Partners

Keith has led his career with a vision to strengthen the business side of the design profession by establishing good business practices and ultimately communicating the value of design to the consumer. He is the President of the management consulting firm Granet & Associates, which he founded in 1991 to provide strategic, financial, operational, management and licensing services to the design industry. The firm has had the privilege of working with celebrated clients from architectural, interior, landscape design firms and key home brands. Granet firmly believes in helping firms shift their business from “the things you have to do” to “the things you want to do.” His earlier career was spent working directly for Arthur Gensler at Gensler. He is also the author of The Business of Design, Balancing Creativity and Profitability, and The Business of Creativity: How to Build the Right Team for Success. He guest lectures at UCLA and at the University of Southern California, is the founder of the Designer Speakers’ Bureau, co-founder of the Leaders of Design Council and produced and hosted “Inside the Business of Design,” an interview series. Keith is also the founder and CEO of Studio Designer, the next generation of technology to transform the interior design industry by connecting clients, designers, architects, showrooms and manufacturers in a cloud environment. Granet is a graduate of Hartwick College where he serves as a Trustee, and he lives with his family in Los Angeles.

Marc Szafran is President of HOLLY HUNT, the defining voice in modern luxury interiors. In this role, he oversees all aspects of the business and is responsible for expanding the company’s position as the leading partner for interior designers and an industry innovator offering exceptional product design, quality, service, showroom settings, and digital experiences. Prior to joining HOLLY HUNT, Szafran served for nearly a decade as President and Chief Operating Officer at Michael S. Smith Inc.|Jasper, leading operations, marketing, and business and brand strategy for the eponymous design firm and launched product lines and showrooms under the Jasper and Templeton brands. Before joining Michael S Smith Inc., Szafran was President and General Counsel of Thom Filicia Inc., a design business founded by one of the nation’s top decorators and television personalities. There he developed a long-term growth strategy for new business segments and oversaw the transformation of a single-focused company into a competitive, multifaceted enterprise in the design, product, media, and lifestyle arenas. Szafran holds a J.D. from Cardozo School of Law and is a graduate of Syracuse University; his law background, combined with his lifelong passion for design, allows him to draw from a versatile set of expertise to tackle the challenges of a rapidly evolving business and design landscape. He is based at the HOLLY HUNT headquarters in Chicago.

Dana-Christine Colla, newly appointed partner of The Leaders of Design Council, has 15 years of professional experience within the Design industry. Her career started with an administrative role at Waterworks supporting C-level executives where she was immersed into the esteemed community of designers. Dana served as Chapter Administrator of the Young Presidents’ Organization, Fairchester Chapter from May 2007 – September 2012 where she applied her growing knowledge of event planning and membership program strategies. At Waterworks, Dana was quickly promoted to marketing manager of the Design Leadership Summit, which is an annual conference for the top design and architect principals around the country. In 2011 when the Design Leadership Network was formed, Dana took on the role of manager. Dana led the event and activity planning efforts surrounding these invaluable experiences for the design professionals. Her natural ability to be organized, innovative and forward-thinking has led to many inspirational events for all attendees. In 2012 the Leaders of Design Council was established, the mission is to create community among design professionals and to offer unique programs in exclusive destinations to enhance professional development, industry knowledge and promote networking. Dana’s career continued to thrive as she took on more responsibility and played an even more integral role in the organization. As Director of Operations for 10 years, she continued to raise the profile of the Council and herself in the interior design community and created many long-standing partnerships with members. Dana’s recent promotion to Partner was a natural fit for her experience and role in the company’s success. She has a passion for connecting people with the purpose of personal and professional enhancement. Dana’s future achievements are already in the works with the next phase of program planning. The support of her husband and two sons gives her even more strength and motivation to succeed.

Meg Touborg is a leading executive and entrepreneur in the design industry; throughout her career, she has contributed her strategic thinking and tactical know-how to bridge the worlds of creativity and commerce in fashion and design. Meg is the founder of METworks Inc., an advisory firm providing marketing intelligence and action plans to design-driven companies and individual firms. Meg is also co-founder of the Leaders of Design Council and serves on the Board of Directors of the Institute for Classical Architecture in Southern California. Previously, she was a Managing Partner in Design Investors LLC, a private equity firm, where she served as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Rose Tarlow Melrose House. She was also on the Boards of Directors of Waterworks and Twill Textiles. Meg’s earlier career was devoted to growing premium interior design and fashion companies such as Waterworks, kate spade, Coach, Laura Ashley and Saks Fifth Avenue. Meg earned her Bachelors of Arts degree from Harvard College magna cum laude in History and Literature, and completed Executive Education at the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. She lives in Pacific Palisades, California with her family and two rescue dogs, and she enjoys pursuing her interests in fashion, food and the arts.