Prestigious role for Dubai group’s chief creative officer DUBAI: Ali Rez, the chief creative officer at Dubai’s Impact BBDO for the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan region, is to be jury president for Print & Publishing at The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The names of the jury presidents have been announced for the event’s 70th edition, and Rez’s appointment is the first time an industry member from the MENA region has served in the role. Rez said: “The UAE is a place where creativity thrives, and where we believe nothing is impossible. “It is a special honor to represent that very spirit of this inspiring country, and the rich heritage of the Middle East, at Cannes Lions as jury president. “I hope this announcement will pave the way for many more people from the region to lead juries in the future at this most prestigious of awards.” Each award category has a jury president, who will lead the panel of judges to award the shortlisted entries. The jury presidents “represent the rich spread of exceptional talent from across the full spectrum of the creative industry,” said Simon Cook, CEO of Cannes Lions. He added that they “play an essential role in upholding the integrity” of the body “as well as setting the creative benchmark for the global industry.” Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity takes place from June 19-23 and provides an annual forum for the global industry to address its most pressing issues. Registration to attend the event opens on Jan. 12 and awards submissions open on Jan. 19. This year’s jury presidents are: Brand Experience & Activation: Ari Weiss, global chief creative officer, DDB Worldwide. Creative B2B: Tom Stein, chairman and chief growth officer, Stein IAS. Creative Business Transformation: Justin Peyton, chief transformation officer, Wunderman Thompson, APAC. Creative Commerce: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, chief creative officer, FCB, Canada. Creative Data: Samantha Hernandez Diaz, chief strategy officer, GUT Mexico City, Mexico. Creative Effectiveness: Devika Bulchandani, global CEO, Ogilvy. Creative Strategy: Amrita Randhawa, CEO, Publicis Groupe, Singapore & Southeast Asia. Design: Quinnton Harris, co-founder and CEO, Retrospect, US. Digital Craft: Resh Sidhu, global director of Arcadia Creative Studio, Snap Inc. Direct: Chaka Sobhani, global chief creative officer, Leo Burnett. Entertainment: Brent Anderson, global chief creative officer, TBWA\Media Arts Lab. Entertainment Lions for Gaming: Francine Li, global head of marketing, Riot Games. Entertainment Lions for Music: Danielle Hinde, owner/executive producer, Doomsday Entertainment, US. Entertainment Lions for Sport: Rob Doubal, co-president of McCann London and joint chief creative officer of McCann UK. Film: Bruno Bertelli, global CEO of Le Pub, global chief creative officer of Publicis Worldwide, chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe Italy. Glass Lions: The Lion for Change: Tea Uglow, creative director, Google, APAC. Health & Well-ness: Mel Routhier, chief creative officer, VMLY&R Chicago. Industry Craft: Yoshihiro Yagi, executive creative director, Dentsu Inc., Japan. Innovation: Grace Francis, global chief creative and design officer, WONGDOODY. Media: Christian Juhl, global CEO, GroupM. Mobile: Shannon Washington, US chief creative officer, Connected Communications, R/GA. Outdoor: Javier Campopiano, worldwide chief creative officer at Grey and global chief creative officer of OpenX from WPP, Grey/OpenX. Pharma: Joshua Prince, CEO, Professional Group, Omnicom Health Group. PR: Jo-ann Robertson, CEO, Global Markets, Ketchum. Print & Publishing: Ali Rez, chief creative officer, Impact BBDO, MENAP. Radio & Audio: Tseliso Rangaka, chief creative officer, FCB, South Africa. Social & Influencer: Samantha Almeida, director of diversity and content innovation, Globo, Brazil. Sustainable Development Goals: Jean Lin, chief culture officer, Dentsu Group Inc. Dan Wieden Titanium: David Droga, CEO and creative chairman, Accenture Song.