The announcement is being viewed within industry circles as another signal of Nigeria’s rising influence in global creative communications, particularly in advertising strategy, brand management, and media innovation.
The jury will play a crucial role in selecting standout creative work from across the world. These shortlisted entries will advance to further rounds of evaluation and ultimately compete for recognition at the 73rd edition of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, scheduled for June 22 to 26, 2026.
Who Represents Nigeria and West Africa
This year’s jury line-up includes a strong Nigerian and West African presence, featuring senior figures from banking, media, advertising, and brand strategy.
Among them is Mabel Adeteye, Head of Brands and Marketing Communications at Wema Bank, alongside Omawumi Ogbe, Founder and Managing Partner of GLG Communications. Also selected is Promise Oduh, Associate Director at mediaReachOMD, and Emeka Obia, Regional Head of Strategy at Publicis West Africa, covering West and Central Africa.
The creative sector is further represented by Anthony Eigbe, Chief Creative Officer for West Africa at TECNO Mobile Global, and Colin Yesutor, a Ghanaian Creative Director at Havas Africa who is professionally based in Nigeria.
Industry stakeholders say this mix reflects both the maturity and cross-border relevance of West Africa’s marketing communications talent pool.
Broader Global Inclusion and First-Time Representation
Beyond Africa, the 2026 jury selection also signals wider geographical expansion, with increased participation from the Pacific region and several African countries including Ethiopia, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
Organisers noted that over 40 independent agencies are making their jury debut this year, underscoring a shift towards more diverse representation in global creative decision-making.
One of the most significant milestones highlighted is the inclusion of HumanSense, an independent agency marking Sri Lanka’s first-ever representation on the Cannes Lions jury.
Organisers Highlight Importance of Jury Role
Speaking on the announcement, Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS, emphasised the importance of the shortlisting jury in shaping global creative standards.
“The shortlisting jury play a crucial role in the Awards. Their work in recognizing groundbreaking creativity establishes the standard of excellence celebrated at the Festival. This year’s line-up brings together an exceptional cohort of talent from across a breadth of specialisms and markets. Their unique expertise will ensure the shortlist champions the innovative work driving the industry forward. Thank you to our Jurors for dedicating their time to curating the body of work that will set the global creative benchmark for the year ahead.”
His remarks underscore the jury’s influence not just in selecting award contenders, but in defining what global excellence in advertising and communications looks like each year.
What This Means for Nigeria’s Creative Economy
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious global platforms for advertising, media, design, and brand storytelling.
For Nigeria, the presence of multiple professionals on the shortlisting jury reinforces a broader trend: the increasing visibility and competitiveness of its creative industry on the world stage.
Analysts suggest that such representation could further strengthen Nigeria’s reputation as a hub for marketing innovation in Africa, while also opening doors for more agencies and professionals to participate in global creative governance.
As the 2026 festival approaches, attention will continue to focus on how jurors from emerging markets like Nigeria influence the global conversation around creativity, storytelling, and brand communication standards.
The 2026 Shortlisting Jurors have been named as:
Brand Experience & Activation
Alkisti Stolp | CEO, McCann, Germany
Anton Kim | Chief Marketing Officer, Forte, Kazakhstan
Cristina Re Calegari | Head of Marketing and Communication, Synlab Italia, Italy
Deh Bastos | Creative and Content Director, Paim, Brazil
Delali Dzidzienyo | Head, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, First National Bank Ghana, Africa
Eka Kipiani | Creative Director and Founder, Supermarket, Georgia
Florencia Loda | Chief Creative Officer, draftLine, AB InBev, Argentina
Heinrich Vejlgaard | Executive Creative Director, Robert/Boisen & Like-Minded, Denmark
Humza Ijaz | Managing Director, Head of Design and Digital Products, Accenture Song, Middle East
Ivan Landzhev | Chief Creative Officer, gutsandbrains DDB , Bulgaria
Jan Ott Hendrik | Executive Creative Director, BBDO Beijing, Mainland China
Jon Biggs | EMEA Executive Creative Director, Monks, EMEA
Jonelle Ricketts | Head of Marketing, IKEA, Canada
Josephine Muvumba | Managing Director, MetropolitanRepublic, Uganda
Karla Bonilla | President and Chief Creative Officer, Fire Creative, Puerto Rico
Kit Koh | Group Executive Creative Director, Leo Shanghai, Mainland China
Laurent Marcus | Innovation and Technology Director, Special Group, Australia
Mabel Adeteye | Head of Brands and Marketing Communications, Wema Bank, Nigeria
Márton Jedlicska | Executive Creative Director, Publicis Groupe, Hungary
Moumita Pal | National Creative Director, Dentsu Creative, India
Nina East | Group Creative Director, Ogilvy, Australia
Penny Sadlier | Managing Director, LePub Singapore and PG One APAC, Singapore and APAC
Ricardo Aspiazu | SVP – Creative and Brand Design, Verizon, USA
Ricardo Mendoza | Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy, Guatemala
Rizek Jildeh | Head of Strategy, Adpro&, Jordan
Rob Longuet | Creative Director, Dentsu Creative, Aotearoa New Zealand
Saakshi Verma Menon | Chief Marketing Officer, Foods, PepsiCo, India
Sebastien Zanini | Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Creative Paris, France
Shu Hung | Global Chief Creative Officer, AKQA, Global
Veronica Ruiz del Vizo | CEO, Amarillo Creative Lab, Venezuela
Warunyoo Sorasetsakoon | Executive Creative Director, BBDO Bangkok, Thailand
Winston Binch | Chief Brand and Experience Officer, GALE, USA
Creative Strategy
Aki Spicer | Chief Strategy Officer and Consultant, formerly Cashmere and Monks, USA
Amine Bennis | CEO, Tribal Casablanca, Morocco
Carmen Rodriguez | Global Chief Growth Officer, GUT, Global
David Halter | Chief Practice Officer, Dentsu Creative, Australia
Emeka Obia | Regional Head of Strategy, Publicis West Africa, West and Central Africa
Gil Kemami | CEO Pan-Africa, Twotone Global, Kenya
Lulu Cuevas | Strategy Director, Cultura de Marcas, LATAM
Maria Galleriu | Chief Strategy Officer, International, 72andSunny, Global
Nilakshi Medhi | Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis Groupe, Indonesia
Rowena Bhagchandani | CEO and Co-Founder, BLKJ Havas, Singapore
Shawna Ross | Chief Strategy Officer, Dentsu Creative, USA
Taciana Lopes | SVP of Marketing and Communications, Mastercard, Brazil
Tarek Sioufi | Chief Strategy Officer, Grey London, UK
Design
Akinpelumi Okelola | Senior Design Specialist, NBCUniversal, Global
Andrea Castro | Art Director, Joystick, Costa Rica
Anna Yates | Executive Creative Director, Host Havas, Australia
Anselmo Tumpić | Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director, Studio Tumpić/Prenc, Croatia
Anthony Shea | VP, Design Director, Arnold, USA
Bastien Baumann | Chief Design Officer, Publicis Groupe, USA
Bronwen Rautenbach | Co-Founder and Creative Partner, Sunshinegun, Africa
Camila Moleta | Founder, MORE GRLS, Brazil
Colin Yesutor | Creative Director, Havas Africa, Ghana and Nigeria
David Allard | Executive Creative Director, Sid Lee, Canada
David Fischer | Creative Director and Executive Board Member, Scholz & Friends, Switzerland
Elin Eskilsson | Creative Director and Brand Designer, Kid Collective AB, Sweden
Emma Barratt | Global Executive Creative Director, Wolff Olins, Global
Eva Stetefeld | Managing Partner and Executive Creative Director, DDB, Germany
Joachim Roncin | Head of Design, Maison Fantôme, France
Jyrki Poutanen | Chief Creative Officer, United Imaginations, Finland
Nina Granath | Creative Director, Stockholm Design Lab, Sweden
Raya AbuJaber | Creative Director, Jordan
Direct
Alex Pineda | Chief Creative Officer, Horizon FCB, MENA
Arthur Tsang | Chief Creative Officer, McCann China, Greater China
Ashish Khazanchi | Managing Partner, Enormous, India
Awing Chen | Founder and Creative Partner, Good Percent, Asia
David Fraser | Executive Creative Director, BMF, Australia
Dudu Mokholo | Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard, Africa Middle East
Emmanuel Amankwah | Executive Creative Director, ReZultz Advertising M&C Saatchi, Ghana
Felipe Paniago | Chief Marketing Officer, Reclame AQUI, Brazil
Gabriela Ortiz Chacón | Creative Director, PARADAIS TBWA, Ecuador
Jenny Mak | Executive Creative Director and Partner, jnr., Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
Jesús Rasines | Chief Creative Officer, Havas Creative, Spain
Johan Køhler | Creative Director, NoA | &Co., Denmark
Kelsey Hodgkin | CEO and Partner, Special US, USA
Mateusz Mroszczak | Chief Creative Officer, VML, Singapore
Nobuhiro Arai | Executive Creative Director, AKQA Tokyo, Japan
Odile Breffa | Strategy Director, Innocean Berlin, Germany
Pannarai Juanroong | Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy, Thailand
Sally Alzaza | Regional Creative Director, Interesting Times, MENA
Sehee Kim | Creative Director, Innocean, South Korea
Shani Gershi | VP Creative and Strategy, Kendago, Global
Steph Mackie | Co-Founder and Co-Chief Creative Officer, Mackie Biernacki Inc., Global
Tawanda Mahobele | Creative Lead, TBWA, Zimbabwe
Third Domingo | Founder and Chairman, IdeasXMachina Hakuhodo, the Philippines and APAC
Volkan Dalkılıç | Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe, Türkiye
Zeynep Orbay | Creative Director, Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Entertainment
Amy Mowafi | Co-Founder and CEO, MO4 Network, Egypt
Andrea Corvetto | Managing Director, Circus Grey, Peru
Brian Carley | Chief Creative Officer, Razorfish, USA
Georgina McKinnon | CEO of Content, Omnicom Media Group, APAC
Jason Harvey | Executive VP and General Manager, BET+, USA
Justin Gomes | Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Bananas, South Africa
Mauro Ramalho | Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Brasil, Brazil
Michael Nagy | Executive Creative Director and Partner, Jung von Matt DONAU, Austria
Olena Martynova | Chief Marketing Officer, Starlight Media and CEO, Starlight Creative, Ukraine
Yune Aranguren | Core Brands Director, AB InBev, Mexico
Film
Alvaro Rodrigues | CEO, Chief Creative Officer and Founding Partner, Made, Brazil
Ángela Pacheco | Executive Creative Director, El Ruso de Rocky, Spain
Asli Sahin | Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy, Germany
Dimitri Guerassimov | Chief Creative Officer, VML France and Chief Creative Officer, Colgate-Palmolive, WPP, EMEA
Graeme Jenner | Executive Creative Director, LePub Johannesburg, South Africa
Ie Tjer Wang | Executive Creative Director, The Shout Group, Malaysia
Imani Ellis | CEO and Founder, CultureCon, USA
Ion Cojocaru “Lutzu” | Content Director, McCann, Romani
Jenny Glover | Chief Creative Officer, Zulu Alpha Kilo, Canada
Kanit Mingmuang | Executive Creative Director, Wolf BKK, Thailand
Nonthaporn Ketmanee | Senior Creative Director, Leo, Hong Kong SAR
Otavio Schiavon | VP, Creative Director, BETC HAVAS, Brazil
Penny Brown | Head of Production, Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song, Australia
Quods Ouaissi | Chief Creative Officer, TNC – thenext.click, Morocco
Richard Williams | Group Executive Creative Director, VML, Australia
Ruchi Sharma | Founder and Chief Creative Officer, HumanSense, Sri Lanka
Sean Vij | Creative Director and Writer, USA
Steve Cochran | Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi, Aotearoa New Zealand
Thabang Manyelo | Executive Creative Director, The Odd Number, South Africa
Theodore Perdikakis | Vice Chairman and Head of Creative, attp, Greece
Toby Allen | Chief Creative Officer, Anomaly, London, UK
Film Craft
Akanksha Seda | Director, Good Morning Films, India
Ale Houston | CEO and Founder, The Lab, Paraguay
Ali Rguigue | CEO, Artcoustic, Morocco
Amy Coomber | Chief Production Officer, Neverland, UK
Amy Gozalka | Group Creative Director, TBWA\Chiat\Day Chicago, USA
Archie López | CEO, Panamericana Films, Dominican Republic
August Jorfald | Director and Scriptwriter, NewsLab, Norway
Colin Foo | Senior Creative Director and VFX Supervisor, thequietlab, Singapore
Diana Revelo | Founder and Executive Producer, Akira Cine, Colombia and LATAM
Hélène Daubert | VP Create, BETC POP, France
Iwona Mnich | Executive Producer, Papaya Films, Global
Izzy Ehrlich | Senior Editor and Partner, School Editing, Canada
Jet Omoshebi | Senior Colourist, Goldcrest Post Production, UK
Katlego Baaitse | Film Director, Spitfire Films, South Africa
Luciana Pessoa | Executive Director and Partner, Lado Animation, Brazil
Mohamed El Zayat | Film Director, Independent, Egypt
Nadine Kriegelstein | Head of R&Studios, Das Rund GmbH, Austria
Nathalie Le Caer | Executive Producer, Iconoclast, France
Oshoveli Shipoh | Executive Creative Director, StreetLeader Creative, Namibia
Phuong Vu | Creative Director, Antiantiart, Vietnam
Rebekah Kelly | Executive Producer, FINCH, AUNZ
Rodrigo Butori | Group Creative Director, McCann New York, USA
Rodrigo “Coco” Casas | Group Creative Director, VML México, Mexico
Thom Glover | Chief Creative Officer, American Haiku, USA
Tim Legallo | Chief Production Officer, Ogilvy, North America
Wendi Chong | Head of Production and Executive Producer, BBH, Singapore
Yoshiki Ishii | CEO and Executive Producer, kirameki inc. and TAKAKKEI Inc., Japan
Zelalem Woldemariam | CEO and Chief Creative Director, Zeleman Communications, Ethiopia
Health & Wellness
Dr. Adjoa B. Asamoah | THE CROWN Act Champion and CEO, ABA Consulting, USA
Arjen Tarras | Executive Creative Director, VML, Belgium
Catherine Huang | Director, Public Affairs, Gilead Sciences, Taiwan
Charlie Godinet | Executive Creative Director, Daylight, Aotearoa New Zealand
Karl Johnson | VP, Group Creative Director, Klick Health, USA
Kate Torrance | VP, Head of Brand, SickKids Foundation, Canada
Katie McMorran | Group Managing Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Health, Global
Lina Polimeni | SVP and Chief Marketing Officer – Consumer, Eli Lilly and Company, USA
Mohamed El Nagdy | Creative Director, ‿ and us, UAE
Patty Huang | Executive VP, Group Creative Director, 21GRAMS, a Part of Real Chemistry, USA
Sadie Mayes | Associate Creative Director, VCCP Health, UK
Sarah Amatori | Creative Director, McCann Health Boot, Italy
Media
Ahmed Kapadia | Chairman and CEO, Synergy Group, Pakistan
Aurelia Noel | Head of Innovation and Transformation, dentsu X, Global
Binh Le Ba An | Chief Commercial Officer, Zalo Business, Vietnam
Chris Colter | Managing Director, Media Strategy A/NZ, Accenture Song, AUNZ
Christina Lu | CEO, Zenith China, Mainland China
Duncan Southgate | Global Creative and Media Specialist, Kantar, Global
Eileen Ooi | APAC President, PHD Asia Pacific, Malaysia
Hemalatha Subramanian | Omnichannel Marketing Lead, M.H.Alshaya, UAE
Jackie Lyons | Chief Planning Officer, Havas Media Network, North America
John Halpin | CEO, WPP Media, Aotearoa New Zealand
LaToya Christian | Founder and Strategic Advisor, Brazen, USA
María José Ezquerra | CEO, Havas, Argentina and Uruguay
Martin Woska | Chief Creative and Strategy Officer, TRIAD, Slovakia
Maya Kusybi | Business Director – Strategy, Zenith Media, MENA
Michelle Sarpong | Head of Activation, the7stars, UK
Monica Blanco | Strategy Director, PHD, Costa Rica
Preeti Nadgar | Chief Strategy Officer, Starcom, USA
Promise Oduh | Associate Director, mediaReachOMD, Nigeria
Rafael Urbano | CEO, Carat, Spain
Rafet Fatih Özgür | SVP Brand and Promotion, Turkish Airlines, Turkey
Rajna Cuculić | Managing Director, WPP Media, Croatia
Swapnil Patel | Co-President, Attention Arc, USA
Urania Agas | Chief Operating Officer, WPP Media, Canada
Valeria Brasil | Comms and Media Director, Wieden+Kennedy, Brazil
Outdoor
Andi Olbés | Group Creative Director, BBDO Guerrero, the Philippines
Anthony Eigbe | Chief Creative Officer, West Africa, TECNO Mobile Global, Nigeria
Biboy Royong | Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Creative Philippines, the Philippines
Camilo Carvajal | Chief Creative Officer, LePub Bogotá, Colombia
Danger Bea | Executive VP, Executive Creative Director, West BBDO, USA
Erika Kohnen | Group Creative Director, Droga5 New York, part of Accenture Song, USA
Galaletsang Kgoathe | Creative Partner, Ogilvy, South Africa
Jose Ignacio Solari | Chief Creative Officer, Puerto Chile, Chile
Kayoung Seo | Creative Director, Cheil Worldwide, South Korea
Leopold Kreczy | Head of Creative Performance and Creative Director, Wien Nord Serviceplan, Austria
Lisa Carrana | Executive Head of Art, M+C Saatchi, UK
Madis Ots | Creative Director, Salama, Estonia
Magda Szmilewska | Media Director, Oatly, Global
Malek Ghorayeb | Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Communications Levant, Lebanon
Mandy Wong | CEO, TBWA\Singapore, Singapore
Miguel Durão | Creative Partner, Stream and Tough Guy, Portugal
Mohamed Bareche | Executive Creative Director, Havas, Paris and Middle East
Rafael Barthaburu | Chief Creative Officer, VML, Uruguay
Ramy El Sakka | Chief Creative Officer, BPG, UAE
Sarah Dornieden | Creative Director, Jung von Matt SPREE, Germany
Suchitra Gahlot | National Creative Director, McCann India, India
Tamara Cross | Chief Creative Officer, MG OMD, UK
Tejali Shete | Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Roll Dot Agency, Global
Thea Heber B Iversen | Creative Copywriter, Monologtheateret, Norway
Thembalethu Msibi | Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, BlackSwan, South Africa
Tommy Cehak | Executive Creative Director, Leo, Australia
Wei Wen Kong | Creative Director, Muma, Malaysia
PR
Andres Ortiz | Partner and General Director, LLYC, Colombia
Björn Mellstrand | Head of Strategy and Advisor, JMW Kommunikation / JMWGolin, Sweden
Chad Song | Chief Vision Officer, CRACK THE NUTS Inc., Global
Deirdre Murphy | Global Client Partner, Ketchum, Global
Eleanor Sullivan | Chief Strategy Officer, Burson, UK
Felipe Braz Costa | Executive Creative Director, Edelman, EMEA
Keri-Ann Stanton | Chief Strategist and Founder, K.A.Muses Group (Pty) Ltd, South Africa
Khaled Elseginy | Head of Brand Communications, Feminine Care and Levant E2E Commercial Lead, P&G, Asia, Middle East and Africa
Louisa Hager | Group Creative Director, Weber Shandwick, USA
Marc Antoine Koreki | Managing Director, Havas Africa Côte d’Ivoire, Ivory Coast
Max Burt | General Manager, One Plus One Communications, Aotearoa New Zealand
Nozipho Tshabalala | CEO, The Conversation Strategists, Global
Omawumi Ogbe | Founder and Managing Partner, GLG Communications, Nigeria
Peter de Albuquerque | Executive Strategist and Founder, PEDAL, Global
Shelley Sorensen | Executive VP, Dentsu Creative, USA
Silvia Lenberger | Head of Global Brand Experience, Nestlé, Global
Sonia Huria | Head – Brand, Social and Corporate Comms, Maddock Films, India
Vladimír Bystrov | Managing Partner, Bison & Rose, Czech Republic
Social & Creator
Aditya Sunilkumar | Executive Creative Director and Head of Digital, Havas Creative Worldwide, India
Adriano Abdalla | Chief Creative Officer, PROS, Brazil
Ben Lilley | Creative Chairman, HERO/McCann Australia, Australia
Bridget Harpur | Head of Marketing, Volkswagen Group Africa, South Africa
Carla Leveratto | Head of Creative Works, Google, Italy
Carlos Rodriguez | Global Creative Director, Frank at Omnicom, Global
Corianda Dimes | Senior Manager, Ads Marketing Strategy, Netflix, USA
Dawid Szczepaniak | Creative Chairman, VML, Poland
Francesco Grandi | Chief Creative Officer, LePub London, UK
Genevieve Gransden | Executive Creative Director, DAVID London, UK
Jan Propach | Executive Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi, Global and Europe
Joel Rodriguez | Head of Context Planning, Translation / UnitedMasters, USA
Monica Tailor | Chief Social Marketing Officer, McCann Content Studios, Global
Patt Nitikarn | Managing Director, We Are Social, Thailand
Sanya Grujicic | Executive Creative Director, Monks, Canada
Sarah-Jane Lowes | Head of Social and Digital, Droga5 Dublin, part of Accenture Song, UK and Ireland
Sharon Mills | Lead Creative Consultant, SMC Consulting, Ghana
Shinsuke (Sawa) Sawasaki | Group Executive Creative Director, Havas, Japan
Sibu Mabena | Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Duma Collective, South Africa.