Nils Leonard Takes D&AD Presidency for 2026/2027

D&AD has named Nils Leonard as its President for the 2026/2027 term. The announcement, reported by adobo Magazine on the trade press wire, confirms the organisation's next two-year leadership cycle before the current term has closed.

That is, at this stage, the full extent of what the announcement says. D&AD has not yet published the handover date, the voting or appointment mechanism behind the selection, or the programme Leonard intends to run. Every claim below is therefore a reading of the single confirmed fact, not a report of additional detail.

Who is taking the post?

Leonard is a known figure in the advertising industry, and the presidency is a named, dated position: 2026/2027. Beyond that pairing of name and term, the announcement carries no biographical material, no statement from Leonard, and no comment from D&AD's current leadership. Adobo Magazine's report consists of the appointment itself.

What does the appointment change for entrants?

Practically, nothing yet. The D&AD Presidency is a two-year figurehead and advocacy role attached to the awards body best known for its Pencil trophies; it does not, on the evidence of this announcement, alter judging panels, categories, or entry mechanics. Entrants and agencies should expect the material consequences — if any — to surface in the usual channels: the annual call for entries, the jury announcements, and the festival programme for 2026.

The timing does give the race one fixed point. With the 2026/2027 term now assigned, D&AD has locked its leadership slate ahead of the next awards cycle, which removes a variable that organisations sometimes leave open until late in the year.

What is not in the announcement?

Three absences stand out.

• No start date. D&AD presidencies typically align with the annual festival, but the announcement does not say when Leonard formally assumes the role.
• No selection detail. Whether the appointment came through the D&AD board, a council vote, or an invitation is unstated.
• No agenda. Leonard's stated priorities for the term — if he has set any publicly — do not appear in the report.

Each of these gaps is a question the trade press will press in the coming weeks, and each answer will do more to shape the 2026 race than the headline itself.

The pattern to watch

D&AD names its President on a two-year cycle, and the 2026/2027 designation signals continuity rather than structural reform. If the organisation intended a change to its awards format or governance, an announcement of this kind would be an unusual vehicle for it.

Watch instead for the follow-up statements: a quote from Leonard on his priorities, a handover note from the outgoing President, and the first jury list under the new term. Those documents, not this headline, will tell entrants what the next two years hold.

For now, the fact is the story: Nils Leonard, President of D&AD, 2026/2027.