Diane Leclair Bisson studied design and social sciences and humanities. She delves into research-creation landscapes where design and anthropology meet. Since 2000, she has explored the world of food. Her projects, which include edible containers, are indicative of her advanced studies into new materials. Her research extends to burial practices and the contemporary issues surrounding cremation. Her work has been featured in several exhibitions and received numerous distinctions including the European Product Design Award in recognition of her recent creation, the ice urn. Ms. Bisson is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and the Association des designers industriels du Québec.

Édouard Clément is a trained engineer and currently oversees corporate responsibility services at Groupe AGÉCO, a life cycle analysis firm. He began his career at General Electric and, in 2005, went on to join the CIRAIG, the Interuniversity Research Centre for the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services, as a technical coordinator. Mr. Clément is well-known expert in life cycle analysis, packaging optimization and ecodesign and supports organizations as they move toward more sustainable production and procurement practices. He is a founding member and the secretary of the board of directors of the Espace de concertation sur les pratiques d'approvisionnement responsible (ECPAR) and sits on the Québec Regional Leadership Council of PAC, Packaging Consortium.

After graduating from UQAM in graphic design and freelancing on a number of publishing projects, Élise Cropsal joined orangetango, where she evolved from designer to co-creative director. As the creative assistant director at lg2 for the past three years, she specializes in the creation of brand identities and all forms of print. She is also a certified graphic designer (DGA) and is a member of the board of directors of the Société des designers graphiques du Québec (SDGQ).

Koen De Winter graduated in ceramic technology from École des métiers d’art de Maredsous in 1962 and from Design Academy Eindhoven in product design. He began his career as a designer at Volvo AB, Sweden and went on to Rosti Mepal, Netherlands, where he was the director of the department of design. In 1979, Mr. De Winter moved to Montréal to work at Danesco Inc. He also taught design at École de design de l’UQAM until 2016. Koen De Winter was president of the Association des designers industriels du Québec (ADIQ) and its Canadian counterpart. In 2005, he received Belgium’s highest honour in design: the Henri Van De Velde Award. He was also presented with Québec’s highest distinction in design in 2016.

Geneviève Dionne is the senior ecodesign advisor at Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ), which she joined in 2010. She currently oversees packaging optimization and circular economy projects and has developed a range of initiatives to support businesses in their ecodesign approaches. Ms. Dionne has taught industrial design at Université de Montréal for several years. She is a member of the board of directors of the Association des designers industriels du Québec (ADIQ). She holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial design and master’s in applied sciences from the Faculty of Design, Université de Montréal. She also earned a postgraduate degree in management and sustainable development from HEC Montréal.

With close to 20 years’ experience in marketing, brand development, design and responsible packaging management culled in leading retailers in France, Italy and Belgium, Marie Horodecki is now the director of brand, design, packaging and sustainable development strategies for Metro’s private brands. She is passionate about the impact of design on the daily lives of consumers and consumer behaviours. Ms. Horodecki holds a master’s degree in finance and another in quantitative marketing, consumer behaviours.

After carrying out her studies in Germany and the United States, Tatjana Leblanc began her professional career in several renowned design agencies, including Fitch (US), Design Central (US) and Plan Créatif (France). She developed an expertise in product design, design and innovation strategies and brand identity. In 2003, Ms. Leblanc joined the academic community at Université de Montréal as a research professor in design. She founded GRAD, the Groupe de recherche en aménagement et design, which explores design practices and emerging issues. She has received prestigious honours and distinctions for her work, including the 2017 Reddot Design Award.

Trained as a fashion designer, publicist and graphic designer, Luis-Ernesto is now a
freelance artistic director. Graduated from UQAM, he worked in graphic design agencies and then, in a biotechnology company as a marketing supervisor. In this position, where he valued a sustainable development approach focusing on the users’ health and safety, Luis-Ernesto was able to merge his passion for creation with packaging design. In addition, Luis-Ernesto participated at the first edition of Packplay contest in 2014 as artistic codirector with Sylvain Allard and produced the book related to the exhibition. Some of his projects in packaging design have been published in the books Asia Pacific Design no.8, Boxed & Labelled vol.2 and Packplay. He is currently studying in IT to develop creative proposals applied to marketing and packaging design.