Dick Powell to take over as D&AD chairman

Powell, the only person to have twice been D&AD president, has agreed a three-year deal with D&AD. He anticipates a handover period with Simonds-Gooding will run until September, when Simon ’Sanky’ Sankarayya of All of Us succeeds Paul Brazier of ad agency AMV BBDO as D&AD president.

The chairman’s role is part time and, says D&AD chief executive Tim O’Kennedy, carries a small stipend. As well as chairing the board of elected members, the chairman acts as a mentor for the executive, says O’Kennedy.

’It is not my job to run D&AD,’ says Powell. ’I will watch over the team and mentor them, and make sure a vision is in place for the future.’ Powell was appointed by O’Kennedy with Brazier and Sankarayya from among half a dozen contenders, including ad industry ’luminaries’, top designers and clients.

He was initially proposed by Simonds-Gooding, having said he’d love to do the job while president. O’Kennedy, Brazier and Sankarayya decidedthey’d ’be nuts’ not to appoint Powell. ’He is a rare bird,’ says O’Kennedy.

’He represents a branch of design [product design] that isn’t in the square of things for D&AD, so doesn’t crowd the space of the president. He is highly articulate, creatively driven and runs a finely tuned business machine.

He also has a genuinely heartfelt passion for the education side of D&AD.’ O’Kennedy also cites ’excellent relations’ in the Far East as a deciding factor in the choice, as D&AD has aspirations for setting up an outpost there.