Nithin Jacob Eapen
President
Product designer with ten years across Milan, Bangalore, and Halifax. Founder of HandYield Designs, HandYield Biome, ZN Novo Solutions, and 360 Magic Labs. Nithin leads strategic direction and sponsor partnerships.
OUR TEAM
A volunteer board runs Halifax Design Week, supported by advisors and partners from across Halifax.
Board of Directors
Ghazaleh Afrahi
Vice Chair
Product design engineer and startup mentor working in accessibility and sustainable tech. Founder of Cup O’ Design, Shifting Shap3s, and BuzzBronco. Ghazal leads operations and stakeholder engagement.
Reshma Joseph
Secretary
Co-founder of HandYield Biome and Research Assistant at Dalhousie University. Reshma oversees the governance and manages communications and stakeholder coordination.
Manish Shinde
Treasurer
Finance professional specializing in grant administration and nonprofit compliance. Course instructor at Saint Mary’s University, previously Grant Analyst at YWCA Halifax. Manish oversees financial planning and reporting.
Jesse Xu
Marketing Director
Founder and CEO of Filteraty, an early-stage fintech venture, and Master of Technology Entrepreneurship candidate at Saint Mary’s University. Jesse drives brand visibility and community engagement for Halifax Design Week.
Advisors
Halifax Design Week is being built through choices: what to make visible, whose knowledge must be present, which opportunities strengthen the platform, and when growth should slow down. Our advisors help us make those choices well.
LA
Louise Adongo
Strategic policy, research and partnerships
DC
Dalene Courneya Allen
Founder and CEO, Networking Naturally
EE
Elizabeth Eustaquio-Domondon
IEN Orientation Program Coordinator
AG
Amyl Ghanem
Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering, Dalhousie University
GH
Georges Hanna
Business coach, creator of S.A.P.E.
AK
Ashwin Kutty
Agency executive and TEDx speaker
FP
Frank Palermo
Professor
MR
Mahbubur Rahman
President, PMI Nova Scotia
MS
Minder Singh
Executive CONSULTANT
SV
Shirin Vahedi
Co-founder, Coastwide Construction
VY
Viktoria Yadvizhyna
Co-founder and CEO, Hatka Homes
VY
Charles Nakhle
founder, Blue Brush Design
Partners
Our partners keep the week free for the public and free for designers to take part.
Partner announcements are coming soon. Interested in partnering? See how to get involved.
Get involved
Want to join the team?
We’re always looking for organizers, volunteers and advisors who care about design and community. Reach out, we’d love to hear from you.
