Cannes Lions reveals 2026 Jury Presidents, spotlighting creative leadership across global disciplines
AB InBev’s Marcel Marcondes appointed inaugural Creative Brand Lion Jury President
First time independent agencies join the line-up
3 February 2026 - The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, taking place 22–26 June 2026, has announced its 2026 Jury President line-up, bringing together an exceptional group of global leaders to define creative excellence that will shape the year ahead.
Across the line-up, Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer, AB InBev, Global, has been named the inaugural Jury President for the Creative Brand Lion, recognising his leadership in building globally iconic brands through creativity at scale. Under his stewardship, AB InBev is the only brand to have been named Creative Marketer of the Year twice in the history of the Festival, underscoring a sustained commitment to creativity as a core business driver. The Creative Brand Lion has been introduced this year to recognise the visionary brands that are building the systems, cultures and capabilities that make world-class creative marketing inevitable and repeatable – and the practices that transform creative potential into lasting business impact.
The line-up also highlights the growing influence of independent agencies, alongside leaders from global brands and platforms. With first-time Jury Presidents from Artplan, Rethink, M+C Saatchi and Mother, the line-up recognises the vital role independent agencies play in pushing creative boundaries across industries and markets worldwide.
Commenting on this year’s line-up, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “Our Jury Presidents are selected for their proven creative leadership, global perspective and ability to recognise creative work that will raise the bar. The 2026 Jury President line-up reflects the full breadth of creativity today – spanning from brand building to transformation, to driving culture and influencing commerce. I have no doubt they will collectively set a powerful new standard for the year ahead.”
The Cannes Lions 2026 Jury Presidents have been announced as follows:
Audio & Radio
Oriel Davis-Lyons | Chief Creative Officer, Mother New York, USA
Brand Experience & Activation
Rafael Pitanguy | Deputy Global Chief Creative Officer, VML, Global
Creative B2B
Ty Heath | Global Director, Thought Leadership, GTM Strategy, LinkedIn, Global
Creative Brand
Marcel Marcondes | Global Chief Marketing Officer, AB InBev, Global
Creative Business Transformation
Gugu Mthembu | Chief Marketing Officer, Telkom, South Africa
Creative Commerce
Phil Camarota | Chief Creative Officer, Flywheel, Global
Creative Data
Anupriya Acharya | CEO, Publicis Groupe, South Asia
Creative Effectiveness
Bertille Toledano | CEO, BETC and Havas Creative Middle East; President, Havas Creative Network, Globa
Creative Strategy
Sarah Lemarié | Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis, France
Design
Greg Quinton | Chief Creative Officer, Design Bridge and Partners, Global
Digital Craft
Andrés Ordóñez | Global Chief Creative Officer, McCann, Global
Direct
Joaquín Cubría | Chief Creative Officer, GUT, Argentina
Entertainment
Chris Beresford-Hill | Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Worldwide, Global
Entertainment Lions for Gaming
Lolly Thomson | Joint Global Chief Creative Officer, M+C Saatchi Group, Global
Entertainment Lions for Music
Matt Murphy | Global Chief Creative Officer, 72andSunny, Global
Film
Pelle Sjoenell | Former Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, Droga5, part of Accenture Song, Global
Glass: The Lion for Change
Monique Nelson | Executive Chair, UWG, USA
Health & Wellness
Kainaz Karmakar | Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy, India
Industry Craft
Rafael Gil | Chief Creative Officer, Artplan, Brazil
Innovation
Kazuhiro Shimura | Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Japan
Media
Sindhuja Rai | Chief Client Officer, WPP Media, APMEA
Outdoor
Aaron Starkman | Global Chief Creative Officer, Rethink, Global
PR
Dana Tahir | CEO, HAVAS Red, Middle East and Egypt
Print & Publishing
Jessica Apellaniz | Chief Creative Officer, Wieden+Kennedy, Mexico
Social & Creator
Mihnea Gheorghiu | Global Chief Creative Officer, LePub, Global
Sustainable Development Goals
Kazoo Sato | Chief Creative Officer and CEO, Earth Centric Design, Japan
Dan Wieden Titanium
Chaka Sobhani | Global Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Worldwide, Global
Cannes Lions is open for Awards submissions until 9 April 2026. Further information on the 2026 Awards, including dates, Entry Kits and the LIONS Integrity Handbook, can be found here.
The 73rd edition of the Festival takes place from 22 to 26 June in Cannes, France. Pass options, as well as the breadth of initiatives, funded opportunities and talent programmes can be found at www.canneslions.com.
ENDS
Contacts:
Camilla Lambert
PR Director
LIONS
Camillal@canneslions.com
Tash Naidoo
Senior PR Manager
LIONS
Tashn@canneslions.com
Press Portal:
press.canneslions.com
Headshots:
You can download headshots of the Jury Presidents here.
Notes to editors:
Download the LIONS Integrity Handbook and see progress updates on the integrity standards here.
The LIONS Integrity Handbook is a practical guide that sets clear expectations for Award entries across three core areas: legitimacy (entries must be real, eligible work with genuine results) credibility (work must represent the client and its objectives appropriately) and integrity (fair judging process without external influence). It includes verification processes, consequences for non-compliance and a checklist to help entrants understand what’s expected when submitting work to Cannes Lions.
About LIONS
LIONS is the global platform that champions creativity and marketing effectiveness for growth. We help businesses grow through creative marketing that matters.
We know that creativity can and should be applied across the full marketing mix. Creativity is an impactful business driver - and when it's integrated with a culture of effectiveness, it's a competitive advantage.
Backed by over 150 years of experience and evidence, Cannes Lions, WARC, Effie, Contagious and Acuity - provides the global marketing industry with the definitive benchmarks, intelligence, training and tailored advice needed to grow.
LIONS is part of Informa PLC.
www.lions.co
About Informa
Informa PLC is a leading international B2B events, digital services and academic research group.
We champion specialists. Through hundreds of market-leading brands, we connect people with knowledge so they can learn more, know more and do more.
We operate in over 30 countries and serve businesses and professionals working in over a dozen specialist markets.
Informa is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100.
www.informa.com
Across the line-up, Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer, AB InBev, Global, has been named the inaugural Jury President for the Creative Brand Lion, recognising his leadership in building globally iconic brands through creativity at scale. Under his stewardship, AB InBev is the only brand to have been named Creative Marketer of the Year twice in the history of the Festival, underscoring a sustained commitment to creativity as a core business driver. The Creative Brand Lion has been introduced this year to recognise the visionary brands that are building the systems, cultures and capabilities that make world-class creative marketing inevitable and repeatable – and the practices that transform creative potential into lasting business impact.
The line-up also highlights the growing influence of independent agencies, alongside leaders from global brands and platforms. With first-time Jury Presidents from Artplan, Rethink, M+C Saatchi and Mother, the line-up recognises the vital role independent agencies play in pushing creative boundaries across industries and markets worldwide.
Commenting on this year’s line-up, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “Our Jury Presidents are selected for their proven creative leadership, global perspective and ability to recognise creative work that will raise the bar. The 2026 Jury President line-up reflects the full breadth of creativity today – spanning from brand building to transformation, to driving culture and influencing commerce. I have no doubt they will collectively set a powerful new standard for the year ahead.”
The Cannes Lions 2026 Jury Presidents have been announced as follows:
Audio & Radio
Oriel Davis-Lyons | Chief Creative Officer, Mother New York, USA
Brand Experience & Activation
Rafael Pitanguy | Deputy Global Chief Creative Officer, VML, Global
Creative B2B
Ty Heath | Global Director, Thought Leadership, GTM Strategy, LinkedIn, Global
Creative Brand
Marcel Marcondes | Global Chief Marketing Officer, AB InBev, Global
Creative Business Transformation
Gugu Mthembu | Chief Marketing Officer, Telkom, South Africa
Creative Commerce
Phil Camarota | Chief Creative Officer, Flywheel, Global
Creative Data
Anupriya Acharya | CEO, Publicis Groupe, South Asia
Creative Effectiveness
Bertille Toledano | CEO, BETC and Havas Creative Middle East; President, Havas Creative Network, Globa
Creative Strategy
Sarah Lemarié | Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis, France
Design
Greg Quinton | Chief Creative Officer, Design Bridge and Partners, Global
Digital Craft
Andrés Ordóñez | Global Chief Creative Officer, McCann, Global
Direct
Joaquín Cubría | Chief Creative Officer, GUT, Argentina
Entertainment
Chris Beresford-Hill | Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Worldwide, Global
Entertainment Lions for Gaming
Lolly Thomson | Joint Global Chief Creative Officer, M+C Saatchi Group, Global
Entertainment Lions for Music
Matt Murphy | Global Chief Creative Officer, 72andSunny, Global
Film
Pelle Sjoenell | Former Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, Droga5, part of Accenture Song, Global
Glass: The Lion for Change
Monique Nelson | Executive Chair, UWG, USA
Health & Wellness
Kainaz Karmakar | Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy, India
Industry Craft
Rafael Gil | Chief Creative Officer, Artplan, Brazil
Innovation
Kazuhiro Shimura | Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Japan
Media
Sindhuja Rai | Chief Client Officer, WPP Media, APMEA
Outdoor
Aaron Starkman | Global Chief Creative Officer, Rethink, Global
PR
Dana Tahir | CEO, HAVAS Red, Middle East and Egypt
Print & Publishing
Jessica Apellaniz | Chief Creative Officer, Wieden+Kennedy, Mexico
Social & Creator
Mihnea Gheorghiu | Global Chief Creative Officer, LePub, Global
Sustainable Development Goals
Kazoo Sato | Chief Creative Officer and CEO, Earth Centric Design, Japan
Dan Wieden Titanium
Chaka Sobhani | Global Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Worldwide, Global
Cannes Lions is open for Awards submissions until 9 April 2026. Further information on the 2026 Awards, including dates, Entry Kits and the LIONS Integrity Handbook, can be found here.
The 73rd edition of the Festival takes place from 22 to 26 June in Cannes, France. Pass options, as well as the breadth of initiatives, funded opportunities and talent programmes can be found at www.canneslions.com.
ENDS
Contacts:
Camilla Lambert
PR Director
LIONS
Camillal@canneslions.com
Tash Naidoo
Senior PR Manager
LIONS
Tashn@canneslions.com
Press Portal:
press.canneslions.com
Headshots:
You can download headshots of the Jury Presidents here.
Notes to editors:
Download the LIONS Integrity Handbook and see progress updates on the integrity standards here.
The LIONS Integrity Handbook is a practical guide that sets clear expectations for Award entries across three core areas: legitimacy (entries must be real, eligible work with genuine results) credibility (work must represent the client and its objectives appropriately) and integrity (fair judging process without external influence). It includes verification processes, consequences for non-compliance and a checklist to help entrants understand what’s expected when submitting work to Cannes Lions.
About LIONS
LIONS is the global platform that champions creativity and marketing effectiveness for growth. We help businesses grow through creative marketing that matters.
We know that creativity can and should be applied across the full marketing mix. Creativity is an impactful business driver - and when it's integrated with a culture of effectiveness, it's a competitive advantage.
Backed by over 150 years of experience and evidence, Cannes Lions, WARC, Effie, Contagious and Acuity - provides the global marketing industry with the definitive benchmarks, intelligence, training and tailored advice needed to grow.
LIONS is part of Informa PLC.
www.lions.co
About Informa
Informa PLC is a leading international B2B events, digital services and academic research group.
We champion specialists. Through hundreds of market-leading brands, we connect people with knowledge so they can learn more, know more and do more.
We operate in over 30 countries and serve businesses and professionals working in over a dozen specialist markets.
Informa is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100.
www.informa.com
