South Africa will have a prominent presence on the judging panel for this year’s Cannes Lions Awards, with seven creatives receiving the nod.
The country’s representatives, who will be present in Cannes, France from 17-21 June (and the categories they will be judging) are:
Tseliso Rangaka, ECD of Ogilvy Cape Town – Radio & Audio
Neo Mashigo, COO M&C Saatchi Group – Print and Publishing
Ryan McManus, Chief Creative Officer, VML – Entertainment
Michael Zylstra, Chief Strategy Officer, Dentsu Aegis Network – Media
Nikki Taylor-Garrett, Creative director at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris – Brand Experience & Activations
Fran Luckin, Chief Creative Officer at Grey Advertising – Film
Claudi Potter, Creative Director at Joe Public – Direct Marketing
Being chosen to judge the best work on the planet is an acknowledgement of a creative’s own standing in their industry. It’s also a serious feather in the cap of the professional concerned, as well as their agency, and the South African creative sector at large.
The prestigious awards recognise excellence in specialist creative fields, and form part of the annual Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, a five-day event that sets global benchmarks in the marketing and brand communications arena.
Ster-Kinekor Sales is the official Cannes Lions representative in South Africa, and commenting on the chosen judges, head of marketing for Ster-Kinekor Lynne Wylie says the South African creatives added to the jury have long been acknowledged as leaders in their field, and will do their country proud during the judging process.
“Our seven judges are opinion-leaders in the industry, and they are perfectly equipped to determine which work has set global trends over the past year. We are proud to have them representing us,” she commented.
“Having a chance to judge the cream of the crop in creativity is a great honour,” she said. “These are seasoned professionals, and they richly deserve this recognition. Being exposed to all that magnificent work will no doubt inspire them to contribute even more to the growth of our local industry.”