The submission process for The 2025 Next Work Environment Competition is your opportunity to gain global recognition and exposure. Together with our esteemed group of expert jurors, we look forward to seeing your most innovative ideas for future work environments everywhere.
Alexis Dennis-Huether
Associate Principal
The S/L/A/M Collaborative
Alexis Dennis-Huether is an interior designer with over 20 years of experience who joined SLAM in 2021 as an Associate Principal. With a passion for connecting with clients and their organizations, Alexis’ interest lies in continual exploration of how design thinking can support the business plan. She has the essential ability to combine empathy, creativity, and rationality to meet user needs, solve problems, and drive business success through design. Alexis leads project teams from initial concept through completion of construction and is adept at sculpting spaces that solve problems and meet project budgets. Alexis was part of a team that won a Next Work Environment Competition award for “Mind the Gap,” a theoretical project featuring a mobile workplace that came out of SLAM’s Workplace Innovation Think Tank (WITT). The team also won a WellBeing + Greatest Impact award for “CollaborEATs,” which blends food, dining, and meeting into the workplace. She has been published in Interior Design, Contact Magazine, Office Insight, and Time Out NY. Alexis served as Director for the IIDA’S LA City Center as well as the IIDA Southern California Board of Directors.
Francisco Lasta
Inclusive Design | Marketing Strategy
GFT
Francisco Lasta leads the inclusive design program at GFT, where he bridges his expertise in occupational science with the firm’s expertise in public architecture to promote inclusion and belonging. As an occupational therapist with clinical experience across the lifespan, he deeply understands how environments impact daily life. He collaborates with architects on projects ranging from transportation spaces to sensory rooms. Francisco’s thought leadership in inclusive design has led him to speak at SXSW, NeoCon, the American Occupational Therapy Association, and the American Institute of Architects. He has also served as a panelist at a symposium to re-envision the Center for Universal Design and as a juror for design competitions. Francisco leads GFT’s Inclusive Design internship program, mentoring occupational therapy doctoral capstone students as they apply theory and research to real-world architectural projects.
Rex Miller
Futurist, Author & Speaker | Creator of Genius Spark and Founder of Mindshift
Rex Miller is a recognized thought leader and orchestrator of transformation across industries. With 25 years as a corporate executive and 15 years as a consultant, Rex brings a rare combination of frontline leadership and future-focused insight to complex challenges. He is best known for pioneering the MindShift process—an award-winning approach that breaks through constraints to spark innovation, align cultures, and move industries forward.
Rex founded three ventures: MindShift, a research and consulting firm; GeniusSpark, a software and training platform based on NASA’s research into activating your genius traits; and River Rose Leadership Ranch, a retreat designed for immersive, nature-based team experiences. His work empowers leaders to unlock hidden potential and build more human-centric, high-performing organizations.
A recipient of CoreNet Global’s Innovator and Industry Excellence Awards and IFMA’s Outstanding Achievement Award, Rex is also a celebrated Wiley author and professional speaker. His influence spans Fortune 100 companies, cutting-edge healthcare systems, and world-class institutions such as Google, Facebook, IWBI, UC Davis Health, the Port of Virginia, and the Federal Reserve Bank.
Rex holds a master’s degree in Strategic Foresight and brings a unique perspective to leadership, influenced by his background as a USPTA-certified tennis professional who coached two Hall of Fame athletes and the U.S. Olympic Pole Vault team. This diverse experience provides valuable insights to overcome barriers and fosters a high-performance approach to personal and organizational growth.
His latest project, The GeniusSpark, is a transformative app and book that helps individuals map their innate strengths and elevate their leadership impact.
Rex Miller doesn’t just consult—he catalyzes. Whether in a boardroom, stage, or retreat, he guides leaders into new conversations and new realities.
Jessica Cooper
Chief Product Officer
IWBI
As Chief Product Officer at the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), Jessica helps to lead IWBI’s global movement to transform health and well-being through our people first approach to buildings, organizations and communities. Combining her experience partnering with global market adopters in her previous role as IWBI’s Chief Commercial Officer, Jessica drives the continuous evolution of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and focuses on scaling WELL’s positive impact around the world. She oversees the standard development, implementation and achievement processes, as well as customer experience, technical account management and education.
Before joining IWBI, Jessica led consulting services at Delos and worked with WELL’s early adopters on improving business performance by prioritizing health. Prior to WELL, she developed and delivered educational programs for the New York City green building community at Urban Green Council. Trained as an interior designer, Jessica intersected design and real estate at LB Architects where she managed interior design and construction projects for corporate, residential and not-for-profit clients.
Jessica is a WELL Faculty and one of the first WELL Accredited Professionals, having earned her credential in 2015. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and a licensed interior designer who holds an NCIDQ Certificate. She is a graduate of Cornell University.
Hassan Shaikh
Senior Manager
Workplace Strategy
Hassan is a South African Real Estate and Design professional currently based in Germany, with my foundation in Architecture and a master’s degree in interior design. He is finalising a Doctorate in Design, with a research focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in workplace strategy and design. The thesis introduces the Polycontextual Workplace Model (PCW), a novel workplace model that builds on and moves beyond Activity-Based Working by integrating human context and workplace experience into spatial design.
With over two decades of international experience in global real estate and workplace innovation, he has led strategic initiatives across sectors including biopharmaceuticals, aviation, retail, and design. He currently serve as the capability owner for global workplace transformation efforts at a large international corporate.
Previously, he founded and led Revolve, a design and build consultancy in South Africa, which he operated for 10 years. Alongside his professional practice, he lectured in Interior Design at both Vega School of Design in Johannesburg and Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria, sharing his expertise in sustainable and human-cantered design with emerging young professionals.
Fernando Mier
Global Head of Emerging / Hybrid Experiences
Avanade
With over 15 years of experience at the intersection of digital and physical technologies, Fernando is a seasoned Service Design professional based in Chicago.
Fernando’s career has been shaped by his unique background in architecture and industrial design, having trained at the Illinois Institute of Technology for college. His deep curiosity about how things are made and used helped his shift to the tech industry during the 2008 recession and sparked a passion for design thinking, human-centered design, and innovative problem-solving that seamlessly blend technology with user needs.
Among his training, Fernando also holds dual master’s degrees—one in Marketing and another in Human-Centered Design Strategy—and specializes in Futures Thinking, LUMA, and other innovative methodologies to develop intuitive, accessible products and effective go-to-market strategies. His career spans high-profile roles at companies such as Leo Burnett, Bose, Nokia, and Microsoft, and his consultancy portfolio also includes high-profile projects for clients such as SoFi Stadium, One World Trade Center Observatory, Pantone, Corelle/Instant Brands, among others, all of which push the boundaries of user experience and technology interaction that are both delightful and simple.
Currently, Fernando serves as the Global Head of Hybrid Experiences for the Office of the CTO at Avanade, a joint venture between Microsoft and Accenture. In this role, he helps his organization and their clients build the foundation for cutting-edge technologies like Digital Twins, VR/AR, wearables, embodied AI and others, ensuring they’re well-positioned to incubate and launch these innovations successfully.
Outside of work, Fernando is passionate about mentoring young professionals, competing with his dogs in obedience and agility, speaking at conferences, and advocating for LGBT and neurodiversity causes.
Ram Srinivasan
MD of Consulting, Work Dynamics
JLL
Ram Srinivasan is a pioneering strategist in future of work and digital transformation, guiding organizations through the workplace, technology, and AI revolution. Ram leads JLL’s Future of Work and AI Adoption Practice across the Americas and is a former Deloitte Management Consulting Leader.
As a widely published global thought leader, Ram authored the groundbreaking book ‘The Conscious Machine’, exploring AI’s impact on the future of work. His insights are highly sought after, making him a frequent keynote speaker at global conferences and featured in Harvard Business Review, Business Insider, and Yahoo Finance.
An MIT alum and MIT Sloan ACE, Ram holds 15 MIT certifications in cutting-edge technologies including AI, Machine Learning, and Extended Reality. His unique background also includes qualifications as a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Secretary, bringing financial acumen and corporate governance expertise to his technology-focused advisory work.
Ram’s mission is to empower organizations to harness emerging technologies, creating innovative and sustainable business models for the digital age. His ability to translate complex technological concepts into practical business applications has established him as a trusted advisor for executives navigating the rapidly evolving tech landscape.
With a commitment to ethical tech implementation, Ram helps companies not just adapt to change, but lead it, ensuring they remain competitive and responsible in an increasingly digital world.
Ebbie Wisecarver
Chief Design & Product Officer
WeWork
Ebbie Wisecarver is Chief Design Officer at WeWork. Since joining the company in 2015, she has held multiple positions, including architect and development project manager for Australia, design director of Asia, Australia and India, and head of project delivery for WeWork Japan. Previously, Wisecarver held positions at prestigious design firms Diller, Scofidio + Renfro New York and Steven Holl Architects. She holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and has participated in numerous traveling exhibitions and fellowships, including a competitive summer internship at Takenaka Corporation in Osaka, Japan. A strong advocate for gender equality, Wisecarver currently serves as the executive sponsor of the company’s employee resource group, Women of WeWork, and is on the board of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, which focuses on gender equity in the design and construction industries through research and education.
Steven McCollom
Global Design Strategy Lead, People + Places
Intuit
Steven McCollom AIA IIDA, is in his 15th year as a Global Design Lead at Intuit. Known for his approach to workplace environments that balance aesthetics with high-performance operational and functional considerations, he loves partnering with multi-disciplinary design teams and end-users to create spaces that work, inspire and adapt. During his 40+ years as a design firm leader and owner representative, Steve has been responsible for a variety of projects – including corporate, government, hospitality, residential and healthcare.
Steve has prioritized giving back to both profession and community as a member of the AIA Interior Architecture Committee, IIDA International Board of Directors, and Global Co-Chair of the Intuit Pride Network.
Jessica Collins
Director of Design, Interiors
HOK Dallas
Michael Przytula
MD of Intelligent & Digital Workplaces
Accenture
Lindsay T. Graham
UX Researcher, Personality & Social Psychologist, Google
Dr. Lindsay T. Graham is a personality and social psychologist who specializes in the ways people form relationships with, craft, manipulate, and select their daily environments to best fit their lives. Lindsay’s work spans the fields of psychology, architecture, interior design, engineering, and human-computer mediated interactions. Currently Lindsay is a researcher within Google’s Real Estate and Workplace Services group to support the creation of work environments that promote wellbeing and productivity. Prior to Google she founded and led a research program on the Psychology of Space at UC Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment. Lindsay is also author of the book People and Spaces: Experience, Ethics and Intent which highlights the value of collaborator work when working to make spaces that serve those who use them.

Frank Cottle
Chief Executive Officer
Alliance Virtual Offices
Frank Cottle is an expert and a thought leader on the intersection between flexible working, technology, and the future of work. A frequent speaker on the conference circuit and a highly sought-after guest for podcast interviews, Frank has become an authority on the dynamics and practicalities of the future workplace.
His unique vision can help business leaders, workers, and those interested in the future of work to understand the changing landscape of the workplace, and the people it impacts.
Whether you’re leading a team of five or five thousand, we’re all moving towards the future workplace together. What matters, and what sets your brand apart, is how you get there. Preparation is key, and through his relaxed yet authoritative Southern Californian style, Frank will utilize over three decades of experience and leadership as an entrepreneur, investor and flexible workspace expert, to lead a thought-provoking and engaging discussion on the future of work and what we can expect to find there.
As founder and CEO of the Alliance group of companies, Frank has been building flexible workspace brands since 1979, establishing himself as an advocate for new ways of working that empower people to work better, smarter, and more productively.
Antonia Cardone
Workplace Specialist
The 2025 Next Work Environment Competition for Professionals is generously supported by the following Partners:
Tango is a leading provider of Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS), trusted by thousands of global businesses to optimize space management, lease portfolios, facilities maintenance, and more. As the future of work continues to evolve, Tango’s innovative software helps organizations navigate this change, offering solutions for office reservation, visitor management, energy and sustainability, and construction project oversight. With a focus on flexibility and efficiency, Tango empowers businesses to stay agile in a dynamic environment, providing the insights and tools needed to make informed decisions and drive operational success.
Kimball International is a leading commercial furnishings company with deep expertise in the Workplace, Health, and Hospitality markets. For over 70 years, our brands have seized opportunities to customize solutions into personalized experiences, turning ordinary spaces into meaningful places. Our family of brands includes Kimball, National, Etc., Interwoven, David Edward, Kimball Hospitality, and D’style.
National, a brand of Kimball International, joined the contract office furniture market in 1980 with a goal to be a standout. Determined to offer customers a better value with shorter lead times, National created a brand by successfully delivering innovative products that were on budget and on time. Today, that foundation still holds true. Our exceptional value, combined with design-driven products, on-time delivery, and our dedication to customer experiences has established us as a leader in the furniture industry.
Allwork.Space is the leading digital media platform dedicated to the Future of Work. For over 20 years, we’ve provided in-depth coverage, expert insights, and innovative solutions for professionals navigating the evolving workplace landscape. Our platform serves leaders in flexible work, workplace strategy, HR, coworking, and commercial real estate, helping them stay ahead of industry trends. Through our news, research, and partnerships, we empower businesses to shape the future of work.
Special thanks to our 2025 industry Partners: