AboutWorkContact
Katrina
Mallillin
I design programs, partnerships, and learning experiences that help creatives, enterprises, and communities grow.
Working across creative industries, education, and innovation, I turn complex ambitions into roadmaps, incubators, and learning experiences that people can put into practice.
BASED IN
Metro Manila, Philippines
AREAS OF PRACTICE
Creative ecosystem development · Program and learning design · Facilitation · Multi-stakeholder partnerships
Designing not only creative work, but the conditions that allow it to thrive.
AboutFor more than a decade, I have worked across the creative sector, education, business, government, and international development.
I began my career in graphic design, art direction, and marketing before expanding into program design and management, learning experience design, facilitation, ecosystem development, and multi-stakeholder collaboration.
This combination allows me to move between strategy and execution: understanding a complex challenge, bringing the right people together, and building a clear path from an idea to measurable action.
As a Chevening Awards Scholar, I completed a Master of Science in Managing Innovation and Creative Organisations at Loughborough University London, graduating with Distinction.
These experiences and new perspective now inform my work with national and international organisations and initiatives I contributed to, including the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), United Nations DESA, the British Council Philippines, Hyper Island APAC, Thames International, and Museo Pambata.
Across these engagements, I have developed creative-city roadmaps, designed incubation and capacity-building programs for startups and MSMEs, facilitated strategic planning with government and industry leaders, managed cross-border learning experiences, and created campaigns that connect organisations with their audiences.
At the centre of my work is a continuing interest in how creative people learn, collaborate, build sustainable ventures, and contribute to the development of their communities.
Areas of Practice
CREATIVE ECOSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
I work with cities, councils, government agencies, and industry stakeholders to understand their creative ecosystems and develop shared strategies, roadmaps, and programs.
PROGRAM AND LEARNING EXPERIENCE DESIGN
I develop and manage initiatives from initial research and concept development through implementation, facilitation, monitoring, and reporting.
FACILITATION AND PARTNERSHIPS
I design participatory processes that help people from different sectors align around shared priorities and turn discussion into action.
CREATIVE STRATEGY AND COMMUNICATION
Drawing from my background in design and marketing, I help organisations clarify their positioning, strengthen their identity, and communicate with purpose.
Education
Loughborough University London
MSc Managing Innovation in Creative Organisations
Chevening Awards Scholar 2020-2021
United Kingdom
2022
Thames International
Management Diploma in Innovation and Creative Entrepreneurship
Philippines
2018
Ateneo de Manila Univerrsity
BFA Information Design
Philippines
2014
Teaching and Capacity BuildingACADEMIC TEACHING
Thames International School
Program Director, Innovation and Creative Entrepreneurship (ICE) Program
Lecturer, Digital Marketing and Photography
2018-2023
St. Paul University Manila
Guest Lecturer, Graphic Design and Photography
2019
PROGRAM DESIGN AND FACILITATION ENGAGEMENTS
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Zamboanga City Office
Zamboanga City Creative Industries Roadmap 2027-2030
2026
National Development Company, in partnership with Thames International
Incubator Program for Creative Industry Startups and MSMES, Philippine Innovation Hub - Marikina Enterprise Center
2026
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), in partnership with Thames International
Micro-credential Course Designer and Trainer
• Implement Design Thinking Level III
• Lead and Manage Creatives Level II
•
Implement Marketing Strategy for Creatives Level II
2025
Department of Trade and Industry, funded by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
Development of Roadmaps in Strengthening the Capacity of Innovation and Creativity of Potential UNESCO Creative Cities in the Philippines
2024
City Government of Tagbilaran, Bohol
Creative Tourism and Entrepreneurship Program
2024
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in partnership with Thames International and DTI Bureau of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
Creative Accelerating Growth of MSMEs in the Philippines for Sustainable Development Goals Part 2
Module Developer and Trainer
• Applying the SDGs in Creative MSME Leadership and Management
• Marketing for Creatives
2024
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region XI
Creative A.G.E. for SDGs: Accelerating Growth for MSMEs Workshop
2024
Municipal Government of Sasmuan, Pampanga
Creative Placemaking Program
2024
I welcome collaborations that connect creativity across culture, education, research, and social development.
CONTACT Send an email
LinkedIn
Last Updated 26.09.09 Selected Work
Projects
01Zamboanga City Creative Industries Roadmap 2027-2030
Department of Trade and Industry - Zamboanga City Office
Program Design and Facilitation2026
02First Incubator Program, Philippine Innovation Hub - Marikina Enterprise Center
National Development Company (NDC)Management, Program Design, and Facilitation2026
03TESDA Micro-Credentials on Creative Industries
Thames International and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)Course Design and Facilitation2025
04Development of Roadmaps in Strengthening the Capacity of Innovation and Creativity of Potential UNESCO Creative Cities in the PhilippinesDepartment of Trade and Industry, funded by the National Economic and Development Authority
Program Design and Facilitation2024
05The Impact of Entrepreneurial Education on the Development of Philippine Creative VenturesMaster’s Dissertation, Loughborough University LondonReserach 2022
Selected Work
PROGRAM DESIGN · FACILITATION · 2026
Zamboanga City Creative Roadmap 2027-2030
The Zamboanga City Creative Industries Roadmap 2027–2030 was developed through a participatory planning process in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry–Zamboanga City Office and the Zamboanga Creative Industries Council. More than a planning document, the roadmap was conceived as a shared framework for strengthening the city’s creative ecosystem and aligning its stakeholders around a common direction.
The process brought together representatives from government, the creative industries, business, academia, cultural institutions, and other sectors. A crucial part of the discussion was identifying Zamboanga’s anchor or primary creative domain—the area that could provide a clear focus for the city’s identity, investments, programs, and future development. As facilitator, I guided stakeholders in assessing the city’s creative assets, capabilities, opportunities, and aspirations, leading them towards a shared strategic decision.
The process also surfaced ecosystem gaps, priorities, and coordinated actions, which I synthesised into technical recommendations for the roadmap’s finalisation and implementation. The project reflects my approach to ecosystem development: combining systems thinking, participatory design, and local knowledge to help diverse stakeholders make consequential decisions and transform collective ambition into an actionable strategy with shared ownership.
ROLEFacilitator
DETAILSAugust 2026
Zamboanga City, Philippines
OUTPUT• Draft roadmap 2027-2030
COLLABORATORDepartment of Trade and Industry (DTI) Zamboanga City Office Selected Work
MANAGEMENT · PROGRAM DESIGN · FACILITATION · 2026
The first incubator program of the Philippine Innovation Hub–Marikina Enterprise Center for Creative MSMEs and Startups
The C.A.T.A.L.Y.S.T. Pilot Program—Creative Alliance for Technical Assistance and Linkages Yielding Strategic Transformation—was developed by Thames International in partnership with the National Development Company as the first incubator program of the Philippine Innovation Hub–Marikina Enterprise Center. More than a standalone training initiative, it served as a proof of concept for how the Hub could support the long-term growth of creative-industry startups and MSMEs through learning, mentorship, market access, and meaningful ecosystem connections.
As Project Lead, I directed a multidisciplinary team of subject-matter experts in innovation, education, creative industries, and business incubation. Together, we translated the Hub’s institutional vision into an operational incubation journey, guiding 13 enterprises from onboarding and capacity building to growth-readiness activities and connections with government, industry, academia, investors, and enterprise-support organisations.
The pilot was complemented by a five-year roadmap defining how the Hub could maximise its facilities and resources, expand its services, and develop into a sustainable platform for enterprise and ecosystem growth. I led the roadmap’s development, connecting insights from the pilot with the Hub’s longer-term operational and strategic direction.
The project reflects my wider practice: aligning diverse expertise, designing transformative learning experiences, and building the structures and partnerships needed to turn institutional ambitions into working systems with clear pathways for growth and impact. The pilot received a participant satisfaction rating of 4.9 out of 5.
ROLEProject Lead
DETAILSMarch to July 2026
Marikina City, Philippines
OUTPUT• C.A.T.A.L.Y.S.T. Incubator Program for Creative Startups and MSMEs
• Five-year Roadmap for the Hub
COLLABORATORNational Development Company (NDC) Selected Work
PROGRAM DESIGN · FACILITATION · 2024
Strengthening the innovation and creative capacity of potential and emerging UNESCO Creative Cities in the Philippines
Developed with Thames International, in partnership the Department of Trade and Industry, and funded by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the initiative supported five emerging creative cities and 30 creative-council representatives in developing strategic and actionable roadmaps for their local creative economies.
Each city brought a distinct combination of cultural assets, creative communities, institutional capacities, and development priorities. Through a structured series of workshops and consultations, participants mapped their creative ecosystems, identified strengths and gaps, established a shared direction, and translated their ambitions into locally grounded strategies and coordinated actions.
As Program Designer and Facilitator, I developed the overall learning and engagement process and guided stakeholders through the discussions, decisions, and collaborative activities required to create each roadmap. The process strengthened alignment among government, industry, academia, and cultural organisations while helping each city define a development pathway grounded in its identity and context.
The initiative reflects my approach to place-based ecosystem development: designing participatory processes that help communities recognise the value of their creative assets, make collective strategic decisions, and build practical pathways towards inclusive and sustainable development—and greater readiness to pursue UNESCO Creative City designation.
ROLEProgram Designer
Facilitator
DETAILSSeptember to December 2024
Makati City, Philippines
OUTPUT• Creative City Roadmaps for the five emerging Philippines creative cities
COLLABORATORThames International, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), funded by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Selected Work
RESEARCH · 2022
The Impact of Entrepreneurial Education on the Development of Philippine Creative Ventures
Completed as part of my MSc in Managing Innovation and Creative Organisations at Loughborough University London, the dissertation examined how entrepreneurial education can support the development of creative ventures in the Philippines. The research explored the role of learning in helping creative practitioners strengthen their business capabilities, respond to the realities of entrepreneurship, and develop more sustainable paths for their ventures.
The study brought together my experience across creative practice, education, and enterprise development. It considered entrepreneurship education not simply as the transfer of business knowledge, but as a process that must respond to the distinct identities, motivations, working conditions, and development needs of people operating within the creative industries.
Awarded Distinction, the research continues to inform my approach to incubation and learning experience design: creating practice-based programs that connect knowledge with real opportunities for application, growth, collaboration, and resource mobilisation. It also established a foundation for my continuing interest in how education can strengthen creative enterprises and contribute to a more resilient creative ecosystem.