The global recognition aims to celebrate a partnership led by Allan Gray and built with Accenture Song South Africa, one that reimagined Women's Day as a tribute to the women, past and present, who have quietly shaped the country, says the duo.
"This accolade came as a complete surprise," says Zwelethu Nkosi, Group Head of Marketing at Allan Gray. "A D&AD Pencil is awarded to only a small fraction of the work entered each year, so to be recognised at all is an exceptional achievement, and a real credit to everyone who helped shape it."
Widely regarded as an honour in global creativity, D&AD has championed excellence in design and commercial creativity since 1962. The Wood Pencil aims to honour the best work of the year in advertising, design, craft, culture and impact, says the duo.
'A Seat at the Table' aimed to combine deep research, spatial design, perspective-led writing, photography and binaural audio into a single gallery-style experience, and a take-home commemorative book ensured that each story travels well beyond the room, adds the duo.
Reframing Women's Day
Women's Day marks the 1956 march of 20 000 women to the Union Buildings in protest against apartheid pass laws. For Allan Gray, a long-term investment management firm built on the goal of recognising overlooked potential, the work set out to celebrate South Africa's pioneering founders. These are the women who took their seats, often without recognition, and used them to drive change, says the duo.
The project was initiated following the passing of Mrs Gill Gray, to celebrate the quiet, yet impactful women who are often out of the spotlight. The brief was to honour their legacy by celebrating founders and pioneering women who have taken their seats and used them to build, lead and create lasting change, adds the duo.
Allan Gray wanted to mark the day in a way that felt meaningful, memorable, and thought-provoking. They also said they wanted to restore the day's significance and potential for long-term progress.
"I'm immensely proud of 'A Seat at the Table' and the way we brought it to life," says Nkosi. "At Allan Gray, we strive to do work with purpose and meaning, knowing that a brilliant idea needs equally brilliant execution to be fully realised. The work set out to honour the women who used their seats to drive change and to inspire others to use the seats they occupy to pay it forward. To see it become the only South African work awarded at this year's D&AD is an incredible honour, and proof of the talent and creativity that resides in Mzansi. It took a village."
Seats as Storytellers
Presented in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town in the week before Women's Day 2025, the experience aimed to invite guests into the lives of pioneering South African women through the diverse seats they once occupied: from a straight-backed educator's chair, to a curator's worn stool and an artist's seat, each period-accurate and meticulously curated, says the duo.
Among those honoured was educator, publisher and activist Nokutela Mdima-Dube, whose contribution to South African history was long overshadowed by that of her husband.
More Than a Moment
More than 200 women, comprising founders, clients, advisers and leaders from across the financial industry, moved through the experience, spending an average of 42 minutes with the installation. The work was also amplified online more than 140 times. Guests described it as, "not just another Women's Day event" and, "world-class".
"What we loved about the brief from Allan Gray was that it gave us a unique approach to telling South African stories that deserve to be better known," says Kyra Antrobus, Group Creative Director at Accenture Song. "It's very rewarding to see the level of human-made care, commitment and detail that the Allan Gray and Song teams brought to the project recognised by a jury like D&AD."
For Allan Gray, the accolade validates an approach that favours substance over symbolism and the creation of insightful and meaningful work. It places a distinctly South African story, and the partnership behind it on the creative stage, concludes the duo.
For more information, visit www.accenture.com.
*Image courtesy of contributor