Donal has spent much of his career at D&AD (Design and Art Direction), having first started in 2007 Donal has worked his way through the Awards Team, where they now operate as Awards Director of D&AD’s Global awards programme, rewarding the very best in global design, advertising and creative communications as well as heading up the relaunch of the D&AD Festival in-person for the first time since 2019.
Donal has overseen many developments in the expansion of the Awards programme, through the additions of Gaming and Virtual Worlds in 2021, public relations and media awards in 2017 and the development and running of the D&AD Impact Awards that launched in 2011.
In 2013 new projects meant Donal also acted as a consultant managing the development and operational launch of the Kyoorius Awards in India, a now well-established regional Award rewarding the best in Indian Design and Advertising.
Donal is also an active speaker having delivered keynotes at many international events for D&AD Australia, Germany, USA and the UK and at such festivals as CreatiVision – 4A Festival of China, Yerevan Outdoor Advertising Festival, and Shanghai International Advertising Festival.
Prior to D&AD, Donal graduated with a first-class bachelor’s degree in Fine Art and a degree in Art and Design from Cluain Mhuire Art Campus – Galway Institute of Technology, Ireland.
