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Design Leadership 2026

100attendees from leading brands
23 April 2026
Australia

A focused roundtables session for experienced leaders. Honest discussion, shared challenges, and space to connect with peers facing similar questions.

Angela Bliss presenting at DL25: Melbourne using a microphone and laptop on stage.Presentations

Highly relevant presentations

Attendees dove into transformative presentations that challenged the status quo and ignited powerful discussions. These sessions weren't just about exploring ideas. They catalysed actionable solutions.

Attendees engaging in table discussions during a breakout session at DL24: Sydney.Roundtables

Focused, facilitated roundtables

Attendees engaged in deep, focused discussions with peers. They explored diverse perspectives and generated actionable ideas. These sessions offered a unique opportunity to co-create solutions and challenge the status quo.

Attendees networking during a session break at DL24: Sydney.Networking

Extensive networking opportunities

We built meaningful connections over sustainable meals, drinks, and immersive experiences. The networking sessions fostered collaboration and left people feeling inspired.

How the day works

Our favourite format to run, the day starts with an easy morning of presentations, plenty of time for peer-level networking, and finishes with deep conversation in the afternoon.

Inspiring presentations

Presentations from industry leaders will introduce perspectives that shape thinking and guide the day.

 Inspiring presentations

Engaged networking

Time and space for connection, food, and great conversation.

Engaged networking

Facilitated roundtables

Focused discussions to explore ideas and make sense together.

Facilitated roundtables

Social wrap-up

An informal close where conversations continue and relationships settle naturally.

Social wrap-up

What we'll explore

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When everyone can design, the average standard drops. The craft dividend is the return on investing in rigour: the compounding value from embedding critique, maintaining standards, and building systems that elevate quality rather than just velocity. This theme explores how design leaders make craft non-negotiable.

  • Speed vs. standards: maintaining craft under relentless delivery pressure
  • Rebuilding critique culture: why honest feedback has become rare, and how to bring it back

Too many designers have arrived at their current level through luck, finding the right mentor or landing at the right organisation. Without formal pathways, the profession leaves talent development to chance. As AI shifts what designers do, the skills that matter are changing, but we haven't rebuilt the ladders.

  • The apprenticeship gap: what's lost when designers figure it out alone
  • Ending burnout at the top: investing earlier to grow the next wave of leaders

As our discipline evolves and we move away from the same old tools, templates, and frameworks, design is rediscovering its identity. We'll finish the day looking optimistically to the future, discussing what excites us most about where design is heading and what we can't wait to get our hands on.

Program

We’ve created a program that balances just the right amount of presentation time with just the right amount of discussion time. We’ll cover highly-relevant topics with your industry peers.

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9:00 AMWelcome
9:15 AMSession 1
9:45 AMSession 2
10:15 AMMorning tea
10:45 AMSession 3
11:15 AMSession 4
11:45 AMSession 5
12:15 PMLunch
1:15 PMRoundtable 1
2:00 PMRoundtable 2
2:45 PMAfternoon tea
3:15 PMRoundtable 3

Want to be involved?

We’re always keen to hear from people who want to contribute to our events, whether that’s hosting, presenting, sponsoring, or something else. If you’re interested in getting involved beyond attending, we’d love to chat.