Cannes Lions Unveils 2026 Jury Presidents, Appoints Marcel Marcondes As Inaugural Creative Brand Lion Chair

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced its Jury President line-up for 2026, assembling a global roster of creative leaders to guide the world’s most influential advertising and marketing awards.

The festival, which will take place from June 22 to 26, 2026, in Cannes, France, brings together senior executives from agencies, brands, and platforms to assess the most impactful creative work from around the world.

A major highlight of the 2026 line-up is the appointment of Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer at AB InBev, as the inaugural Jury President for the Creative Brand Lion. The new category has been introduced to recognise brands that have embedded creativity into their culture, systems and operations to deliver consistent business impact.

Under Marcondes’ leadership, AB InBev has become the only company to be named Creative Marketer of the Year twice in the festival’s history, reinforcing its long-term commitment to creativity as a strategic business driver.

The Creative Brand Lion will honour organisations that build sustainable frameworks for creative excellence, transforming innovation into measurable growth and lasting brand value.

Alongside this milestone appointment, the 2026 Jury President line-up also reflects the growing influence of independent agencies. For the first time, leaders from Artplan, Rethink, M+C Saatchi and Mother will serve as Jury Presidents, highlighting the vital role independent networks play in shaping the global creative landscape.

Commenting on the announcement, Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS, said the line-up reflects the diversity and evolution of creativity today.

“Our Jury Presidents are selected for their proven creative leadership, global perspective and ability to recognise work that raises the bar,” Cook said. “The 2026 line-up spans brand building, transformation, culture and commerce. I have no doubt they will collectively set a powerful new standard for the year ahead.”

The full list of Cannes Lions 2026 Jury Presidents includes:
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 remains open for Awards submissions until 9 April 2026. Further information, including Entry Kits and the LIONS Integrity Handbook, is available on the Festival’s official website.