Christopher McLean

President, Heroic Design Inc.

Christopher McLean (P.Eng., Mechanical) has 30 years of design leadership experience in startups. As the founder of Heroic Design, his software guides product designers through the conceptual design process and pairs them with an AI co-creator, so they can design products that people actually buy and love. As an Adjunct Professor at UBC, he teaches product design to engineers.

He previously co-founded Espro to improve coffee quality for home baristas and coffee shops. He led design, overseas manufacturing, and intellectual property. Espro’s products were sold through major retailers, including Starbucks, Williams Sonoma, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Espro was sold in 2018.

He also designed gas purification plants for renewable energy: hydrogen for refueling stations, oxygen for fuel-cell vehicles, and biogas for energy recovery and greenhouse gas reduction.