Moves & changes – design industry news

People

London and Manchester-based app design studio Fortnight has made a string of new appointments, including Sebastian Barrymore as its new head of design. Barrymore previously worked in design teams at Sky News, Facebook and Sainsbury’s.

Dr Christina Youngmi Choi has been appointed head of programme for the MA Design Products course at the RCA. She was previously an associate professor at the Georgia Tech School of Industrial Design.

Ercol has announced that Henry Tadros will be taking up the position of chairman from 1 July. He will be replacing his father, Edward Tadros, in the position. “102 years after he founded the company as a young Italian immigrant, my great-grandfather, Lucian, would be very proud of where we find ourselves and what we have achieved,” says Henry Tadros.

Design consultancy Imagination has appointed Paulo Novoa as new creative director and Clare Baarda logistics director in its Saudi Arabia-based offices. Novoa was previously associate creative director at Told, also based in Saudi Arabia. Baarda joins from a career in events management, working for clients like Audi and L’Oreal.

Coley Porter Bell has appointed Joe Thomas as its new global head of marketing and new business. Thomas will work from the London office, and cover strategy across the UK and US. He was previously managing director at PR agency Persuasion.

Mr B & Friends has appointed Ellie Wilson as its new managing partner, where she will work with client services, operations and finance. Wilson joins from Taxi Studio.

Consultancies

International consultancy Pa Consulting, which recently revealed the designs for an EV chargepoint, has acquired Irish consultancy Design Partners. “This partnership will extend our design capabilities, further enhancing our ability to deliver the most ingenious products, solutions and experiences for our clients,” says Pa Consulting CEO Ken Toombs.

French tech consultancy Capgemini has acquired London-based branding studio Rufus Leonard, marking the company’s first UK venture. Rufus Leonard has worked with clients like World Wildlife Fund and AXA UK, and comprises 70 people.

Steffen Christiansen and Jonas Emmertsen have launched new design studio Studio 28K, which takes its name for the average number of days in a person’s life (28,000). The studio is working from Toronto and Copenhagen, and the founders hope the name adds a degree of urgency to the output. “Too much of the digital ecosystem tries to waste our time by stealing our attention with meaningless things,” says Christiansen. “Instead, 28K seeks the unexpected, to try and make our interactions more memorable.”