Sebastian Conran Inaugural Lecture
Sebastian Conran Inaugural Lecture
In his inaugural lecture, 'Engineering Emotional Experiences’ - Lessons in Collaborative Implementation of Innovation, internationally renowned designer Sebastian Conran will explore how design is fundamentally about the human experience. Drawing on five decades of expertise—from developing merchandise for Habitat, to designing Mothercare products, collaborating with Nigella Lawson on a range of kitchenware, as well as designing vehicles, equipment for later life independence, and robotics—Sebastian will delve into the lessons from his life of design. He will also share his views on bridging the gap between traditional engineering and design, a space where manufacturing expertise meets empathy, simple sophistication, playful ingenuity, and a good eye. This design engineering mindset is central to WMG's new Master's in Engineering Design Management, a course developed in collaboration with Sebastian and other influential figures in the design community, industrial leaders, and WMG's expert engineering educators.
Whilst this free event is aimed primarily at industry professionals working in the engineering and design sectors, we also encourage undergraduate students to join us from within and outside the University of Warwick who are interested in the intersection of design and engineering.
Key details
Date: Tuesday 14 January 2025
Time: 5-6:30pm. See more information on timings.
Location: Design Showroom, National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC), University of Warwick. See more information on the venue.
About the speaker
Sebastian Conran, Industrial Professor at WMG
An engineer at heart, Sebastian has design in the blood. Sebastian takes a hands-on, down-to-earth approach to all his design projects, and is intimately involved in all aspects and stages throughout the innovation journey, sharing his wealth of experience and manufacturing expertise with the development team. His studio’s designs have received many awards for design and innovation as well as being named on over 50 patents and design patents in various fields. Sebastian has been focused on understanding how things are made (‘form follows fabrication’) and sold, as well as ingeniously designing innovative, stylish and satisfying products. Over four decades, he has collaborated with hundreds of clients all over the world, including: Habitat Designs; Villeroy & Boch; John Lewis; Nissan, Japan; Ford; Rolls-Royce; and Virgin Atlantic.
Sebastian is a strong advocate of design and technology both in education and business: He is an Industrial Professor at WMG, a Visiting Professor of Design & Innovation at Bristol Robotics Lab; past Designer in Residence at The University of Sheffield's Engineering Faculty; past Visiting Professor at Central Saint Martins Innovations Faculty; and has taught Furniture at the Royal College of Art. He lectures frequently to students and industry on design and entrepreneurship; a judge for many UK and international design awards including Design Week, Dyson, Red Dot, the RSA; has attended UK trade missions to Hong Kong, Taipei and Seoul and written several books, articles and papers on design.
Sebastian has had direct involvement in the development of WMG's new MSc in Engineering Design Management, a course designed to integrate principles from design and engineering to provide a deep understanding of how the two areas intersect and complement each other.
| 5pm | Welcome talk from Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG |
| 5:15pm | Lecture begins |
| 5:45pm | Q&A session chaired by Dr David Bott, Principal Fellow at WMG |
| 6pm | Drinks reception with light bites* |
| 6:30pm | Close |
*Vegan and vegetarian options will be available. ‘Free-from’ options, and allergy-specific options can be arranged via the event registration form. Alcohol will be served at this event and non-alcoholic options will be available.
Blurring the lines between design and engineering
WMG's first design engineering degree
WMG's new MSc in Engineering Design Management for September 2025 entry has been created in response to demand from the engineering industry, to address the need for professionals able to deliver value across various technical and business functions, utilising a design engineering mindset. The programme has been developed with industrial leaders, influential design community figures and the leading engineering educational community of WMG.
Contact us
If you would like to discuss your attendance and inclusion and/or access needs to attend the event comfortably, please contact us: