The UAE jury members will collaborate closely with awarding jurors from 54 markets to recognize and honor outstanding work from around the world at this year’s festival
Cannes Lions has unveiled the cohort of global experts selected to award the world’s finest creative and effective work, setting the standard for excellence this June at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. Among the distinguished jury members announced, this year will feature thirteen representatives from the United Arab Emirates.
The 71st edition of Cannes Lions will witness Leo Burnett’s Kalpesh Patankar serving as the first Jury President for Industry Craft Lions from the MENA region, marking the second consecutive jury representation in two years.
Commenting on the Jury, Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS, said: “We’re delighted to have a balance and breadth of expertise and global representation across our Juries. The Awarding Juries represent the global industry’s leading talent from a diverse range of disciplines, and we welcome the unique perspectives they bring. We thank them for their time, dedication, and care in setting the global creative benchmark for our industry.”
Regarding the Cannes Lions jury panel from the UAE, Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner of Motivate Media Group, said, “We are excited to see the continuous increase in the UAE’s footprint at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. Kalpesh Patankar’s appointment as the second consecutive jury president in two years serves as a clear indication of the creative industry’s development here, steered by a diverse and talented group of experts. This reflects the UAE’s steadfast dedication to upholding standards of excellence and innovation in advertising, marketing, and communications. With a further twelve talented jury members, each bringing their own unique perspectives to the judging process, this is a great representation of our region at the international level.”
The 2024 Awarding Jury Members from the UAE have been named as:
Brand Experience & Activation:
Nayaab Rais, Senior Creative Director, FP7 McCann Dubai
Creative Commerce:
Sebastien Boutebel, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi ME
Creative Effectiveness:
Islam Eldessouky, Global VP, Creative & Strategy, Coca-Cola TM
Digital Craft:
Stacy Andersen, Head of Digital Transformation & Innovation, Merkle MENAT
Direct:
Saymon Medeiros, Creative Director, and us
Entertainment Lions For Music:
Pierre Carnet, Managing Director, MENA, MassiveMusic
Film:
Camila Venegas Gomez, Associate Creative Director, M&C Saatchi
Industry Craft (Jury President):
Kalpesh Patankar, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett
Media
Elda Choucair, Chief Executive Officer, Omnicom Media Group (MENA)
Pharma
Darius LaBelle, President, BPG Group
PR
Marie Claire Maalouf, Chief Creative Officer, Edelman
Radio & Audio
Federico Fanti, Chief Creative Officer, FP7 McCann Dubai
Titanium
Ali Rez, Chief Creative Officer, Impact BBDO
With shortlisting jury line-up alongside the Luxury & Lifestyle Lions Jury to be announced soon, see the full list of Global Presidents and Awarding 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.
Source: Cannes Lions
Kalpesh Patankar from Leo Burnett UAE serves first Jury President for Industry Craft Lions from the MENA region
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced the names of the global experts who will preside over the 2024 Juries, playing a pivotal role in assessing and setting benchmarks for excellence across the spectrum of the world’s most outstanding creative and effective work.
Commenting on the Jury Presidents, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “Our Jury Presidents play a crucial role in the existence of the Lions. Their knowledge, skills, and incredible talent, combined with the commitment and leadership that they will bring to their roles, bring integrity and rigour to the Lions. This is an exceptional line-up of talent from across the world, and we can’t wait to see the work that rises to the top in June.”
Kalpesh Patankar from Leo Burnett UAE has been appointed as the first Jury President for Industry Craft Lions, and the second consecutive jury representation in two years for the MENA region. Commenting on his appointment, Kalpesh remarked, “When you see a truly great piece of work, the feeling is undeniable. I have felt it many times, in many jury rooms over the years. This year, as Jury President I’ll be championing those undeniable pieces of work in Industry Craft at Cannes Lions 2024.”
The Cannes Lions 2024 Jury Presidents have been announced as follows:
Audio & Radio Lions:
Simon Vicars, Chief Creative Officer, Colenso BBDO, New Zealand
Brand Experience & Activation Lions:
Anselmo Ramos, Founder, Creative Chairman, GUT, Global
Creative B2B Lions:
Andisa Ntsubane, Managing Executive: Brand, Marketing and Communications Africa, Vodacom Group, Africa
Creative Business Transformation Lions:
Ariana Stolarz, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Marketing, Accenture Song, Global
Creative Commerce Lions:
Amy Lanzi, CEO, Digitas NA, Digitas, North America
Creative Data Lions:
Rose Herceg, Country President Australia and New Zealand, WPP, Australia and New Zealand
Creative Effectiveness Lions:
Harjot Singh, Global Chief Strategy Officer, McCann and McCann Worldgroup, Global
Creative Strategy Lions:
Vita M. Harris, Global Chief Strategy Officer, FCB, Global
Design Lions:
Fura Johannesdottir, Chief Creative Officer, Huge, Global
Digital Craft Lions:
Kentaro Kimura, International Chief Creative Officer and Corporate Officer, Hakuhodo, Global
Direct Lions:
Pancho Cassis, Partner and Global Chief Creative Officer, DAVID, Global
Entertainment Lions:
Geoffrey Edwards, Executive Creative Director, GALE, USA
Entertainment Lions for Gaming:
Lydia Winters, Chief Storyteller, Mojang Studios, Global
Entertainment Lions for Music:
Madeline Nelson, US Head of Independent Label Relations, Amazon Music, USA
Entertainment Lions for Sport:
Louise Johnson, CEO, Fuse, UK/EMEA
Film Lions:
Tor Myhren, VP Marketing Communications, Apple Inc, Global
Film Craft Lions:
Prasoon Pandey, Ad Film Maker, Corcoise Films, India
Glass: The Lion for Change:
Cindy Gallop, Founder and CEO, MakeLoveNotPorn, Global
Health & Wellness Lions:
Wendy Chan, Health Creative Lead, Asia Pacific, Edelman, APAC
Industry Craft Lions:
Kalpesh Patankar, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett, UAE
Innovation Lions:
Diego Machado, Global Chief Creative Officer, AKQA, Global
Media Lions:
Prerna Mehrotra, Chief Client Officer and CEO Media, dentsu, APAC
Outdoor Lions:
Marco Venturelli, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe, France
Pharma Lions:
Collette Douaihy, Global Chief Creative Officer, Health, Dentsu Health, Global
PR Lions:
Kat Thomas, Founder and Global Chief Creative Officer, One Green Bean, Global
Print & Publishing Lions:
John Raúl Forero, President and Chief Creative Officer, DDB, Colombia
Social & Influencer Lions:
Amy Ferguson, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Chiat\Day New York, USA
Sustainable Development Goals Lions:
Gustavo Lauria, Co-Founder, President and Chief Creative Officer, We Believers, USA
The Dan Wieden Titanium Lions:
Debbi Vandeven, Global Chief Creative Officer, VML, Global
Further information on this year’s Jury Presidents, as well as the Festival, the Lions Awards and LIONS Membership can be found at canneslions.com.