What we’re about
Sydney Design Thinking (SydDT) is a diverse community of 10,000+ members. We've been meeting monthly since 2015 to explore the world of design thinking as a human-centred design and living systems approach to innovation and solving complex problems – to help create positive outcomes for people, our planet, and business. We're one of the top design thinking meetups globally.
The vision for the SydDT meetup from the get go was to build a connected community and ecosystem of people from a diverse range of design and business practices, industries, contexts, and roles… to learn and share. To get exposed to what others are doing and see what's possible.
We’re proud to see this in our community – our members are experience designers, researchers, service designers, startup founders, product people, consultants, academics, anthropologists, architects, software engineers, project managers, medicos, engineers, and many other roles.
We keep it pretty casual with plenty of time for networking before jumping into talks, panels, and workshops on a broad range of topics - with a healthy Q&A that often turns into a group discussion. You can read a bit about the history and journey of our community and events here.
New members are welcome! If you’re not already a member, feel free to join our community. Each meetup audience is curated to a degree to make sure we have a mix of new people, as well as the committed regulars.
We’d love to hear from you if you’re keen to speak – or if there’s someone you think we should invite to speak.
Thanks
Ben Pecotich, Kylie Mageropoulos, Kate Linton & Lucas Mara
Sydney Design Thinking (SydDT) Organising Team
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- SydDT #117/Melbourne Design Thinking #1: Failing Forward in DesignMelbourne, MelbourneA$10.00
RSVPs ARE OPEN ON THE MELBOURNE DESIGN THINKING MEETUP PAGE. GET YOUR TICKET HERE!
We’re excited to be launching Melbourne Design Thinking (MelbDT).
We’re collaborating with Mickey Rummery and Rach Zhang – who are Melbourne locals – to help convene and launch MelbDT.
Come help shape the future of the Melbourne Design Thinking community. More than just a meetup – it’s an open invitation to co-create a space that reflects you: your questions, your experiences, your challenges, and your hopes for the design industry.
Join us for a fun night of conversation with interesting people in and around the Melbourne design community… and be part of our inaugural MelbDT.
WHAT TO EXPECT
We’ve got a great panel of leaders from startups, scaleups, and large orgs to share something you won’t find on their Linkedin: their Failure Résumés.⭐️ Mickey Rummery (Facilitator) – Founder of RUMR & Conference Director of The Outlook
⭐️ Rach Zhang (Facilitator) – UX Lead at RACV & Founder of Ro&Co Studio
⭐️ Mark Woodland – Founder of Xplor & Kismet Health
⭐️ Teresa Huang – Head of Product at Bupa & YouTube Creator
⭐️ Ben Pecotich – Design & Innovation Director/Founder of Dynamic4 & Co-founder of Sydney Design ThinkingThree of their biggest flops, the tough lessons that came from them, and how those moments became unexpected springboards to growth, clarity, and success.
In a market where roles are scarce and pressure is high, we believe it’s more important than ever to normalise failure, dismantle shame, and share the messy middle – especially for designers navigating career pivots, layoffs, burnout, or reinvention.
FACILITATORS & SPEAKERS
Mickey Rummery
Founder of RUMR & Conference Director of The Outlook
Awesome bio coming soon…Rach Zhang
UX Lead at RACV & Founder of Ro&Co Studio
Awesome bio coming soon…Mark Woodland
Founder of Xplor & Kismet Health
Mark is a visionary Australian entrepreneur and systems reformer, driven by the belief that better-designed systems create better lives. A former Army non-commissioned officer, he brings a service-first mindset to everything he builds.After helping his mum run her childcare centre, Mark co-founded Xplor in 2016 to cut down admin for educators. It grew into one of Australia’s fastest-growing SaaS companies, serving over 10,500 centres worldwide before becoming part of Xplor Technologies.
In 2022, he launched Kismet, an AI-driven healthcare platform simplifying access to the NDIS, aged care, and disability services. By reducing compliance burdens, Kismet helps providers focus on dignity, connection, and wellbeing.
Known for his clarity, empathy, and relentless execution, Mark builds high-performance teams and reimagines broken systems to deliver lasting, human-centred impact.
Teresa Huang
Head of Product at Bupa & YouTube Creator
Teresa is a product management leader with 10+ years’ experience across financial services, media, healthcare, aviation, and e-commerce. She specialises in product development and emerging tech, fostering innovative, empowered teams through collaborative leadership.Beyond her corporate role, Teresa runs a YouTube channel on product management, leadership, and career growth in the tech sector.
Ben Pecotich
Design & Innovation Director/Founder of Dynamic4 & Co-founder of Sydney Design Thinking
Ben’s a designer, coach, and founder of Dynamic4 – a social enterprise and B Corp focused on leadership, design, and innovation for happier communities… and making the transition to more regenerative ways of living and doing business.He coaches and works alongside leaders to solve problems that matter by designing and building business models, products, and services that customers and teams love, make money, do great things for people and our planet, while increasing wellbeing.
For 30+ years, Ben’s led, designed, and delivered strategic change in financial services, digital & tech, health & fitness, and founded startups/social enterprises – in Australia, NZ, Asia, the UK, and Europe. He founded Dynamic4 in 2001 and takes a human-centred design and living systems approach to bring together strategy, design, and tech.
Ben Pecotich’s the author of Solve Problems That Matter: Design, Build & Launch Your Social Enterprise Idea and co-founder of Sydney Design Thinking.
What’s Melbourne Design Thinking (MelbDT) all about?
MelbDT is the newest member of the Australia Design Thinking collective, joining Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Byron.MelbDT is convened by Melbourne locals Mickey Rummery and Rach Zhang. It’s about helping bring together a connected community and ecosystem of people from a diverse range of design and business practices, industries, contexts, and roles… to learn, share, and get exposed to what’s possible.
This is for everyone who’s keen to take a human-centred design and living systems approach to innovation and solving complex problems – to help create great outcomes for people, our planet, and business.
I’m lucky to be collaborating with Mickey and Rach to share a bit of what we’ve learnt convening Sydney Design Thinking (SydDT) over the past 10 years.EVENT SPONSORS
This event is brought to you by WongDoody, RUMR, Ro&Co Studio, and Dynamic4.We take photos and record our events for documentation and promo purposes. Just let us know if you prefer not to be featured.
- SydDT #118: Wicked Solutions for Wicked Problems with Frank NewmanAtlassian, SydneyA$10.00
We're lucky to have Frank Newman leading us through an interactive workshop to learn new fun and innovative design skills that are so good (and WICKED) that they're guaranteed to get you in trouble!
In our Wicked Solutions for Wicked Problems workshop, we'll dive into a world of playful creativity and hands-on activities designed to spark your imagination and expand your designer's toolkit.
Wickedly fun and full of surprises.
Don't miss out on the chance to learn a groundbreaking design technique that will elevate your creative process.
WHAT TO EXPECT
What we'll be doing... and how to get the most out of this workshop.We'll be attempting to solve a real-life problem for a social enterprise.
Bring friends, colleagues, and team members so you can work and learn together. By working in teams, you'll be able to take these skills and apply them to your own design and problem solving practices.
SPEAKER
Frank Newman
Frank is a theatre director, producer, program manager, facilitator and community arts worker. He's currently a program manager at the City of Sydney, developing and managing programs with First Nations businesses.He was Lead Engagement and Facilitator at the NFP - Sydney School of Entrepreneurship. Before that he was Creative Learning Specialist for the Sydney Opera House for 10 years.
From 2007-2012 Frank was Terrapin Puppet Theatre's Artistic Director. During this time he won a Helpmann Award for Best Production for Young Audiences.
Frank’s shows have played in festivals and venues across Australia and around the world. He has a Bachelor of Creative Arts, Majoring in Theatre Technology, from Wollongong University and is partly through a doctorate at QUT.
EVENT SPONSORS
This event is brought to you by Atlassian, Mish Mash Museum, Sh8peshifters, and Dynamic4.We take photos and record our events for documentation and promo purposes. Just let us know if you prefer not to be featured.
- SydDT #119: Identify Your Superpower & Tell Your Story with Jacalin DingThoughtWorks, SydneyA$10.00
You've done the work. You've built great products. You've led teams. Now it's time to tell your story.
You are equipped with superpowers that make you unique, yet these often get hidden behind your job title. Being able to tell your impactful story in its full glory puts you in a completely different light.
When done right, your story builds visibility, trust, value alignment, and career momentum, especially in interviews and first impressions.
Join us for a LIVE IN-PERSON interactive workshop to reframe your unique story with Jacalin Ding.
Key Takeaways:
- Re-evaluate your life journey and identify your unique superpowers
- Learn a simple, powerful storytelling framework
- Create a clear, confident personal story you can start sharing immediately
Live, practical, and zero fluff. Let's make your superpowers visible.
Sign up to this event and opt-in for the following learning series on "Communication" with Jacalin Ding. This is first of three "communication" workshops designed to elevate your professional presence:
- Communicating Your Value - In person, 9 October, Sydney
- Pitch with Purpose - Virtual, Date TBC
- Your Voice is Your Brand - Virtual, Date TBC
SPEAKERS
Jacalin Ding
Jacalin Ding is a seasoned product design leader and business
strategist with over 15 years of experience in building and
leading design teams and products. She has collaborated with
startups, enterprises, and agencies across New York, Vancouver,
Tokyo, Singapore, and Sydney.As a strategic business designer, Jacalin has worked directly
with CEOs and founders, helping to raise millions in funding for
their businesses. She has also successfully built a side business
that generates multiple six figures in annual revenue.Since 2018, Jacalin's courses have empowered over 10,000
designers to connect design with business success. She has
coached designers from leading companies including Google,
DoorDash, LinkedIn, Visa and Atlassian.Jac will be supported by Kylie Mageropoulos, a seasoned Design & Product recruitment and talent specialist with years of experience helping professionals showcase their skills, experience and impact in ways that open doors.
Kylie has recruited for some of Australia’s most prominent organisations from Big 4 banks and government institutions to fast-moving Series A startups, giving her a unique perspective on the different landscapes, cultures and communication styles that thrive in each.
Her career has given her a front row seat to what makes candidates stand out in competitive markets and she now shares those insights through practical frameworks.
EVENT SPONSORS
This event is brought to you by Thoughtworks, Lanson Partners, Sh8peshifters, and Dynamic4.We take photos and record our events for documentation and promo purposes. Just let us know if you prefer not to be featured.
- SydDT #121: State of the Design Nation with Ben Crothers & Nila RezaeiAtlassian Sydney office, SydneyA$10.00
We're lucky to have Ben Crothers and Nila Rezaei sharing their reflections as a couple of the judges for the 2025 Good Design Awards. Since 2018, this has become an annual SydDT tradition and a time to reflect on the state of the design nation...
Good Design Australia has a proud history that dates back to 1958 and they're passionately committed to recognising, rewarding, and promoting the importance of design to business, industry, government and the general public... and the critical role it plays in creating a better, safer, and a more sustainable and prosperous future.
Come join us for some fun conversations with interesting people in and around the design thinking community. New members are welcome!
SPEAKERS
Ben Crothers
Principal Facilitator, Bright Pilots. Good Design Ambassador
Ben has been a designer since before Netscape ruled the www, and is currently a facilitator and design strategist at Bright Pilots (his online training and facilitation business), where he teaches teams of all sorts about design and facilitation methods, running strategic workshops, and generally helping teams get un-stuck. Previous to Bright Pilots, Ben was Principal Designer at Atlassian, a Design Director at Second Road (a strategic innovation consultancy), plus some assorted startups, agencies, and government departments.Above all, Ben wants everyone to be just as good at the whiteboard as they are at the keyboard, to be better at thinking, communicating, and solving problems together visually. He's the author of a few books, including Presto Sketching: Simple Drawing for Brilliant Product Thinking and Design.
Nila Rezaei
Co-founder & Lead Designer, RK Collective. Good Design Ambassador
Nila is an Iranian-Australian industrial designer and educator, with a diverse background spanning industries, from manufactured consumer products to large-scale environmental and spatial design, site-specific products and installations to material design. Nila’s primary goal is to design solutions that not only fulfill utilitarian needs but also enhance the emotional connection between people and products, leaving a lasting positive social and environmental impact.Her career began at Vert Design Studio, with diverse clients including entrepreneurs, startups, and multinational firms. Later she joined ZOOMO, an Australian Micro Mobility startup, as hardware product design lead, and the international Maynard Design consultancy, focusing on products and experiences for built environments. She founded RK Collective as a response to a world increasingly confronted with environmental, societal, and ethical challenges, focusing on projects that are ‘deliberately’ innovative and balance culture, ecology, and commercial needs.
Her work has earned recognition from prestigious awards and has been showcased in various local and global presentations, exhibitions, and talks. Nila’s commitment to the Australian design scene extends to academia, teaching at UNSW in both Bachelor and Master degrees, serving as Deputy-Chair of the Design Institute Australia’s (DIA) NSW council. She is also a co-founder of IDX SYD (Industrial Design eXchange Sydney*)*, fostering collaboration and connection among industrial designers in Sydney and beyond.
EVENT SPONSORS
This event is brought to you by Atlassian, Sh8peshifters, and Dynamic4.We take photos and record our events for documentation and promo purposes. Just let us know if you prefer not to be featured.
