Cannes Lions names 2026 Jury Presidents

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, scheduled for June 22-26, 2026, has announced its Jury Presidents for the 2026 awards.

Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer at AB InBev, has been named the inaugural Jury President for the Creative Brand Lion, a category introduced this year. The festival said the new award is intended to recognise brands that build systems and cultures to support consistent creative marketing.

The 2026 jury line-up includes leaders from global brands, platforms and independent agencies. The first-time Jury Presidents will lead several categories from independent agencies, including Artplan, Rethink, M+C Saatchi and Mother.

Commenting on the appointments, 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 brand building, transformation, and driving culture and influencing commerce. I have no doubt they will collectively set a powerful new standard for the year ahead.”

The Jury Presidents for Cannes Lions 2026 are:

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, Global

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 April 9, 2026. The 73rd edition of the festival will be held in Cannes, France.