Paul Rowan Co-founder and vice president of inspiration, Umbra Rowan graduated from George Brown College in 1974 with a degree in graphic design. He then moved to Ottawa to work for the world’s first digital typography company, Alphatext. In this new city, Rowan needed only one thing: curtains. He solved the problem with his own original design: a custom printed paper window shade. He presented childhood friend and entrepreneur Les Mandelbaum with the prototype, and Umbra (“shade” in Latin) was born. For more than 30 years, Rowan has served as founding partner and vice president of inspiration at Umbra. He has dedicated his career to creating purposeful, intelligently designed products that people want. Rowan holds several prestigious design awards from Canada and beyond, including the Best Design Strategy Award from the Design Effectiveness Awards, the Best Collection award from New York’s Accent on Design Show, and the Premier’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. He serves as chairperson of George Brown College’s Design School advisory board, on the Board of Directors of the Design Exchange in Toronto, on the Board of the International Housewares Association, and on the Board of Governors of the Ontario College of Art and Design. In 2010, he was inducted into the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends as a Visionary.