04 Jun Leading with Imagination, Empowered by Knowledge, Creating Change – Part 01
A feature on Design HQ’s Management Team
Over 25 years, Design HQ has emerged to be a leader in creativity, sharing inspiring and transformative spaces. At the core of this success is the firm’s management team. The team not only empowers designers to thrive creatively as fellow designers but also ensures the firm’s quality, relevance and consistency in an ever-evolving industry. By creating a platform and culture of innovation, collaboration, and strategic leadership, they are key in pushing the boundaries of design while maintaining operational excellence.
Our dynamic management team—Associate Design Principal Denille Teh, Senior Design Managers Jobele Tee and Macon Davila, Junior Design Manager Alyssa Loreto, and Technical Design Manager Eunice Galat—each bring their personal flavor and embody the firm’s values of imagination, knowledge, and change. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we recognize these visionary leaders for their dedication to turning concepts into reality, driving innovation, and shaping the future of interior design.
Roots of Creativity: How our design leaders began their journey at Design HQ
Every exceptional designer has a story—a spark that ignited their passion for creating beautiful, functional spaces. Our management team is no exception, with journeys shaped by childhood dreams, unexpected career shifts, and a deep love for design. Their experiences, challenges, and lessons learned have shaped not only their careers but also the firm’s diversity and culture.
Denille has been in the design industry for over a decade. She started right after college in 2012, working for a smaller design firm that focused on traditional and transitional styles for residential and model homes. She took the licensure exam, a big milestone for her. Four years later, she took on a new challenge and joined Design HQ in February 2017, which was a huge step in her career, and more importantly, where she truly found her place.
Jobele began her journey in the design industry back in 2010 shortly after earning her license in late 2009. Joining the firm was an exciting step for her, especially because Design HQ was ahead of the curve with remote work–something that’s become prevalent now. Back then, Design HQ didn’t have a physical office yet so a full to partial work from home set up was part of the culture.
Macon, on the other hand, first majored in Business Economics in 2011 before shifting to Interior Design in 2014. She started out as an intern at Design HQ back in 2017, and after passing the licensure exam more than a year later, was welcomed back as a full-time designer.
Back in 2018, Cebu-based Alyssa got her degree in Interior Design and took the licensure exams right away. Right after passing the exam, a college classmate mentioned that Design HQ was hiring for a Cebu designer. She applied and got accepted despite not knowing much about the firm as the firm was yet to be well-known in Cebu. She became its first Cebu-based Junior Designer back in 2019. Since then, the DHQ Cebu team has grown.
Fresh out of college, Eunice applied in Design HQ in 2019 but unfortunately didn’t make the cut. She then joined another firm only to be laid off during the pandemic. As a necessary step during the crisis, she pivoted to being a call center agent as most design firms were not hiring at the time. Then in December 2020, DHQ reached out with an offer for a 9-month contract which eventually led to an offer for a permanent position. Looking back, at the height of the pandemic, she had had to choose between job stability in a different industry or a temporary role that’s aligned with her passion and she had taken the leap and chosen to work with Design HQ.
More Than a Title: The impact behind their roles
Within our Management Team, each role plays a crucial part in bringing imagination, knowledge, and change to life. Here’s a closer look at their roles and the impact they make every day.
As an Associate Design Principal, Denille’s role comes with great responsibility, but more importantly, it’s a dynamic leadership position with endless opportunities for growth and change. It’s a role that constantly evolves — whether through mentoring the talented individuals who are the heart of our firm, addressing various business needs, or building strong relationships with clients, suppliers, and contractors who help bring our projects to life.
The Senior Design Manager role is a blend of creativity and leadership. Jobele shared that she gets to work hands-on with projects, which keeps the creative spark alive, while focusing on creating systems that enhance efficiency across the team.
Macon reflected on her journey to the Senior Design Manager role starting out as a full-time Junior Designer leading small projects which gave her a front-row seat early on to witness projects unfold from the initial conceptual stages to the exciting moment of completion. Aside from this role, she also had the privilege of separately developing and managing the firm’s Social Media and Internship programs.
Our resident Cebu-designer, Alyssa, shared her progression to the Junior Design Manager role. She started out as a Junior Designer that helped physically manage projects in Cebu City as the sole eyes and legs of the team in the region for 3 years and as an ad hoc team member occasionally for Manila-based projects. Gradually, she took on bigger responsibilities like leading Cebu and Davao projects, and moving to a Junior Design Manager role and leading the Cebu team.
Stepping up as the Technical Design Manager, Eunice expressed that this role has given her a deeper appreciation for the way leadership works within the firm and all the workings behind the scenes. Entering as a Junior Technical Designer, she was eager to learn, taking on various tasks and supporting different project teams. Over time, her role expanded to becoming part of a project’s core team, then to a deputy position, and eventually as a design lead. This journey allowed her to experience the design process first hand. She also had the privilege of helping shape student designers by managing the firm’s Internship Program.
Tune in for more of their story and perspectives in the next articles.