Paul Huxtable

Paul Huxtable has made a significant contribution to industrial and engineering design, product development, design export, and design business development in Australia during a career spanning five decades.

He began his career in 1971 at Caroma, and from 1977 to 1986 at Simpson Limited, manufacturers of laundry and kitchen appliances Simpson, Malleys and Kelvinator brands. As part of the Simpson Malleys team, Paul was instrumental in designing Australia’s first award-winning dishwasher receiving the Prince Phillip Design Prize and an Award for Excellence from the Australian Institution of Engineers in 1982.

As the Design and Engineering Manager for Simpson Ltd (now Electrolux) from 1984-86, Paul oversaw the establishment of the company’s first Industrial Design team that worked across all appliance product groups.

In 1986 to 1989 Paul returned to Caroma as R&D Manager (plastics), focussing on dual flush design.

In 1989 he founded PHD Product Development Pty Ltd and developed a client base across Australia, Malaysia and the USA. In 1994 he founded Proen Design. Between 1994-2008, as Chairman and managing Director, he led the company to become one of the biggest product design consultancies in Australia, with offices in Adelaide, Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur. He co-authored multiple international patents and designed and commercialised countless products. Major award-winning projects included the Protect-It Column Guards for health and safety in warehouse settings. The Protect-It Column Guards were manufactured in South Australia and sold in over sixty countries. In 1989 Proen Design was a national winner in the Telstra Business Awards, and received a Telstra Innovation Award in 2007, and a Business SA Export Award in 2014.

Paul’s work has been recognised by Powerhouse Museum Selections (2005 and 2008), a Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award (2008), Korean Design Council Selections (2005 and 2008), and multiple Australian Good Design Awards across five decades.

Paul is currently a Design Advisor to the Australian Design Council, one of a select group of design leaders who shape the Australian Design Council’s Design Impact Program that champions Australia’s design future.

Paul was elevated to Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, and in 2017, he received a South Australian Design Icon Award from the Design Institute of Australia. He is a retired Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.