Glenn Dady, award-winning, 40-year veteran to assume management role in January
Stan Richards, founder and creative director of The Richards Group, announced his successor. Glenn Dady, who joined The Richards Group 39 years ago and has led creative direction for some of the agency’s most iconic work, will take the helm of daily operations effective January 1.
Richards, 87, has no plans to retire. The news was shared with the agency’s 752 employees during their annual year-end meeting, and agency clients were alerted shortly thereafter.
“Now is the time to name my successor, while I’m still active and engaged in the business. Beginning January 1, Glenn will assume the day-to-day duties of managing the agency,” said Richards. “Glenn has been by my side for nearly four decades and has played a critical role in making The Richards Group what it is today. He has always been one of the most innovative, imaginative creative leaders of the agency — but maybe most importantly, no one has done more to identify and nurture the talent so critical to the work we do than Glenn.”
Richards, who started his eponymous firm over 40 years ago, will remain actively engaged as Dady, 67, transitions into the new post. “I’m not going anywhere and will still come to work every day doing the thing I love most: making sure our creative product continues to get better,” said Richards.
Dady joined The Richards Group in 1980 after graduating first in his class from ArtCenter College of Design. Advertising Age named him one of the “100 Best and Brightest Young People in Advertising.” Adweek has named him to their Creative All-Star Team four times, and his art direction and design have been honored repeatedly by The Art Directors Club, The One Show, Communication Arts, Lürzer’s Archive, the Clios, and Cannes. Instrumental in the creation of campaigns for hundreds of brands over the last four decades, Dady’s creative imprint can also be found on work for current agency clients Go RVing, Biltmore Estate, NatureSweet Tomatoes, Sub-Zero, Wolf, Jeep, Ram, and Alfa Romeo.
“For me, it’s all about the work. If the work is great, most everything else will take care of itself,” said Dady, who will take the title of principal/creative director upon the transition. “Obviously, we’ll remain fiercely independent, as Stan has always intended. It’s such a luxury not to be concerned about shareholders, numbers, or politics. And continuing to have Stan in the office every day is the ideal situation for me — being able to bounce ideas off him and go to him for advice and counsel. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
The announcement was met with enthusiasm and support from the agency, its partners, and its many clients. “Glenn is an extraordinary human being. As humble as he is talented. Fair, kind, and smart — we are in great hands,” said Richards. “This is clearly a very personal and professional decision for me, and there’s no one more qualified to continue to keep us at the forefront of the industry than Glenn Dady.”
About The Richards Group
The Richards Group, located in Dallas, is the largest independent brand-building shop in the nation. Clients include Keurig Dr Pepper, Charles Schwab, The Home Depot, Motel 6, Orkin, Ram Trucks, The Salvation Army, Sub-Zero, Wolf, and many others. The Richards Group can be found at richards.com or on Twitter @RichardsGroup
