David Patton (below), a former CEO of Grey Europe, Y&R globally and an award-winning client at Sony, has been appointed CEO of D&AD. D&AD, formerly Design & Art Directors Association, runs one of the big global ad awards and champions design and commercial creativity.
At Sony Patton backed some of the most celebrated and influential commercial work of recent years, including PlayStation’s Double Life and the multi-D&AD Pencil-winning Sony Bravia ‘Balls’ campaign. He has also been global president of The Mill and MPC Advertising and CEO of visual effects and animation studio Jellyfish Pictures.
Patton says: “Having worked across agencies and in-house teams, I’ve seen first-hand that creative excellence is shaped by the whole industry, from emerging talent to global creative organisations. As the industry continues to evolve, D&AD will play a vital role in supporting talent and setting the standards that drive creative excellence forward.
“Programmes such as Shift, New Blood and D&AD’s learning initiatives are vital in opening up the industry and nurturing the next generation of creative talent. I’m excited to build on D&AD’s legacy of championing creative excellence and continuing to push the boundaries of what our industry can achieve.”
D&AD chairman Tim Lindsay says: “David’s remarkable career has been the perfect preparation for running D&AD. He’s championed creative excellence and built environments for it to thrive wherever he’s been. And at a time when the industry is experiencing seismic changes, his record of setting high creative standards, nurturing creative talent, supporting creative learning and setting himself new challenges will help propel D&AD into a bright future.”
