About Designlinks Ireland
Designlinks Ireland aims to empower Design. & Craft professionals to develop and grow successful businesses in Ireland and abroad through highly specialized, sector-specific training programmes, mentoring and resources.
Designlinks Ireland was founded in 2021 in Dublin (Ireland) and is the partnership of Suzanne May and Florence Magee, both former professional makers and experienced trainers, bringing together 40 combined years of experience, passion and commitment to the sector. They have successfully worked together for 10 years on export initiatives internationally.
Suzanne and Florence bring a unique outlook to business support, having both direct experience of running a craft & design business. They understand the demands of building and running a creative business. They also boast numerous years of engagement with creating, delivering and managing support programmes for the Design and Craft sector.
We work with Organisations that support the Design & Craft sector, or directly with Designers.
Suzanne May has been assisting talented “creatives” to develop their business and to maximize full growth potential since 2000.
Using her extensive product development skills, design sector expertise, production planning ability and marketing experience, she has worked with numerous emerging, and established design-based enterprises through mentoring and training for clients such as Design and Crafts Council Ireland, and regional Local Enterprise Offices.
A graduate of NCAD, Suzanne spent the first part of her career as a craft practitioner, building her successful ceramics business, Suzanne May Pottery, from a solo operation into a national and international brand employing 12+.She retains a deep understanding of the daily challenges facing emerging and established design-based companies and an unwavering passion and enthusiasm for the sector
Suzanne has built a reputation as a design “guru”, with a significant knowledge of design led market successes across multi disciplines and markets. As a retailer specifier and curator Suzanne works with teams and top end design based retailers across Europe and brings these insights and trends to training and mentoring supports. She believes in comprehensive market research, analysis and forward planning as part of sector future development and is particularly strong in the areas of European design, retail trends and international B2B strategies for the design and applied arts sector.
Florence Magee (née Harmelin) is a business trainer, arts manager and mentor for the Creative and Cultural Industries.
Florence holds an MA in Management (France), an MBA Management of Creative Industries (UK) and a Professional Diploma in Finance for Non-Financial Manager (Ireland). With an understanding of the challenges faced by micro enterprises in the creative arena, she delivers core business and financial principles in a visual and accessible way.
Formally a handweaver, she set up her own weaving business in Dublin and built a loyal following for her work. Combining her understanding of the Craft& Design sector and her business background, she has developed an expertise in supporting creative businesses. She has worked in state-funded organisations for the past 10 years supporting the creative sector and their clients, in London and Dublin. She was the programme manager of two flagship ERDF-funded programmes supporting over 1,000 creative businesses in London to access new markets and develop new products.
Originally from France, Florence has adopted Ireland as her home since 1998and lived in 4 European countries, including 8 years in London. Florence brings a European outlook to her approach. She has helped networks and businesses to explore overseas markets and develop export strategies.
Florence is a trainer and a mentor with Design & Crafts Council Ireland and a Business Growth Advisor with Enterprise Ireland.
Our panel of experts
We have access to a network of experts nationally and internationally to cover specialist areas when required by the needs of our clients
