At its AGM on 2 November 2023, it was announced that DIA Member Director Ryan Russell has been appointed as Chair designate and will take up the position of Chair at the next DIA AGM to be held on 31 October 2024. The Chair position also holds the President role and leads the National Advisory Council (NAC).

Ryan's experience as a designer has crossed the fields of architecture and interior design, industrial design, theatre and exhibition design. He has worked on projects as small as the design of a door handle up to the size of skyscrapers, across five continents. In 2007, he won the National Interior Design Award for Emerging Practice, and in 2010 he merged his business with Byron George, creating Russell & George.

He is most well known for his interior designs, with notable works for Aésop, Ishizuka, Medibank, Society and Yakimono. Described as a strategist, futurist and entrepreneur in the industry, he now ventures into the fields of information technology, augmented and virtual reality and software development. He greatly assisted DIA national office in the transformation of its digital platforms and has a good understanding of the organisation.

Current and outgoing President Gavin Campbell says...

"Ryan is the right person to build on the transformation that commenced in 2019, a direction which recognises of the value of design, designers and the contribution the profession makes to a better Australia. He has been part of this process, and will continue the critical work as we move forward as a design community on a journey of advocacy and promotion of all design disciplines."  

Asked about taking on the role, Ryan says...

"Our design industry is at a turning point. I believe that our connections across the different design disciplines makes us stronger together, allowing us to shape our future as a collective within the broader social, economic and cultural contexts we are all experiencing. I look forward to working with our members, the DIA Board, NAC and our national office team to help shape this future direction."

Current DIA President Gavin Campbell and CEO Jo Kellock, along with members and staff welcome Ryan and look forward to working with him as he transitions to the new role.