“Design is … an intention made manifest.”

Shashi Caan received a BFA (Hons) in environmental design at the Edinburgh College of Art, Great Britain, as well as two Master’s degrees (in industrial design and architecture) at the Pratt Institute, New York. Subsequently, she worked in architecture and design agencies such as Gensler Associates, New York, and was design director of the New York office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Architects. In 2002, Shashi Caan was appointed chairwoman of the interior design degree programme at the Parsons School of Design and founded her own agency, Shashi Caan Collective, with herself as managing director. Highly engaged in research seeking further development of design and design education, among others with New York’s Columbia University where she is currently leading a research effort exploring design education, Shashi Caan serves on the boards of a number of professional associations and is the current President of IFI (International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers).