Deborah Dawton is Chief Executive of the Design Business Association, the organisation that represents the interests of design consultancies in the UK.

She works with the DBA’s Board of Directors, made up of key figures in the design industry, to set the DBA’s overall agenda and a management team on the day-to-day implementation of the DBA’s strategy.

Deborah trained as an industrial designer at Newcastle Polytechnic and began her career with the Royal Society of Arts, working on their Student Design Awards. Having gained an insight into a variety of different design disciplines, she chose to pursue a career in project management developing and implementing programmes for a variety of design organisations and commercial businesses.

UK clients included the Design Council, Birds Eye Walls, Corus and D&AD while work in Europe was undertaken for a variety of design organisations. Deborah wrapped up her business to take up her position at the DBA in 2003.

www.dba.org.uk