In a world where sustainability and innovation are more crucial than ever, Sophia Slingerland is at the forefront of redefining architecture and urban living.

Born in Hamburg, Germany, she set her sights on becoming an architect from an early age, driven by a passion for creative problem-solving. With a master's degree from TU Kaiserslautern and a strong foundation in civil engineering, Slingerland has built a global career that spans working with Renzo Piano in Paris, pioneering Passivehouse projects in California, and found her own studios in Switzerland before settling in Shanghai in 2017.

She started in the city with Ateliers Phi architecture and design company and later founded SHINE Ecological Technology, tackling global water challenges with off-grid, sustainable solutions, while also mentoring, lecturing and advocating for ESG (environmental, social and governance) and green innovation.

For over three decades, Gregory has been immersed in the practices of brand design, navigating the complex socio-cultural ecologies of Japan, the USA, and China.

In 2015, he transitioned into education, not as a departure from design but as a deeper engagement with its possibilities. Today, he is a Senior Lecturer at NACAA, an Intercultural Design Institute co-founded by L’École de Design Nantes Atlantique (EDNA) and the China Academy of Art (CAA) in
Hangzhou.

His foundations were laid in France, where he graduated magna cum laude from the Grenoble Fine Arts Academy (BFA) and much later from the Nantes Atlantique School of Design (MDes).

His professional journey began in Japan in the early 1990s, collaborating with Nintendo while exhibiting as an artist under the Perrotin Gallery. At the turn of the millennium, he negotiated the digital revolution in New York City, pioneering one of the first successful online logo design platforms (logotogo.com).

By 2009, his trajectory led him to China, where he contributed to shaping major brands such as China Central Television (CCTV), Bank of China, Lianjia Realtors (HomeLink), The Temple Hotel Beijing, Dynasty Wines, Qingdao Airport, and the Wines of Chile Association.

Now, his mission is to equip students—Third-year Bachelor’s and Master’s alike—with the skills, operational system, and biocentric outlook necessary to navigate a world in crisis with a particular focus on ethics, sustainability, brand strategy, media communication, and systemic design.

Daniel Heusser is the founder and leader of VIRTUARCH, an international architecture and project management firm with offices in Shanghai, Bangkok, and Zurich.

A distinguished graduate of ETH Zurich and Southeast University in Nanjing, Daniel’s career bridges Europe and Asia, beginning in 1994 when he established a Swiss-Chinese joint venture of architecture in China. Since founding Virtuarch in 2003, he has led VIRTUARCH’s success in delivering innovative and sustainable projects for workplaces (offices, industrial, and R&D projects) and educational projects (kindergarten, schools, universities, vocational training) projects across China, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

He is a visionary architect and a sustainable design advocate with over two decades of international experience shaping environments that harmonize innovation, functionality, and ecological responsibility. Daniel’s design approach combines rigorous technical expertise with forward-thinking environmental friendly design, ensuring projects meet stringent sustainable standards while remaining cost-effective and scalable.

Itee Soni is a Shanghai-based designer, strategist and sustainability innovator who bridges creativity with conscious commerce. As founder of sustainable swimwear brand Loop Swim and mindful gifting studio The Nectar Foundry, she's spent nearly two decades demonstrating that elegant design and environmental responsibility aren't competing priorities - they're essential partners. A sought-after mentor and speaker, Itee champions "quiet persistence" as the most powerful tool for creating meaningful, lasting change.

- Co-inventor of General Motors’ Next-Gen L4 Interaction System (Patented)
- 1st Prize, Tsinghua University “Design+” Innovation & Entrepreneurship International Competition
- Winner, Tsinghua University Reducing Food Loss & Waste Makerthon
- National Runner-up, Formula E Racing Championship (China Division)
- Best Solution Award, China Zhiqun Product Design Competition

After graduating from Shanghai Jiaotong in Engineering in China, Gaspard has lived in China for 10 years. After working for a few years in developing environmental-free impact hazardous chemicals logistic storage, he transitioned to the Building and Factories Sustainability engineering sector, leading the development of TERAO’s activity in Asia. He is dedicating his energy to promoting sustainability by assisting companies to be more energy efficient and reducing the environmental impact of their building assets.