India's only truly international contemporary design show offers visitors a compelling programme of talks and keynotes, providing insight into the discussions shaping the future of design and architecture.
Speakers joining the 2025 programme include Manijeh Verghese (CEO of Open City), Lucas Muñoz Muñoz (award-winning Spanish designer), and Adam Markowitz (Australian architect, designer, and maker).
Design Mumbai, India's landmark contemporary design event for architecture and interiors professionals, has announced the key themes and headline speakers for its 2025 talks programme, Design Mumbai Exchange. The announcement was made at an industry preview event at Istituto Marangoni's Mumbai campus, where the show's co-founders, Ian Rudge and Piyush Suri, addressed an audience of industry representatives.
© Design Mumbai
Running across three days (27–29 November 2025, with a VIP preview on 26 November), the programme, curated by Caro Communications, brings together a powerful international line-up of architects, designers, and thought leaders, alongside India's most influential industry voices, to discuss urgent questions of creativity, urbanism, sustainability, and how design impacts global culture.
From re-imagining workplaces and coastlines to exploring modern conceptions of hospitality, Design Mumbai Exchange reflects the breadth and dynamism of the international design community from Jio World Garden in the heart of Mumbai, India's cultural and creative capital.
The name Design Mumbai Exchange reflects the importance the design show places on sharing ideas, philosophies, and ways of working across the international design community. The programme prioritises cross-cultural dialogue, interrogating what it means to design in the context of today's global and regional challenges.
Highlights from Design Mumbai Exchange include:
-Panel discussion on the intersection of manufacturing, craft, and culture:
Featuring Australian designer Adam Markowitz, Deepak Srinath of Phantom Hands, Roderick Wiles from the American Hardwood Export Council, and Luke Hayward of Sydney and Osaka-based Atelier Luke, attending Design Mumbai as part of a broader delegation from the Australian Institute of Architects.
-Series of panels on workplace design curated by Harsha Kotak. Founder of Women in Office Design and the Sustainable Design Collective, Kotak's sessions will cover climate-responsive workplaces and transparency in sustainable workplace design. Speakers include Pinakin Patel, Roshni Karekar of SJK Architects, Joanna Knight, and Johan Lindau of Blå Station. An additional session on workspaces designed for freelancers, makers, and start-ups will include Ankit Kamboj of Broadway Malyan and Malay Doshi of Studio Saransh, alongside other luminaries.
-Keynote address with Vinu Daniel, Principal Architect of Wallmakers:
Specialising in site-specific buildings that respond to unusual conditions, such as the subterranean Chuzhi House built with earth and debris, and the Toy Storey residence, which uses discarded toys for walls. The session will be moderated by Cameron Bruhn, CEO of the Australian Institute of Architects.
-Panel on new, reimagined minimalism: Featuring Ekta Parekh of reD Architects and Kumpal Vaid of Purple Backyard, along with a showcase and discussion on new, sustainable, and intelligent materials in association with London-based designer, consultant, and lecturer Chris Lefteri.
-Discussions on hospitality: Including a panel with Lucas Muñoz Muñoz, award-winning Spanish designer and creator of Design Mumbai's café in collaboration with THE Park Hotels, joined by leading voices in hospitality such as Priya Paul, Chairperson of Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, and Sunita Kohli of K2India.
© Design Mumbai
Manijeh Verghese (CEO of Open City).
-Panel on reimagining resilient coastlines: Addressing cities vulnerable to rising sea levels, intense storms, and river floods. Speakers include Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu of London-based Tonkin Liu, Mumbai-based Nandini Sampat of Somaya Sampat, and Dhaka-based Saiqa Iqbal, director of Studio Morphogenesis Ltd. Moderated by Dezeen's editor, Tom Ravenscroft.
-Panel from Open City, The charity committed to making cities more open, equitable, and accessible, led by CEO Manijeh Verghese, discussing quality of life and citizen engagement in the built environment. Joined by Ananya Singhal of Studio Saar, Soumitro Ghosh of Mathew & Ghosh, Jennifer Nichols of the Australian Institute of Architecture, and Goa-based architect and activist Tallulah d'Silva.
The full line-up will be announced at designmumbai.com/programme-2025 soon. Tickets are now live at designmumbai.com/tickets
