Maria Porro has been President of Assarredo since September 2020, the first woman in this role. She joined its Board in 2017 and FederlegnoArredo’s General Council in 2019. As Director of Marketing & Communication at Porro S.p.A.—founded by her great-grandfather in 1925—she strengthened its international trade network and communication strategies, emphasizing sustainability. A cum laude graduate in Set Design from the Brera Academy, she worked in theatre, art, and events as a designer, coordinator, and curator. Deeply connected to her family’s brand, she collaborated with her father Lorenzo Porro and Lissoni Associati on stylistic research and product development, personally overseeing Porro’s Salone del Mobile presentations. In July 2021, she became President of Salone del Mobile.Milano.

David Gianotten is the Managing Partner – Architect of OMA, where he oversees the firm’s organizational and financial management, business strategy, and global growth, alongside leading his architectural portfolio. David currently leads significant projects worldwide, including the Museo Egizio 2024 in Turin; the Waterkant masterplan in Rotterdam-Zuid; Amsterdam’s Bajes Kwartier; Eindhoven’s VDMA; the new Koepel District in Breda; the Innovation Partnership Schools in Amsterdam; and the Metropolitan Village, a high-rise residential building in Taipei. Projects that David has delivered include the Gallery of the Kings at Museo Egizio (2024), AIR Circular Campus and Cooking Club in Singapore (2024), Apollolaan 171, a high-end office building in Amsterdam (2023), the Taipei Performing Arts Center (2022), Bali’s Potato Head Studios (2020), the WA Museum Boola Bardip in Perth (2020), Prince Plaza in Shenzhen (2020), White Cube LIRCAEI in Lusanga (2018), and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (2013). He also oversaw the final stages of the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing (2012).

Cosimo Scotucci is a multidisciplinary professional whose work centers on sustainability. He approaches design and strategy as tools for systemic change, combining research, critical inquiry, and pragmatic execution. Across projects, he focuses on equitable models, environmental responsibility, and long-term impact, collaborating across disciplines to translate complex social and ecological challenges into clear, actionable, and resilient solutions.

Tatiana Bilbao founded her studio in 2004 to integrate research, design, and community strategies. She teaches internationally, has been widely published and has received major honors, including the Honorary Fellowship of the American Institute of Architects (HFAIA), RAIC Fellowship, and the MCHAP finalist nomination. Her work focuses on life-enhancing spaces with the core that architecture is a primary form of care. Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO is an architecture studio based in Mexico City, nurtured by research, community-lead strategies, and responsible construction. We understand that architecture is primarily a form of care, therefore we design coring this responsibility. TBE is comprised of six partners: Tatiana Bilbao, Catia Bilbao, Juan Pablo Benlliure, Mariano Castillo, Alba Cortés, and Soledad Rodríguez.

Carlo Ratti is an architect and engineer who leads the design and innovation practice CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and teaches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he directs the MIT Senseable City Lab. He is also a professor at the Politecnico di Milano. He graduated from the Politecnico di Torino and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, and later earned an M.Phil. and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. His work has been exhibited at venues including La Biennale di Venezia, the Design Museum in Barcelona, the Science Museum in London, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He was the Curator of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale.

Dean Maltz is the Principal and Founder of Dean Maltz Architect (DMA), a New York–based architecture and furniture design firm, and a Partner at Shigeru Ban Architects, where he manages Shigeru Ban Architects America. He graduated from The Cooper Union in 1984, receiving the AIA Certificate of Achievement, and later earned his Master of Architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1986. His career spans independent architectural practice, partnership with Shigeru Ban, and furniture design. Since founding DMA in 1990, he has developed a diverse portfolio of commercial and residential projects across the United States. Dean has received numerous awards, including first prize in Progressive Architecture’s International Furniture Competition, the ASID Pinnacle Award, the SARA Architectural Innovation Award, and an International Property Award, and continues to design furniture for leading manufacturers in the U.S. and Italy.

Vinu Daniel completed his B. Arch in 2005 from The College of Engineering, Trivandrum, following which he worked with Auroville Earth Institute for the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) Post-Tsunami construction. On returning from Pondicherry in 2007 he started ‘Wallmakers’ which was christened thus by others, as the first project was just a compound wall. Many eye-openers in the course of his practice prompted him to resolve to devote his energies towards the cause of sustainable and cost-effective architecture. With a practice, spanning over more than a decade, Wallmakers has won many international accolades including being selected by ArchDaily as the only Indian practice in the list of 20 Young Practices of 2020,,being nominated for the Brick Award 2022 and winning The Royal Academy Dorfman Award 2022 conducted by the Royal Academy of Arts, London to name a few. Vinu Daniel is also the youngest Indian Architect invited to be a speaker at the TED Talks ( TED 2023: POSSIBILITY, Vancouver)