The Design Institute of Australia have elected Joanne Cys FDIA as their new National President.

Cys, an interior designer and academic from South Australia, replaces industrial designer David Robertson FDIA. Cys is aiming to increase the role of the DIA within the Australian and international design scene.

‘The DIA needs to make a concerted effort to speak out regularly in public and government forums locally, nationally and internationally, not only on issues of design, but also on areas that design expertise can contribute to,” she says.
 
Through her presidency, she hopes to gain greater recognition of the role of designers throughout the country.
 
‘We also need to champion and service employed designers – the often unseen and unacknowledged practitioners who work for others within manufacturing companies, government departments, architectural practices and other organisations.”