Speaker's Profile

With over 20 years experience as an automotive engineer and industrial designer, Safir has been able to leverage his strategic thinking and creative problem-solving skills to tackle a wide range of innovation challenges. He was an early adopter of 3D design and prototyping tools and carried his experience from the automotive world into the fashion and footwear industry. As head of innovation for action sports brand, Vans, he oversaw a number of initiatives that spanned across product and experiences. In his new role, driving innovation through digital technologies for VF’s 20+ apparel, footwear and accessories brands, he aims to explore the opportunities offered by digital tools and workflows and help imagine the future of product creation. An advocate of purposeful and responsible design, Safir believes that our society has an incredible opportunity to harness its collective creativity and today’s technological affordances to tackle the world’s big social and humanitarian challenges.