MUMBAI: J. Walter Thompson India national creative director & senior vice president Tista Sen is one of the nine members of the first Glass Lion: The Lion for Change jury that were announced by Cannes Lions.
The award, launched with the support of Leanin.Org, recognises work that breaks through unconscious gender bias and shatters stereotypical portrayals of men and women. It will be judged by an accomplished, diverse group who will bring a broad cross-section of cultural perspectives, insights and experience to the table.
IfWeRanTheWorld/MakeLoveNotPorn founder and CEO Cindy Gallop will be the president of the jury.
The jury members are:
USA: IfWeRanTheWorld/MakeLoveNotPorn founder and CEO Cindy Gallop
Brazil: AlmapBBDO partner and co-president of the board Marcello Serpa
France: BETC managing director Catherine Emprin
UK: Mr President creative partner Laura Jordan Bambach
India: J. Walter Thompson national creative director & senior vice president Tista Sen
UK: Isobar chief executive officer and executive creative director Nick Bailey
USA: Leo Burnett chief creative officer Susan Credle
USA: Weber Shandwick president Gail Heimann
USA: The Representation Project founder & CEO Jennifer Siebel Newsom
USA: Head @HeForShe Campaign senior advisor to Under Secretary-General UN Women Elizabeth Nyamayaro
Lions Festivals CEO Philip Thomas said that they would be instrumental in helping to shape the future of the award, and, in turn, the industry. “We believe that marketing actively shapes culture, and the Glass Lion is part of our commitment to having a positive impact on this. The introduction of a new Lion is an opportunity to define both the category and what we hope the communications landscape might look like,” he said.
Stressing on the importance of the award in actively shaping industry change, Gallop said, “I want every single creative in every country around the world to desperately want to win the Glass Lion – because the work that wins this award represents The New Creativity: the gold standard for creative and sociocultural change in our industry.”
Bailey agreed, adding that the global, multi-disciplinary perspective of the jury would also play a role in how the work is judged. “It’s no secret that one gender and one viewpoint is over-represented in our industry, which means inevitably a certain viewpoint is over-represented. The Glass Lion seeks to redress that by recognising work that holds a mirror up to the world as it really is, rather than just as a minority of people see it. That’s why it’s particularly exciting to see not just a truly international mix in the jury, but also a mix of viewpoints from both within and from outside our industry,” he said.
The introduction of the Glass Lion: The Lion for Change follows on from the 2014 launch of the See It Be It initiative, created to address the industry’s gender imbalance by accelerating creative women’s careers in advertising. The three-day programme for 12 creative women is returning to Cannes Lions this year and nominations are now open. Successful candidates will receive airfares to Nice, a Classic Pass to the Festival and accommodation for the duration of the programme, which is being held from 21 - 24 June 2015.
