Emma Segal

Emma Segal has two decades of experience designing and producing local and international manufactured consumer goods and bring a wealth of experience in design, sustainability and systems change. She has a background in International Relations, Graphic Design, a Masters Degree in creating more sustainable designers, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Sustainable Design Policy with special focus on the integration of public and private implementation. The intersection of these areas are Emma’s focus in design, writing, teaching and speaking globally on these topics.

Emma has always been deeply involved in every aspect of the design process, from creative + art direction, brand, product and concept development, design through to production and marketing, strategy, sales, forecasting, illustration, packaging, editorial, textile, retail, product and photoshoot production, mentoring, consulting, high level budget, contract negotiation and team management.

Her experience spans industries - from metals to fabric to beer to digital - informed by decades spent travelling to factories and with manufacturers, and creating workshops and products for a broad spectrum of for, and not for profit, organizations. Emma’s background is international, working and travelling in a number of cultural contexts and countries in North America, Europe, China, India and broader South East Asia.

With a stack of design & illustration awards, Emma’s has been in Harrods, Nordstrom, Barneys, Fred Segal, Galleries Lafayette, movies, TV, magazines, stadiums, on celebrities, been featured by the Smithsonian and appears in academic textbooks. She has created multi-million dollar programs for retail giants, worked on global social media activation campaigns, and educational systems around the world for both corporate and large NGOs such as the United Nations and Oxfam.

Creative change-maker Emma Segal brings over two decades of direct experience designing and producing local and international manufactured consumer goods. She comes with formal training in international relations, a long career in award-winning design, a Masters degree in changing the way designers create products, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Sustainable Design Policy with special focus on the integration of public and private implementation.

Emma’s deep breadth of work includes creating multi-million dollar programs for organizations such as Wal-Mart, Sesame Street, and boutique brands, as well as working directly in factories all the way to the NYC runways.

She provides consulting to entrepreneurs looking to make more sustainable products and has been hands-on at all stages of the production process - from raw resources to end of life, influencing her continued drive in advancing sustainability. Emma is also the Chief Creative Officer of the UnSchool, Disrupt Design and Swivel Skills and has created design work for organizations such as Oxfam and the United Nations.

Emma facilitates workshops and design services around the world in all areas of sustainable design and provides educational workshops as a certified UnSchool Educator. She has a wealth of experience in sustainability, design and systems change that she brings to a dynamic creative approach to challenging the status quo by design.

Past public speaking engagements

• IDSA: WOMEN+DESIGN SUMMIT

• GREEN BIZ: Circularity CONFERENCE

• DESIGN COUNCIL UK: Design for planet festival

• Ellen macarthur: DIsruptive Innovative Festival

• green is the new black: The Conscious Festival

• THRIVE TALKS

• MOUNTAIN LIFE PODCAST

• talks for various UNIVERSITIES & SCHOOLS