The 71st edition of the Cannes Lions Festival will witness the largest cohort of jurors from the UAE to judge at a singular festival.
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced the lineup of twelve shortlisting jury members from the UAE who will take part in the initial judging phase for this year’s Cannes Lions awards, scheduled to take place in Cannes, France, from June 17-21.
This update follows the earlier announcement of thirteen awarding jury members – including a jury president – who will collaborate with jurors from 54 diverse markets to acknowledge and celebrate exceptional global creative achievements, setting a new standard for excellence.
The 71st edition of the Cannes Lions Festival will feature its largest UAE cohort yet, with 25 jurors overseeing judging duties at a single festival, highlighting the nation’s increasing impact and expertise in the global creative landscape.
Commenting on the global shortlisting jury members announcement, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “Our Shortlisting Jurors play a fundamental role in the Cannes Lions judging process. This talented line-up of industry experts will bring us one step closer to defining the creative benchmark on the global stage this June. I’d like to extend my gratitude for their hard work in curating the work that will go on to be awarded and recognised at the Festival this year.”
In reference to the Cannes Lions jury panel from the UAE, Ian Fairservice – Managing Partner of Motivate Media Group, said: “In reference to 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 Shortlisting Jury Members from the UAE have been named as:
Brand Experience & Activation:
Jarrad Pitts, Creative Director, Consulum
Direct:
Zahir Mirza, Executive Creative Director, C2
Entertainment:
Shereen Mostafa, Head of Production Publicis Groupe Middle East, Publicis Groupe
Film:
Serena Abi Aad, Creative Director and Film Director
Film Craft:
Rodrigo Scapolan, Creative Director, TBWA\RAAD
Health & Wellness:
Rana Sadek, Associate Creative Director, ImpactBBDO Dubai
Industry Craft:
Prerna Mehra, Creative Director and Head of Art and Design, MullenLowe MENA,
Gemma Crompton, Creative Director, Landor
Outdoor:
Firas Medrows, Executive Creative Director, DDB
PR:
Shafaq Tariq, Director – PR, Social Media and Influencer Marketing, MKV Digital
Print & Publishing:
Mohamed Bareche, Executive Creative Director, Horizon FCB
Social & Influencer:
Akanksha Goel, CEO and Founder, Socialize / We Are Social
With the Luxury & Lifestyle Lions Jury to be announced soon, 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.
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.
From 5-7 October 2020, LYNX Live comes to LIONS Live, bringing together talent from across the world to talk about what’s next for creativity in MENA.
Now, more than ever, the importance of creativity is fundamental. LYNX Live will provide a platform for the industry to collaborate, learn and be inspired by MENA focused content.
Enjoy a daily programme of original series, creative conversations, debates and interviews in a beautifully produced magazine show format. It is open and freely accessible to the whole advertising communications industry, with content for the young Lynx community, as well as agency and brand leaders.
What’s On:
KEYNOTES
In-depth talks and discussions presenting fresh thinking on topical issues which will both inspire and challenge MENA’s creative industry.
LYNX STORIES – MY CREATIVE JOURNEY
MENA’s greatest storytellers and creative stars share lessons from, and secrets behind, a long-lasting career in creativity. Success stories with their own uniquely creative spin.
MENA, WHAT’S NEXT?
Diverse thinkers share thoughtful and provocative future scenarios – based on science, data, insight and their own ideas on what will matter most in the years to come.
MARKETERS FROM MENA
How to manage remote leadership in lockdown? Will the world of marketing in the MENA region change forever? What keeps the brand leaders in the region awake at night? These are some of the talking points the ‘Marketers from MENA’ series explores.
LYNX SHORTS
Extraordinary brands, agencies and people talk about creativity. Surprising and original, these films showcase some of the region’s finest minds and the sharpest thinking in the industry.
The LYNX Live Debate
Industry leaders come together to figure out what’s next. We tackle a hot topic affecting MENA’s creative community, with perspective from important people across the business of creativity.
The Talent:
The schedule is being confirmed and will be released soon, in the meantime here are just a few of the confirmed speakers:
Ali Rez, Regional Executive Creative Director, Middle East and Pakistan Impact BBDO
Vidya Manmohan, Ex-ECD, GREY Dubai
Kalpesh Patankar, CCO, VMLY&R, MENA
Asad Rehman, Unilever
Zainab Salbi, Humanitarian, Author, and Media Personality
Christine Harb, VP Marketing CEMEA, VISA
How to Register:
Register on the LIONS Live platform where LYNX Live will be streamed. You can use your existing Dubai Lynx account details to log in to LIONS Live. Otherwise, you will need to create a new account.
Click here to register
Visit Dubai Lynx for more information: www.dubailynx.com
Sources: Cannes Lions and Dubai Lynx
VMLY&R Dubai has been named MENA’s regional best agency of the past 10 years in Cannes Lions’ first Lions Creativity Report of the Decade – an award presented to the agency that has performed best across the festival’s annual agency rankings over the last 10 years.
VMLY&R (previously Y&R until it merged with WPP sister agency VML in 2018) has produced Cannes Lions-winning work over the past 10 years for clients including the Interreligious Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with whom it created ‘One Book for Peace’ and ‘One Poster for Peace’, which won Gold in 2017 and 2018. The work on this project helped to show Christians and Muslims that there is more they have in common than that which divides them.
On winning the award, Kalpesh Patankar, CCO of VMLY&R MENA, told Campaign Magazine Middle East: “Our big learning of the decade is that no matter where you work, you have to be willing to break the rules. I’m very grateful to all of the people who have brought us this far and contributed passionately to our story. In the next decade I hope we can write a story that is even bigger and bolder.”
Georges Barsoum, CEO of VMLY&R MENA, said: “This couldn’t have happened without wonderful clients who believed in our ‘connected brands’ philosophy, whereby great storytelling is empowered by technology to create brands that not only live in people’s culture but rather bend it to create impact. Thank you Cannes Lions for being such an inspiring platform that pushes the bar higher and higher.”
TBWA Hunt Lascaris, Johannesburg, South Africa and Ogilvy, Johannesburg, South Africa secured second and third rankings (respectively) for the MENA region.
WPP was named the best holding company in the rankings. The business, which has its headquarters in the UK and owns the Grey, Ogilvy, VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson networks, was named Holding Company of the Year at seven straight Cannes Lions festivals from 2011 to 2017, although it was surpassed at the last two events by US rival Omnicom, which finished second over the decade, followed Interpublic who came in third.
Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan (the representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE) congratulates VMLY&R Dubai on winning this prestigious accolade.
Source: Campaign Magazine Middle East
