Nine professionals from the UAE join the 2026 Cannes Lions Shortlisting Jury, bringing the country’s total representation at this year’s Festival to 27.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced its Shortlisting Jury for the 73rd edition of the Festival, taking place in Cannes, France, from 22–26 June 2026.

Nine industry leaders from the UAE will take part in the initial judging phase, shortlisting world-class creative work that will go on to be judged, awarded, and celebrated at the Festival.

This announcement follows the earlier confirmation of 18 Awarding Jurors from the UAE, including the Luxury Lions Jury, bringing the nation’s total representation at this year’s Festival to 27. This surpasses the record set in 2025 and affirms the UAE’s place as one of the most influential creative communities on the global stage.

Commenting on this year’s global Shortlisting Jury announcement, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “The Shortlisting Jury play a crucial role in the Awards. Their work in recognising groundbreaking creativity establishes the standard of excellence celebrated at the Festival. This year’s line-up brings together an exceptional cohort of talent from across a breadth of specialisms and markets. Their unique expertise will ensure the shortlist champions the innovative work driving the industry forward.“

The 2026 Cannes Lions Shortlisting Jury Members from the UAE have been named as:

Brand Experience & Activation Lions:
Humza Ijaz, Managing Director, Head of Design and Digital Products, Accenture Song, Middle East

Direct:
Alex Pineda, Chief Creative Officer, Horizon FCB, MENA

Direct:
Sally Alzaza, Regional Creative Director, Interesting Times, MENA

Health & Wellness:
Mohamed El Nagdy, Creative Director, ‿ and us, UAE

Media:
Hemalatha Subramanian, Omnichannel Marketing Lead, M.H.Alshaya, UAE

Media:
Maya Kusybi, Business Director – Strategy, Zenith Media, MENA

Outdoor:
Mohamed Bareche, Executive Creative Director, Havas, Paris and Middle East

Outdoor:
Ramy El Sakka, Chief Creative Officer, BPG, UAE

PR:
Khaled Elseginy, Head of Brand Communications, Feminine Care and Levant E2E Commercial Lead, P&G, Asia, Middle East and Africa

You can see the full list of Global Presidents and Awarding and Shortlisting Juries here.

Further information on this year’s Festival and the Lions Awards can be found at visit www.canneslions.com.

Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan are the official representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE.

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