Since opening its first location in 1984, Brian has lead the growth of Aritzia, a fashion boutique, which now operates 84 stores in North America and employs more than 2,300 staff.
 

Aritzia and Hootsuite's dedication to the creative aspect of business illustrates the impact that design thinking, innovation and creativity can have when implemented effectively in organizations of any size and sector.

The Awards will be presented on Wednesday, May 30 as part of the 2018 DesignThinkers Vancouver Conference at the Vancouver Playhouse, in the presence of 700+ professionals and students from the creative industry attending the event. Brian and Ryan will be interviewed on stage to discuss how they see design and its role driving innovation and success within their organizations.

The Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) is pleased to announce Brian Hill, Founder and CEO of Aritzia and Ryan Holmes, Founder and CEO of Hootsuite as DesignThinkers of the Year for Western Canada in 2018.
DesignThinker of the Year is awarded to Canadian corporate leaders who have incorporated design and design thinking into their organizations to achieve business objectives and drive innovation.
"It is necessary and exciting for us to recognize businesses that continue to invest their resources into design," says Wendy Millard, RGD's President. "Aritzia's attention to online and in-store design experiences and Hootsuite's commitment to promoting effective design in social media exemplify why they deserve to be recognized in this way."

Since opening its first location in 1984, Brian has lead the growth of Aritzia, a fashion boutique, which now operates 84 stores in North America and employs more than 2,300 staff.

Hootsuite, a social media management tool for businesses, has close to 1,000 staff located including in Vancouver, London and Singapore and more than 15 million users.