Department of Cultural Affairs

The City of Taipei is pleased to announce members of World Design Capital® (WDC) 2016 International Advisory Committee. The WDC 2016 International Advisory Committee comprised a highly respected group of five internationally recognized experts in the field of design, including Alicia Grehan (Dublin), Arthur Huang (Taipei), Bulelwa Ngewana (Cape Town), Dilki de Silva (Montreal), Manfred Wang (Taipei), Shikuan Chen (Taipei) and Wei-Gong Liou (Taipei) who will directly contribute to the yearlong programme of events that will take place in Taipei (Taiwan) from January to December 2016.

Since being designated WDC 2016 almost half a year ago, the City of Taipei has been working on the preparations for the yearlong programme of events. The WDC Taipei 2016 International Advisory Committee will lend their knowledge and expertise to the benefit of the implementation company in Taipei as it develops to the WDC Taipei 2016 programme. Members of the WDC 2016 IAC will also play an ambassadorial role internationally, by activating their own networks and encourage international engagement.

Members of WDC 2016 IAC

Alicia Grehan／Dublin City Architect – CITY ARCHITECTS DIVISION, Dublin City Council

Alicia (Ali) Grehan founded and leads PIVOT Dublin, the design innovation platform that produced Dublin’s bid for WDC 2014. The bid was short-listed and the city’s work in developing the design sector continues under her leadership. PIVOT Dublin has established itself as a focus for design initiatives and helped create a resurgence of international and national interest in Irish Design.

Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana／CEO – Cape Town Partnership

The CEO of the Cape Town Partnership, Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana is a town planner with extensive experience in managing and coordinating public-private partnerships. An urban revivalist at heart, she has spent the last eight years with the Cape Town Partnership managing, developing and promoting Cape Town’s Central City as an economically thriving, creative and valued public and private space in which to live, work and play. She played a leading role in Cape Town’s bid to be World Design Capital 2014.

Dilki de Silva／Secretary General – International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid)

Ms. Dilki de Silva was appointed Icsid Secretary General and working director of the Executive Board in 2003. In this capacity, she is responsible for the financial and overall operational performance of the organization, capacity building, strategic planning, membership relations and partnership development. She is also a consultant for various companies and organizations, and lectures on SME development, capacity building and international partnerships.

Manfred Wang／Professor of National Taiwan Normal University Department of Design

Manfred Wang is a professor of design at National Taiwan Normal University and Principal Creative Advisor for Qisda Corporation. Prior to 2013, Wang was the Vice President & Chief Design Officer of BenQ & Qisda Group and the General Manager of QisDESIGN Lifestyle Products Business Unit. Under his guidance, BenQ and Qisda have won more than 375 international renowned design awards such as iF, Red-dot, IDEA and G-Mark in the past 10 years. Manfred Wang graduated with a Master (German state Dipl.-Designer) of Industrial Design from Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design Germany in 1994. 

Shikuan Chen／Vice President, Experience Design Compal Electronics, Inc.

With over 24 years of practice in the design field, Shikuan currently leads a team of 200+ computing and communication/mobile device design experts at Compal Electronics Inc., and is responsible for creating business and innovation strategy for the global computing/mobile industry. He also teaches part time as a Design Professor at Taipei Shih-Chein University, and has been a visiting lecturer at numerous design events and seminars within the region since 1995. His speeches, seminars and design articles have been widely published by the media, and is one of the most prominent personalities in the Taiwanese and Chinese design field. Prior to joining Compal, Shikuan worked for Philips Design as Global Design Account Director for over seven years, and before that, was managing the GE/FITCH Taiwan Branch for over four years. In 1995, he received his MFA degree in Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art (USA). 

Arthur Huang／Founder and Managing Director – MINIWIZ Sustainable Energy Development Co.,Ltd.

Recognized for his innovative spirit in the field of sustainable material development based on today’s ever growing urban trash resources, Arthur was featured by New York Times’ A Turn Around in Trash article on Nov30th 2013, selected by Mayor Bloomberg as New York City’s Venture Fellows 2012, awarded the Finalist of Wall Street Journal’s Asian Innovator Award 2011, recognized as the Winner of Financial Times’ Earth Award 2010 (global product category), reported by Economist’s cover story, April 2012, ‘The Third Industrial Revolution’ as one of the global inventors with “new game-changing ingredients” that has “a concrete advantage.”