The Design Foundation strengthens its international projection with the election of Xavi Calvo to the Board of Directors of the World Design Organization

The Executive Director of the Design Foundation of the Region of Valencia has been elected member of the World Design Organization Board for the 2025–2027 term, consolidating Valencia’s presence in the global governance of design.

Within the framework of the 34th General Assembly of the World Design Organization (WDO), held last Thursday at the Design Museum in London, Valencian designer Xavi Calvo, Executive Director of the Design Foundation of the Region of Valencia, was elected as a member of the renewed Board of the organization for the 2025–2027 term.

The election of Xavi Calvo represents a new milestone for Valencia on the international design scene, consolidating the strong track record of Valencian presence on the WDO Board of Directors following the consecutive terms of Luis Calabuig (founder of Odosdesign) and Jesús Llinares (CEO of Andreu World), both members of the board of trustees of the Design Foundation of the Region of Valencia.

“I take on this challenge with great enthusiasm and responsibility. I have always stated that I believe in design as a tool for positive transformation, fully aligned with the message of the World Design Organization, and from this position I want to contribute to strengthening its global role, building bridges between industry, institutions, and society,” declared Xavi Calvo after his appointment. His election as the second most-voted candidate demonstrates the strong trust that the majority of the organization’s members have placed in him.

Xavi Calvo (Valencia, 1980) is a designer and design advocate. He was one of those responsible for launching Valencia’s candidacy to become World Design Capital, later served as General Director of World Design Capital Valencia 2022, and is currently the Executive Director of the Design Foundation of the Region of Valencia. In the previous WDO term, he was also appointed Community Liaison, and he represents Valencia as a UNESCO City of Design within the Creative Cities Network, reaffirming his role in collaborating with other global organizations.

A renewed Board of Directors

Following the results of the General Assembly voting, the new WDO Board of Directors for the 2025–2027 period is composed of 9 members:
· Anna Barbara, President of POLI.Design (Italy)
· Xavi Calvo, Executive Director of the Design Foundation of the Region of Valencia (Spain)
· Laura Figueroa, President of the Colegio de Profesionistas en Diseño de México (Mexico)
· Mui Kinoshita, President of the Hong Kong Designers Association (Hong Kong SAR, China)
· Denys Lapointe, Chief Design Officer of BRP (Canada)
· Oliver Lin, Vice President of the Taiwan Design Research Institute (Taiwan)
· Sonia Manchanda, Founder of Spread Design Innovation (India)
· Ken Nah, Korea Institute of Design Promotion (Korea)
· Eisuke Tachikawa, President of the Japan Industrial Design Association (Japan)

In this new Board, Pradyumna Vyas from the Confederation of Indian Industry takes over the presidency, a profile specialized in design policy development who was also President of India’s National Institute of Design for more than a decade. Also elected was the new President-elect for 2027–2029, Makiko Tsumura of Japan, Director of the Japan Institute of Design Promotion.

“This international recognition is a collective achievement that highlights Valencia’s positioning in the world. The responsibility of the Foundation is to continue working so that our territory becomes a global benchmark in design, innovation, and also social values,” Calvo stated.

With this appointment to the WDO governing body, the Design Foundation of the Region of Valencia reinforces its role in international networks, in line with its mission to promote design as a driver of innovation, sustainability, and economic and cultural development. Moreover, earlier this year the Design Foundation was accepted as a member of BEDA (The Bureau of European Design Associations) as a Design Promotion Institution, and it is an official partner of the New European Bauhaus, a European Commission initiative that continues to foster new links across Europe.


World Design Congress

The WDO General Assembly took place as part of the World Design Congress, a biennial event organized this year in collaboration with the UK Design Council, from September 9 to 11 at London’s iconic Barbican Centre. The event attracted more than 1,200 attendees to conferences centered on the theme ‘Design for Planet.’

Some of the keynote speakers included world-renowned figures such as Norman Foster, Julia Watson, Thomas Heatherwick, Marianna Mazzucato, and Brian Eno, all of whom shared how design can act as a catalyst for a better future. The World Design Medal 2025 was also awarded to renowned industrial designer Dieter Rams, father of the 10 Principles of Good Design manifesto, who has greatly contributed to good design over the past decades. Among the major announcements at this congress, Busan’s Mayor Heong-joon Park officially received the designation of Busan as World Design Capital 2028, and it was revealed that the next World Design Congress in 2027 will be held in Seoul under the theme ‘Design for Sustainable Life.’

Award for Valencian company Andreu World

After the Board of Directors elections for the 2025–2027 term concluded, outgoing President Thomas Garvey presented the WDO President’s Award. The award was given to the Valencian company Andreu World and received by its CEO, Jesús Llinares, in recognition of its commitment to the mission and values of the World Design Organization. The pioneering role of Andreu World in the use of sustainable materials, circular business models, and best practices was highlighted as an inspiration for the industry worldwide.

World Design Organization: Design for a better world

The World Design Organization is a recognized international non-governmental organization whose mission is to promote and advance the discipline of industrial design and its ability to improve economic, social, cultural, and environmental quality of life.

Founded in 1957, the organization serves more than 215 member organizations worldwide, bringing together leading design institutions and engaging thousands of professionals through its innovative programs and initiatives that advocate, as its slogan states, “design for a better world.”


With the election of Xavi Calvo to the WDO Board, Valencian design continues its trajectory of global leadership in the sector, adding its voice to other international representatives elected at the 34th General Assembly held last week at the Design Museum in London.