Mark Bonner, founder and co-creative director of design consultancy GBH, is D&AD’s new president.

Twenty-three years ago (1991), a younger Mark Bonner entered the D&AD New Blood Programme as a Kingston University student. So his adland career began with a D&AD New Blood Yellow Pencil.

Then, at the Royal College of Art, he met Jason Gregory and Peter Hale. The three founded GBH in 1999.

Bonner has added four Yellow Pencils to his stash since then.

In 2011, he was elected as a D&AD trustee. Now he adds his name to the list of adland greats who have held office as president of D&AD, 2014-5

Andy Sandoz, creative partner at Work Club has become D&AD deputy president, and will take over as president in September 2015.

Bonner’s D&AD retrospective for its 50th anniversary

Outgoing president, Laura Jordan-Bambach, will remain on the D&AD Board of Trustees for one final year.

Seven new creatives have been elected to sit on the D&AD Board of Trustees:

• Rosie Bardales, executive creative director and partner, BETC London
• Harriet Devoy, creative director of design, marketing communications, Apple EMEA
• Thomas Fitzmaurice, junior designer, Interbrand [New Blood Trustee]
• Dan Germain, global head of brand and creative, Innocent
• Andrew Lawrence, creative director, Elmwood
• Nils Leonard, chief creative officer, Grey London
• Steve Vranakis, executive creative director, Google Creative Lab

“As a designer, the Yellow Pencil has always been the ultimate aspiration… but having won some, now it’s winning a Black Pencil that keeps me awake at night. D&AD has been a big inspiration in my career, so to take on the role of President of this great association is a real honour,” Bonner noted.

“As President, I’m interested in exploring the space beyond the disciplines, the ‘white space’ in-between. Creatives have always instinctively defined themselves by a category or a skill, but we’re in an era where convergence within communications is all encompassing. Our industry is thriving thanks to a generation of creatives and clients that collide the disciplines in order to cut through. Today, the only creative discipline that really matters is excellence.

“It’s a mind-set we need to encourage amongst our young, emerging creatives too. It’s a ‘No Fear’ approach to creativity without boundaries, which I think is tremendously motivating to young creatives. To that point, I’m keen to continue the growth of the D&AD Foundation and help realise the ambitions we set out two years ago to help to find new ways to amplify talent with education, regardless of privilege.

“Local authority grant funding, initiatives like the D&AD New Blood Awards and bursaries from organisations such as the RSA enabled me to ignite a career in design. Today, many of these opportunities are being gradually taken away, so D&AD has a very important role to play in protecting our industry’s future, both here and abroad.”

The D&AD Board of Trustees represents the full breadth of the advertising, design and digital industries. As a member-run organisation, the elected board is responsible for the overall direction of D&AD, its programmes and where its money is spent. Any Awarded member of D&AD is eligible to stand for election to the Board of Trustees, which is voted on by D&AD Awarded and Full members. Each elected trustee serves a term of three years, with between seven and eight new trustees elected each year.

No Two Mamas are Alike: In-Book, Branding for Mama Shelter, by GBH, D&AD 2013

Tim Lindsay, chief executive, D&AD commented, “This is always a refreshing time of year; full of optimism as we raise the curtain on a new year at D&AD and welcome in a fresh, supremely talented collection of creative leaders to the fold. I’ve no doubt they’re raring to go and full of ideas for the future.

“I wish to say thank you to Laura, who has worked tirelessly and brilliantly for D&AD and been a great ambassador for the creative industries as a whole; and also to welcome in Mark Bonner, whose infectious passion and drive to take D&AD to even greater heights I’m sure will inspire us all.

“With an international calendar of events, a new home for our famous D&AD Judging, plans for the most ambitious New Blood programme yet and some great new developments with the D&AD Foundation, it’s shaping up to be an exciting year ahead.”