Rabat – The World Design Organization (WDO) has appointed internationally renowned Moroccan designer Hicham Lahlou as its  “Special Envoy” for the MENA region and Africa.

WDO President David Kusuma said Lahlou’s significant appointment comes as the organization celebrates its 65th anniversary this year, Morocco’s state news agency MAP said in a press release on Tuesday. 

The WDO has over 180 member organizations with an international network of more than 400,000 designers.

With a mission to promote industrial-design driven innovation to develop the world, the WDO aims to take a leadership role in design-led innovation to tackle global challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanization, water scarcity, and population growth.

Lahlou  began serving as “Community Liaison” for Africa in the WDO in  2015. Two years later, he was elected as a member director of the board of directors of the WDO.

He was the first French-speaking African and Moroccan to be the member director on the board of directors at the WDO. 

The Moroccan designer also worked as a regional advisor for Africa at the WDO between 2019 to 2022.

In a statement, the WDO noted that Lahlou’s commitment to his country and to the African continent including his career as a renowned international designer “makes him the perfect person for this special mission.”

“Lahlou’s recognized leadership and all joint efforts will help create new strategic partnerships … and will also contribute to the implementation of important design-led solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” it added.

Lahlou’s artwork is also on display  at  the “AFFECTED” exhibition at the Museum on the Seam, Jerusalem between  February 18 and July 31.

Read Also: Moroccan Designer Hicham Lahlou to Exhibit at Jerusalem’s Museum on the Seam

Born in 1973 in Rabat, Lahlou graduated with a degree in Interior Architecture from the Academie Charpentier in Paris in 1995. 

Among his achievements the designer received the French Republic’s Knight Order of Arts and Letters in 2016.

He is the designer behind the high speed train stations in Tangier, Kenitra, Rabat-Agdal, and Casablanca Voyageurs, with his signature structured shapes and vibrant color palettes. 

Many in the field consider his designs to be a mixture of history, cultural references, heritage, and modernity.