Esme Palaganas

About

Overview

Maria Esmeralda (Esme) Palaganas is a PhD student in Management in the Technology and Innovation Group at Bayes Business School. Her doctoral research investigates how artificial intelligence reshapes agency and socio-technical systems within creative work, focusing on the evolving interactions between human and technological actors. She is a 2025 Bayes Studentship recipient and a 2021 Chevening Scholar funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Esme’s academic focus builds on over a decade of experience spanning entrepreneurship, design, and public policy. She previously founded a design studio (partnering with brands as L'Oréal and Melissa) and multi-brand e-commerce arm, and co-founded an incubator retail program in the Philippines. As an innovation consultant, she led cross-functional strategy between creative teams in Manila and Tokyo, advised regional brands on growth and intellectual property, and served as innovation lead for a Philippine national government agency, applying design thinking to digital transformation across regulatory and financial services.

In public policy and advocacy, Esme served as Policy Chairperson for a national Philippine creative industries organization, contributing to regional development, IP frameworks, and the passage of the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act. An active contributor to the academic and creative communities, Esme has authored pieces on technology, culture, and policy for Vogue Philippines and The Philippine Star, designed university curricula, and delivered guest lectures at Ateneo de Manila University and University College London.

Her research has been presented at the 42nd EGOS Colloquium and the LSE Theorising Data & AI Conference. At the Institute of Creativity and AI, she co-authored work in Technovation and chaired the Responsible AI, Trust, and Policy Engagement panel for the 2026 Bayes AI Global Forum.

Qualifications

• PhD in Management, Bayes Business School, United Kingdom, 2025 - 2029
• AI Governance, BlueDot Impact, United Kingdom, 2025
• CopyrightX via University of Turin, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, 2025
• Intellectual Property in Business, (ASEAN) Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Indonesia, 2024
• Masters in Innovation - Creativity, Innovation, and Leadership, Bayes Business School, United Kingdom, 2021 - 2022
• Bachelor of Arts - Fashion Design and Merchandising, De La Salle - College of St Benilde, Philippines, 2010 - 2014

Employment

• Graduate Teaching Assistant, Bayes Business School, United Kingdom, October 2026 - present
• Graduate Teaching Assistant, Imperial College London, United Kingdom, September 2026 - present
• Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, SoFA Design Insitute, Philippines, 2024
• Lecturer - Creative Industries Management, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Philippines, 2023
• Innovation Consultant and Design Thinking Specialist, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippines, 2023 - 2025
• Lecturer - Marketing and Management, Art Direction and Advertising Visualisation, De La Salle University, Philippines, 2022 - 2023
• Strategy Specialist, Bayes Business School, United Kingdom, 2022 - 2023
• Chairperson - Policy & Planning Committee, Philippine Fashion Coalition, Philippines, 2021 - 2025
• Chairperson - Special Projects, Philippine Fashion Coalition, Philippines, 2020 - 2021

Fellowships

• Culture, Arts and Society Program (Art and AI Governance), Salzburg Global, 2024 - present

Memberships of professional organisations

• UNCTAD eTrade for Women, July 2020 - present

Languages

English (can read, write, speak, understand spoken) and Filipino; Pilipino (can read, write, speak, understand spoken)

Research students

1^stsupervisor

• Dr Sara Jones, Reader in Creative Interactive System Design

2^ndsupervisor

• Professor Feng Li FBAM FAcSS, Associate Dean, Research and Innovation

Publications