The nine members of the first Glass Lion: The Lion for Change jury have been announced by Cannes Lions.
The award, launched with the support of Leanin.Org, recognizes 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.
Headed by president Cindy Gallup, founder/CEO of IfWeRanTheWorld/MakeLoveNotPorn, the Glass Lion jury consists of the following members from the countries listed:
Brazil
Marcello Serpa, Partner/Co-President of the Board, AlmapBBDO
France
Catherine Emprin, Managing Director, BETC
India
Tista Sen, National Creative Director & Senior Vice President, J. Walter Thompson
UK
Laura Jordan Bambach, Creative Partner, Mr President
UK
Nick Bailey, Chief Executive Officer/Executive Creative Director, Isobar
USA
Susan Credle, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett
USA
Gail Heimann, President, Weber Shandwick
USA
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, The Representation Project
USA
Elizabeth Nyamayaro, Senior Advisor to Under Secretary-General UN Women, Head @HeForShe Campaign
Philip Thomas, CEO of Lions Festivals, said that the jury appointments 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.”
Jury president Gallop also stressed the importance of the award in actively shaping industry change. “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.”
Glass Lion juror Bailey noted 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 recognizing 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.”
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 program 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 program (June 21-24, 2015).
