--- title: "The fur-family shift: Innovating for the modern pet parent" image: https://go.smartdesignworldwide.com/hubfs/pet%20salon%20-%20featured%20image-1.jpg --- [![sd\_full\_black](https://go.smartdesignworldwide.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SD%20logo/sd_full_black.png?width=100&height=67&name=sd_full_black.png "sd_full_black")](https://smartdesignworldwide.com/) [![Smart Design logo](https://go.smartdesignworldwide.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Smart%20Logo_White%20Type-2.png?width=2705&height=1813&name=Smart%20Logo_White%20Type-2.png "Smart Design logo")](http://smartdesignworldwide.com) [![Smart Design logo](https://go.smartdesignworldwide.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Smart%20Logo_White%20Type-2.png?width=2705&height=1813&name=Smart%20Logo_White%20Type-2.png "Smart Design logo")](http://smartdesignworldwide.com) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. - [Projects](https://smartdesignworldwide.com/projects/) - [Capabilities](https://smartdesignworldwide.com/capabilities/) - [Ideas](https://smartdesignworldwide.com/ideas/) - [Events](https://smartdesignworldwide.com/events/) - [About](https://smartdesignworldwide.com/about/) - [Contact](https://smartdesignworldwide.com/contact/) # The fur-family shift: Innovating for the modern pet parent Tuesday, September 22 | Smart Design's studio ## About the event --- 2024-06-25T21:30:00+0000 -0500 00 Days 00 Hours 00 Minutes 00 Seconds The boundary between pet care and human lifestyle has officially dissolved. Today’s pet owners—largely driven by Gen Z and Millennials who view their animals as full family members—are demanding products, services, and technology that mirror their own lifestyle choices and options. This panel brings together industry leaders to dissect how forward-thinking brands are innovating, designing, and merchandising to gain market share and grow new categories. We will explore the ever evolving pet to pet parent relationship, including trends in pet health and wellness, emerging technologies, and brand experience. ## Agenda **5:30 PM**: Doors open **6:00 — 7:00 PM**: Panel discussion **7:00 — 7:30 PM**: Networking ## Register ## Meet our speakers ### Mikkel Holm [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikkelholm/) Chief AI & Innovation Officer BARK ![Mikkel Holm ](https://go.smartdesignworldwide.com/hubfs/Mikkel%20Holm%20-%20b%26w.jpeg) Mikkel Holm Chief AI & Innovation Officer BARK About Mikkel Holm [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikkelholm/) ### Lindsay Joyce [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-joyce918/) President Brand & Innovation Pet Life Unlimited ![Lindsay Joyce](https://go.smartdesignworldwide.com/hubfs/ChatGPT%20Image%20Aug%207%2c%202026%2c%2011_16_36%20AM.png) Lindsay Joyce President Brand & Innovation Pet Life Unlimited About Lindsay Joyce   With nearly two decades of experience building and transforming consumer brands, Lindsay has built her career at the intersection of brand, marketing, consumer insight, and innovation. Today, as President, Brand & Innovation at Pet Life Unlimited, she leads the company’s brand and innovation strategy, focused on reimagining everyday pet care through functionally superior products that solve real problems for modern pet parents. Lindsay began her career in the beauty industry at L’Oréal, where she developed her expertise in brand building and consumer marketing working on brands including Maybelline New York. After becoming a mother, she discovered Babyganics and was drawn to its mission to rethink the products families use every day. She joined the company to lead Brand and Marketing, helping build Babyganics into a nationally recognized household brand and ultimately contributing to its acquisition by SC Johnson. Throughout her career, Lindsay has been driven by a deep understanding of consumers—identifying unmet needs, challenging category conventions, and translating insight into compelling brands, products, and experiences. At Pet Life Unlimited, she brings that approach to a category where many products have historically been difficult to differentiate, leading brand strategy, marketing, and innovation around a simple principle: create products that are functionally superior, prove their performance in ways consumers can see and understand, and deliver a meaningfully better experience for pets and the people who care for them. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-joyce918/) ### Bob Blake [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertblake84/) VP of Hardware & Operations Fi ![Bob\_Blake](https://go.smartdesignworldwide.com/hubfs/Bob_Blake.jpg) Bob Blake VP of Hardware & Operations Fi About Bob Blake As the VP of Hardware & Operations at Fi, [Bob Blake l](https://6be3a755.streak-link.com/C_VzkkowMG7-53q7cgK7tRba/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Frobertblake84%2F)eads the hardware development and supply chain teams driving the company’s mission to nurture the bond between pets and their families. A key architect behind Fi’s hardware evolution, Bob has been central to the development of the company’s most innovative products—from the Series 3+ with its advanced GPS and AI-powered behavior tracking, to the Fi Mini, which brings those same powerful capabilities to the market's most compact tracker, and Fi Ultra, the world’s first consumer wearable powered by T-Satellite with Starlink bringing satellite-grade connectivity to dog tracking for the first time. With over seven years at Fi, including a tenure as Director of Electrical Engineering, Bob brings a deep technical perspective on integrating human-centric, high-performance technology into the daily lives of pets and the people who love them. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a B.A. and B.E. from Dartmouth College and the Thayer School of Engineering. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertblake84/) ### Julianna Miller [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianna-miller-design/) Industrial Design Director Smart Design ![Julianna Miller\_SD Portrait 2\_800x800](https://go.smartdesignworldwide.com/hubfs/Smart%20events/Q2%20Jun%2025%202024%20VSS29%20Vitra/Archive/Julianna%20Miller_SD%20Portrait%202_800x800.jpeg) Julianna Miller Industrial Design Director Smart Design About Julianna Miller Julianna Miller is an ID Director who has a passion for working in the gray area between ID, UX and strategy to bring new products to market. She brings expertise in user centered product innovation and with over 13 years of experience has worked across Healthcare, Fitness, Beauty and Consumer Packaged Goods. Their notable clients include Hydrow and Guide Beauty both of which received IF Design Awards and recognition for Fast Company. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianna-miller-design/) #### Getting to our studio ![Map-directions-to-Smart Design](https://go.smartdesignworldwide.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Map-directions-to-Smart%20Design.png?width=2000&height=1125&name=Map-directions-to-Smart%20Design.png "Map-directions-to-Smart Design") The easiest Navy Yard entrance is Sands Street (marked 1 on the map), as it is most direct from the subway. Our entrance is between buildings 202 and 216 (our building). When you enter our building, open the interior door to access the elevator for the 3rd floor. Detailed instructions for getting to our studio will be included in your confirmation email.   Please have your event confirmation email with you to show the guard attendant for entry. 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