Evolving from our own leader Marnie Hammond, Design Nation has always been a strong supporter of women in the workplace, both supporting female lead brands, designers and a strong female presence within our own team.

Leading a part of the Billiani team, Veronik Romanutti represents Italian manufacturer, Billiani, one Design Nation’s first brands. Long-time innovator of exceptional Italian manufacturing and good friend, Veronik has continued to show the importance of female leadership within the manufacturing and furniture industry.

Whoever knows Veronik, knows she is a concentration of positivity. Intelligence plus exceptional memory, elegance and determination, values which are able to instill peace and safety. She always wears a smile and she’s born with the gift of being able to listen, without hesitation.

All this leads to support without reservation, stable, capable of solving everyday problems with professionalism, both the small ones and the heaviest ones, that often call into question her undisputed optimism and her belief that this world is made of fair and loyal people.

We’re making chairs, not life-saving machines, after all…this is the motto Veronik uses to put our feet back on the ground, to relieve the pressure of a chaotic everyday life.

Also on the international front, female leader and CEO of Saba Italia Amelia Pegorin spearheads the Saba team and influences the key designer collaborations which bring the Saba collection to life.

On a more local level Design Nation’s new brand Fluxwood lead designer and owner, Shari Lyon, brings a unique vision to both local manufacturing and lighting design. As a part of only a handful of local female industrial and lighting designers, Shari draws inspiration from the natural environment and people around her.

Adding to this list is Kiri Wahrlich who works alongside Ben Wahrlich to present the brand Anaesthetic. Previously a fulltime freelance graphic designer, Kiri and Ben launched Aesthetic in 2011 and have been represented by us since.