinn, Estonia: March 8-10, 2025
• Hamburg, Germany: April 12-14, 2025
• Copenhagen, Denmark: April 26-28, 2025
• London, UK: June 7-9, 2025
• Dublin, Ireland: September 20-22, 2025
• Oslo, Norway: Dates to be announced
• Flanders, Belgium: Dates to be announced