In the Fall, designers of all disciplines from across Canada were invited to nominate their client or employer representatives for the title of "DesignThinker of the Year".

This Award offers creative professionals the opportunity to honour an individual in a leadership position who recognizes, effectively utilizes and champions design and innovation.

The Jury included Alan Dye, Executive Creative Director at Apple; Mark Leung, Director, DesignWorks at the Rotman School of Management Business Design Studio; and Bruce Nussbaum, Author of Creative Intelligence: Harnessing the Power to Create, Connect and Inspire.

The DesignThinker of the Year title was awarded to Mountain Equipment Co-op CEO David Labistour on November 7 at DesignThinkers 2013. Labistour will also be profiled in the April 2014 issue of Rotman magazine, distributed to 13,000, including 1,000 business journalists.

David Labistour, and the Award itself, received the following media coverage:

Digital Journal: CEO of MEC Honoured as Canada’s Top DesignThinker of 2013

Canadian Interiors (website & newsletter): DesignThinker #1

Dexigner (website & newsletter): David Labistour Honoured as Canada’s Top DesignThinker of 2013

Morning Post Exchange: CEO of MEC Honoured as Canada’s Top DesignThinker of 2013

FITC Newsroom: CEO of MEC Honoured as Canada’s Top DesignThinker of 2013

Graphic Arts: David Labistour honoured by RGD as Canada’s Top “DesignThinker” of 2013

Design Edge Canada: David Labistour claims first RGD/Rotman DesignThinker-of-the-Year Award

Articles on the 2013 DesignThinker of the Year are also scheduled to run in the December/January issue of Graphic Arts and the March issue of Design Product News.