Hideaki Azuma, Japan
Biomimicry Specialist 2023
Mr. Azuma has conducted training programs, workshops, and coaching sessions for over 30,000 people in 400 companies. He supports the Sustainability Transformation of business, focusing on organizational development projects using Systems Coaching® and introspective leadership training. He established a general incorporated association, Biomimicry Japan, in January 2022, aiming to realize a circular and regenerative society through biomimicry.
Chin-Chiang (Julia) Chiang, Taiwan
Biomimicry Specialist 2018
Julia C.C. Chiang is the Secretary General of Biomimicry Taiwan where she plans outreach programs to expand the biomimicry network in Taiwan, including a local design competition, biomimicry workshops and forums.
Richard Altherr, United States
Biomimicry Specialist 2018, Biomimicry Professional 2018-2021
“While nature has always been a passion of mine, biomimicry has eternally changed how I interact with nature and its infinite potential for sustainable and regenerative engineering design concepts.”
Combining years of automotive engineering with an expertise in biomimicry, Rich galvanizes automotive engineers to incorporate Nature’s technical R&D into future sustainable and regenerative engineering innovations. The biology-inspired methodologies bring new insight into vehicle components, systems, and processes that can benefit a company’s carbon-neutral goals and participation in the emerging circular economy.
Katherine Collins, United States
Biomimicry Specialist 2013
Katherine Collins, author of The Nature of Investing: Resilient Investment Strategies through Biomimicry, uses the natural world as a guide for an integrated, regenerative approach to investing that benefits communities and the planet. She is Founder and CEO of Honeybee Capital, a research firm dedicated to the pursuit of optimal investment decision-making.
Carlos Rego, Portugal
Biomimicry Specialist 2012
Unicer, a Portuguese soft drinks company, challenged packaging manufacturer Logoplaste Innovation Lab to invent a lightweight yet strong and distinctive plastic bottle for its water brand Vitalis. For inspiration, designer Carlos Rego turned to the spiral growth patterns of the Whitebark pine, which enables it to endure tremendous stress. The bottle, made of PET, has twisted ribbing that provides a recognizable silhouette and withstands more pressure with less weight, saving 250 tons of raw materials each year.
Thom Knittel, United States
Biomimicry Specialist 2011
As part of an HOK–US Green Building Council collaboration to create a children’s center and orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thom Knittel found design inspiration in a local keystone species, the Kapok tree. The building reflects characteristics of the tree, from its protective outer layer that filters direct sunlight while letting through daylight and airflow to the structure’s branching support system and water cleaning and storage facilities in the basement.