Cathy Treadaway PhD is Professor Emerita at Cardiff Metropolitan University, and Research Director of HUG by LAUGH Ltd. She is an experienced designer, academic researcher and writer who has pioneered Compassionate Design as an approach for designing for people living with dementia. Cathy has led a number of major ‘design for dementia’ research projects including LAUGH, and LAUGH EMPOWERED, funded by UK and Welsh Government in partnership with NHS and social care providers. HUG, a sensory product designed to soothe and reduce anxiety, was successfully developed from this research and is now commercially available.

Cathy is widely published internationally, and her work has featured in UK national press, TV and radio. She is passionate about involving people living with dementia in the design process and works closely with Alzheimer’s Society in the UK. She was one of the contributors to the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia and Co-Creation guide to designing products and services for people affected by dementia.