Jury for AlUla Design Award
A distinguished jury of global design leaders will evaluate submissions and guide the selection of awardees. They will shortlist five designers in Product Design and five in Fashion Design, and naming one finalist in each category whose creations will be commercialized in AlUla.
Guillaume Houzé is a business leader, investor, and arts patron from the fifth generation of the Galeries Lafayette family, dedicated for over 125 years to supporting creativity and innovation.
He serves as Chief Executive Officer of Image and Innovation and Member of the Executive Board of the Galeries Lafayette Group. He is also President of Lafayette Anticipations, Founder of Motier Ventures, and President of ANDAM.
Houzé sits on the boards of the Fonds pour Paris and the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, where he chairs the Committee for Contemporary Creation.
Yoko Choy is a design journalist and creative consultant whose work champions cross-cultural exchange. As China Editor of Wallpaper, she bridges Eastern and Western perspectives from Hong Kong and Amsterdam, cultivating a shared creative language through design and art .
Her consultancy practice fosters cultural dialogue and collaboration with global brands and institutions including Assouline, Art Basel, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton.
Currently, she is developing a circular lifestyle concept, curating a cross-cultural platform, and organizing a creative summit in Singapore. A frequent juror and speaker at events such as Architizer A+Awards, Dezeen Awards, and Maison&Objet, Choy continues to shape international collaboration across creative and commercial spheres.
Hind K AlRawaf is an Arts & Culture Production & Trading Manager at RCU. Experienced in leading cross functional teams, scaling business operations, and delivering transformative initiatives across tourism, retail, and cultural industries.
Her expertise in innovation, collaboration, and strategic growth adds depth to the dynamic exchange of ideas driving the Design Marathon and AlUla Design Award.
Arnaud Morand is an independent curator specializing in emerging contemporary art scenes across Europe and the Middle East. He currently leads arts initiatives for the French Agency for AlUla Development (AFALULA) and co-curated Noor Riyadh 2022, the citywide festival of light and art.
He also serves on the Artistic Committee of Salon de Montrouge and the Curatorial Collective of Asia Now. Formerly Cultural Attaché for France in Abu Dhabi, he oversaw the opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi and developed a two-year cultural program connecting European and Middle Eastern artists.
He has also held senior roles at the Centre Pompidou and Gaîté Lyrique in Paris. A graduate of Sciences Po and UC Berkeley, he was named Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2021.
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Ahmad Angawi is an artist, designer, and educator, he is renowned for reinterpreting mangour the traditional Hijazi woodwork of Old Jeddah within a contemporary framework. Guided by the philosophy of Al Mizan (the pursuit of balance), he fuses Islamic artisanal legacies with modern design.
A co-founder and former Director of the House of Traditional Arts in Jeddah, Angawi now leads Angawi Studio and Zawiya 97, a creative hub in Al-Balad.
His work has been shown internationally, including at the Islamic Arts Biennale, Bukhara Biennial, and the British Museum, where his permanent mangour installation bridges heritage and innovation.
Jury for AlUla Designathon
A distinguished jury of global design leaders will evaluate submissions and guide the selection of the 20 emerging designers taking part to the designathon.
Farah Al Humaidhi is a renowned Kuwaiti interior designer and entrepreneur, recognized by Forbes Middle East in 2023 among the top Kuwaiti business leaders. With a BA in Interior Design (2004) and an MBA (2009), she has over 20 years of experience spanning design, contracting, retail, and exhibitions.
In 2010, she founded Pieces by Farah, her first trademark brand for furniture and home accessories. She later introduced design courses across the GCC and online, expanding her educational reach.
In 2019, she launched Mirzaam, Kuwait’s largest design-focused exhibition, now a key hub for the region’s design industry. She also hosted the TV show Tasameem for three seasons and authored several educational and children’s books.
Today, while leading her group of companies, Farah continues to champion Arabic design education and inspire a new generation of creatives.
Her career began in 1992 at a leading French design and branding agency, where she managed PR and special events. After moving to New York in 1999, she built the U.S. communications strategy for Raison Pure (now forceMAJEURE).
In 2007, she founded Gallery R’Pure, an experimental space for collectible contemporary design, deepening her engagement in the New York design scene.
In 2011, Odile co-founded WantedDesign with Claire Pijoulat, a platform celebrating emerging design talent. The initiative grew into WANTED, now part of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Javits Center, where Odile serves as Brand Director. Honored as a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2018, she was appointed International Advisor for French Craftsmanship and Métiers d’Art by France’s Ministry of Culture in 2024.
Hind K AlRawaf is an Arts & Culture Production & Trading Manager at RCU. Experienced in leading cross functional teams, scaling business operations, and delivering transformative initiatives across tourism, retail, and cultural industries.
Her expertise in innovation, collaboration, and strategic growth adds depth to the dynamic exchange of ideas driving the Design Marathon and AlUla Design Award.
Sara Alnafisi is a cultural expert, brand visionary, and designer with over 15 years of experience. She co-founded Nuqat, a leading non-profit for cultural development in the MENA region, where she served as Creative Director for a decade—building programs, educational initiatives, and a vibrant regional network of creatives.
In parallel, she co-founded Raw Design Studio, one of Kuwait’s foremost branding studios, leading multidisciplinary teams on projects that fused purpose, strategy, and design impact.
Today, Sara works independently as a culture and creative consultant, partnering with organizations to design programs and initiatives that bridge creativity, culture, and community development.
Emily Marant is a curator and cultural strategist connecting art and design. As founder of Studio Marant and co-founder of French Cliché, she develops exhibitions, residencies, and cultural programs.
Her practice focuses on collectible design and cross-disciplinary collaboration between artists, crafts, and institutions.
She has worked with partners such as Palais de Tokyo, Cartier, COLLECTIBLE Design Fair. Through her work, Emily positions design as a catalyst for cultural exchange and contemporary dialogue.
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Fashion Design
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Product Design
