10 November, 5–6:30 pm GMT

Free

Invite-only

How to become Chief Design Officer at Bentley

On 10 November at 5 pm GMT we will be hosting Issa Breibish, Chief Design Officer at Bentley Systems, for a conversation about the Chief Design Officer role, the business value of creativity, and 30 years of leading design at the top.

This is an invite-only session. Apply to attend the event live and ask your questions directly.

Apply to get invited

Issa began his career at Adobe, then co-founded Veer, a stock image and font brand loved by designers and later acquired by Bill Gates' company Corbis. Thirty years on, he's one of the few designers with a seat at the top as a Chief Design Officer at Bentley Systems, the global engineering software company. His teams design the tools engineers use to shape the cities, transport and energy networks millions of people rely on.

In this practical, 90-minute conversation, Ekaterina Solomeina will discuss with Issa what his role as a Chief Design Officer really involves, how creatives earn influence in rooms full of engineers and numbers, and why he believes mature design leadership is four roles in constant motion: visionary, orchestrator, translator and change agent.

Apply to get invited

Speaker:

Issa Breibish

Chief Design Officer at Bentley Systems

Hosted by:

Ekaterina Solomeina

Co-Founder of Future London Academy

What we'll talk about

How does design earn influence in an engineer-led business?

How do you prove the value of creativity to a boardroom that thinks in numbers?

What impact does design have on a business, and how can you measure it

How can more creatives and designers find their way into the boardroom?

What challenges do Chief Design Officers face?

What happens in the Live Circle?

The Live Circle is a small, invite-only group of senior design leaders who will join the interview live on Zoom on 10 November, 5–6:30 pm GMT.

We keep the live group small and bring together leaders at a similar stage, so the conversation goes deeper. Better questions for Issa and a chat full of peers who understand your challenges.

Ask your questions to Issa directly

Chat in real time with Heads of Design, Creative Directors and Founders with 15+ years of experience from all over the world.

Hear how peers in other countries and industries tackle the same problems

Want to be part of the conversation?

Apply now, and we'll let you know within 72 hours whether you've been invited.

Attendees of our events work at the world's leading companies including:

About the speakers:

Issa Breibish

Chief Design Officer
at Bentley Systems

Issa is an award-winning design executive with over 30 years of experience. As Chief Design Officer at Bentley Systems, Issa leads multidisciplinary teams across product, brand and digital experience – work that touches thousands of daily users whose efforts support millions of lives around the globe.

Before Bentley, he served as Chief Customer Officer at Seequent, leading the CX organisation through its acquisition, and held influential roles at Adobe, Corbis and Verity. He also co-founded Veer, a design-forward brand that became a creative industry love-mark before being acquired by Bill Gates and Corbis.

Ekaterina Solomeina

Co-Founder of Future London Academy, Executive School for Creatives

Ekaterina has interviewed some of the world's most influential design leaders, from Google's Ivy Ross to IDEO Partner Michelle Lee, as host of Future London Academy’s Creative Capes podcast.

She co-founded Future London Academy in 2013, after more than 20 years as a creative director in branding, advertising and digital product design, working with Microsoft, Nike and Samsung and collaborating with product leaders at Uber and Amazon. Today, Future London Academy is an executive school for creatives, with C-level faculty including the co-founders of AKQA and Wolff Olins.

From Live Circle to Global Circle

Imagine making the move to C-level yourself in a few years. Our Executive Programme is made for creative and design leaders with 15+ years of experience. It combines a rigorous MBA curriculum taught by C-level faculty with leadership coaching, mentorship and a global network of peers who will push you to the next level.

Discover the Executive Programme

FAQ

Is it free?

Yes, completely free, invitation-only. Register your interest to be selected.

How do I get a seat in the Live Circle?

Register and tell us a little about your role. We invite a small group of senior leaders at a similar stage in their careers, so the conversation is relevant for everyone in it.

When will I know if I’m in?

Within 72 hours of registering. If you don't see our email, check your spam folder. Email filters can be a little overprotective.

What if I'm not invited to the Live Circle?

You will receive practical insights from the conversation directly into your inbox within 2 weeks after the event. We keep each Live Circle small, so we can't include everyone live. You'll still get practical insights from the conversation, sent to your inbox within two weeks of the interview, so you can put Issa's lessons to work.