Melissa Sterry BA (Hons), PGCert, MCIM, MCIPR, FRSA

Futurologist, sustainable innovation strategist, design scientist and award-winning social entrepreneur Melissa founded sustainable innovation think tank, consultancy and incubator Societás in 2004, as a pioneering platform to launch groundbreaking new initiatives engaging the creative industries. Melissa structured Societás™ to provide the strategy, insight and skills to take concepts from paper to reality, whilst engaging ethical and sustainable practices.

Together with environmental scientist Matt Prescott and supported by several leading British universities and professional institutes, along with a panel of thirty of the UK’s foremost sustainability and design experts, Melissa is launching New Frontiers™; a new national open innovation knowledge sharing & capacity building initiative designed to evolve dialogue and understanding of sustainable design solutions for the 21st Century.

Melissa is co-founder and director of two annual international visual arts awards that bring the spotlight to the world's best emerging talent - the Creative Graduate Prize™ launched in 2005 in partnership with arts platform Medium Magazine and the Iconique Societás Awards™ launched in 2007 in partnership with online fashion zine and creative studio Iconique.com. She also sits on the jury of several prestigious sustainable design and innovation awards including the International Design Awards.

A Visiting Fellow of the School of Art & Design at the University of Salford, from which she graduated with a 2:1 honours degree in Design Practice in 1996, she is a member of the university’s Assembly. Having been awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship with Commendation from Kingston University London in November 2009, in January 2010 Melissa commenced a PhD at the 6* rated School of the Built & Human Environment at University of Salford, which is the UK's premier school for the Built Environment. Melissa is researching potential applications and impacts of biomimicry in the built environment.

Melissa sits on the steering groups and boards of several sustainability and social enterprise projects across the UK including the WWF's ‘Awakenings' initiative, campaign group Anti-Apathy, UK registered charity Take Heart India and Musecology™ - a sustainable music project of which she is co-founder. She has previously held three editor-in-chief roles and has been a guest editor/writer for many international titles on a wide range of issues including emerging trends in design, communications, media and the visual arts. Melissa also sits on the jury of the Dandelion Awards, which recognise the extraordinary efforts of businesses throughout the UK to improve their own and others performance on issues surrounding sustainability.

A passionate campaigner for environmental and social issues, Melissa has helped to get many high profile awareness and fund raising events off the ground, with past experience including Head of Sponsorship for the first ever rock gig to be held at the Royal Opera House, London in aid of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (2002), Head of PR, Celebrity Liaison and Sponsorship for The Big Issue's 15th birthday concert 'The Gig Issue' held at the Shepherds Bush Empire (2006), Head of Sponsorship to Zandra Rhodes' fundraising 'My Favourite Dress Ball' held at the Hurlingham Club, London (2005), Head of PR to the annual Take Heart India Ball (2005 - 2009) and Head of Sponsorship and Brand Affiliations to the ICAP fashion dinner and show in aid of Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in association with Temperley London and Bombay Sapphire, New York (2007).

Recent industry awards include two special recognition awards from the Global Women Inventors & Innovators Network for exceptional creativity and capacity building in the innovation sector (2009), induction to the Global Women Inventors & Innovators Hall of Fame (2009), a WestFocus Enterprising Business Award (2009) and being listed in the Future 100 (2008), which lists the one hundred talented young entrepreneurs who are demonstrating entrepreneurial flair and innovation in progressing a responsible business venture. 

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