meet the 2026–2028 executive board

11.11.2026 ICoD news

We are pleased to announce that our Members have elected a new Executive Board for the 2026-2028 term. The Board is composed of representatives from five countries, representing Educational and Professional Members.

The Executive Board of the International Council of Design serves a term of two years. The Board is elected at the biennial General Assembly of the Members. Board members are collectively responsible for the effective governance of the Council, including the vigorous pursuit of its mission and objectives and the adherence to its core values.

The General Assembly of our Members gathered for the 31st time in our history on 7 November in Madrid (Spain), at the Royal Conservatory of Music, hosted by affiliate Iberoamérica Diseña in conjunction with the 4th Iberoamérica Diseña Forum. They have elected the Executive Board for the 2026–2028 term, a group made up of four members of the current Board and one new member. We are pleased to welcome the following individuals, who will serve on the Council Executive Board for the upcoming term:

Jonas Liugaila (Lithuania)
President

Melike Taşcıoğlu Vaughan (Türkiye)
Past President

Anssi Kähärä (Finland)
Secretary General

Olena Pianovska (Poland)
Board Member

Qin Du (China)
Board Member

The Executive Board of the International Council of Design consists of individuals and experts from various design fields who are duly nominated and elected by the Member organisations. Members of the Executive Board serve in a volunteer capacity, donating their time and expertise to further the Council’s mandate.

The Members of the 2026–2028 Executive Board at the 31st General Assembly in Madrid (from left to right): Anssi Kähärä (Finland), Qin Du (China), Olena Pianovska (Poland), Jonas Liugaila (Lithuania) and Melike Taşcıoğlu Vaughan (Türkiye).

BIOGRAPHIES

JONAS LIUGAILA (PRESIDENT)
Jonas Liugaila has worked as an art director, design lecturer and strategist. His practice, workshops, presentations and articles for national and international audiences bring critical thinking to design and consistently challenge its status quo. He is a Partner and Development Lead at the research and design agency The Critical, an Associate Professor at Vilnius Academy of Arts, and a Board Member of the Lithuanian Design Association and the Lithuanian Design Council. He served on the Executive Board of the International Council of Design during the 2024–2026 term.

MELIKE TAŞCIOĞLU VAUGHAN (PAST PRESIDENT)
Melike Taşcıoğlu Vaughan is a designer, artist, publisher and academic. She lives in Eskişehir, Türkiye, where she is a full Professor of Graphic Design at Anadolu University, teaching at Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral levels. Her research and practice span book design, experiential graphic design and identity design. She has published two books, one on book design and one on environmental graphic design, along with many articles, papers and book chapters. She served as President of the International Council of Design for the 2024–2026 term, the first President from Türkiye and the second woman to hold the role in the Council’s history. Before that, she served as the Council’s Treasurer (2022–2024) and as Secretary General of the Turkish Graphic Designers Association (GMK).

ANSSI KÄHÄRÄ (SECRETARY GENERAL)
Anssi Kähärä is a graphic designer known for a pragmatic approach built on thoughtful typography and a deep understanding of user experience. Over a career of more than 25 years, he has worked with a wide range of clients and brands, combining Nordic simplicity with contemporary aesthetics across branding, graphic design and creative direction. He is the co-founder and creative director of the design agency Werklig and [the current / a former] chairperson of Grafia – Association of Visual Communication Designers in Finland.

OLENA PIANOVSKA (BOARD MEMBER)
Olena Pianovska is a brand communication strategist and community builder working at the intersection of business, culture and the creative sector. Her practice includes strategic work with leading cultural institutions and initiatives, among them the Polish Capitals of Culture and the Kraków Music Centre. Since 2017, she has served on the Board of the Association of Polish Graphic Designers (STGU), where she has developed and led initiatives that strengthen the creative community, including professional training programmes, the CatchUp STGU podcast and the Project of the Year competition. Teaching and training are central to her practice, mainly in branding and communication. She also created STGU’s Mentoring Programme, now in its sixth year, which supports a new generation of designers.

QIN DU (BOARD MEMBER)
Qin Du is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Media & Communication Design at Tongji University College of Design & Innovation. He holds a PhD in visual communication design from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing). At Tongji University, he brings together research, teaching and practice in visual communication design, typography, editorial design and branding. From 2008 to 2009, he was a key member of the Central Academy of Fine Arts team that curated and organised the Icograda World Design Congress in Beijing, a milestone in the Council’s exchange with the Asian design community.