100% design director William Knight is leaving his London post to head up Dubai Design Week.
Knight has been appointed managing director and head of design for the Art Dubai Group, which produces Dubai Design Week as well as the trade show Downtown Design and collectible design fair Design Days Dubai.
He takes over from outgoing director Cyril Zammit and will oversee all three of the events as part of his role. Knight is known for his time spearheading London design events through the London Design Festival (LDF), Clerkenwell Design Week and the UK's Design Council.
His appointment signals an ongoing commitment from the Art Dubai Group to growing Dubai Design Week, which began in 2015, into a key global design event. "[Dubai] is already the region's design hub and is primed to become one of the world's key design destinations," said Knight. "I'm hugely excited by the opportunity to develop a unique, sustainable and globally relevant series of events and to contribute to the swiftly evolving design culture in Dubai."

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The new role means Knight will no longer serve as event director of London trade show 100% Design. He was appointed by the fair's new owners Media 10 in 2012 and tasked with reinvigorating it.
The trade show is now a major component of the LDF, another event marked by Knight's finger...