Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has revealed its 2025 Jury President line-up, with Ali Ali, Co-Founder and Film Director of Good People Films to serve as the Film Craft Lions Jury President, making him the first representative from Egypt.
“It’s a tremendous honour and a towering career goal to be named Film Craft Jury President, as the first ever Arab to lead this highly anticipated category at Cannes,” said, Ali, “Since its inception, Film Craft has always been my favourite category at Cannes Lions. I’ve been on the FC jury before, and the type of discussions in the room, namely around craft, are always good fun. From what I hear, this involves a lot of work, but I’m already looking forward to June.”
The festival also announced comes with several updates to the 2025 edition of Cannes Lions, including the renaming of the Social & Influencer Lions to the Social & Creator Lions. This change reflects the growing role of creators in the marketing landscape, with Beth Keamy, Chief Digital Officer at TBWA\Media Arts Lab, set to lead the newly renamed category.
Another notable development is the evolution of the Glass: The Lion for Change category, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Previously focused on gender equity, the category now encompasses broader social equity issues, including disability, race, sexuality, and economic inequality. KR Liu, Global Head of Disability Innovation at Google, will serve as Jury President, driving the category’s redefined mission to recognise creative work that delivers lasting societal impact.
“We are excited to welcome a diverse and forward-thinking group of leaders who understand the transformative power of creative excellence to drive business growth and impact. All experts in their field, their incredible talent, combined with the commitment and leadership they bring to their roles, ensures the highest levels of integrity and rigour in the judging process. We thank them for all that they will bring to the important task ahead of them in June,” said, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS.
The full list of Jury Presidents includes:
- Audio & Radio: Xolisa Dyeshana, Chief Creative Officer, Joe Public, Africa and Middle East
- Brand Experience & Activation: Tara Ford, Chief Creative Officer, Droga5 ANZ and Accenture Song, APAC
- Creative B2B: Wendy Walker, Vice President Marketing ASEAN, Salesforce, ASEAN
- Creative Business Transformation: Jane Lin-Baden, CEO APAC, Member of the Global Management Committee, Publicis Groupe
- Creative Commerce: Gabriel Schmitt, Global Chief Creative Officer, Grey, Global
- Creative Data: Tina Allan, Global Chief Data and Intelligence Officer, FCB, Global
- Creative Effectiveness: Andrea Diquez, Global CEO, GUT, Global
- Creative Strategy: Pats McDonald, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Dentsu Creative, Global
- Digital Craft: Naoki Tanaka, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Lab, Dentsu, Global
- Direct: Gaëtan du Peloux, President and Chief Creative Officer, Marcel, France
- Entertainment Lions: David Rolfe, Global Head of Production, WPP / Hogarth, Global
- Entertainment Lions for Gaming: Sue Anderson, Vice President, Creative, Roblox, USA
- Entertainment Lions for Music: Seiya Matsumiya, CEO and Co-Founder, Black Cat White Cat Music, Global
- Film: Kate Stanners, Chairwoman and Global Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi, Global
- Film Craft: Ali Ali, Co-Founder and Film Director, Good People Films, Egypt
- Glass: The Lion for Change: KR Liu, Global Head of Disability Innovation, Google, Global
- Health & Wellness: Eric Weisberg, Global Chief Creative Officer, Havas Health Network, Global
- Industry Craft: Matthias Spaetgens, Chief Creative Officer, Scholz & Friends, Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- Innovation: Courtney Brown Warren, Chief Marketing Officer, Kickstarter, Global
- Luxury: Mathilde Delhoume Debreu, Global Brand Officer, LVMH, Global
- Media: Dan Clays, CEO, Omnicom Media Group, EMEA
- Outdoor: Keka Morelle, Chief Creative Officer LATAM, Ogilvy, LATAM
- Pharma: Franklin Williams, EVP, Executive Experience Director, AREA 23, an IPG Health company, USA
- PR: Tom Beckman, Global Chief Creative Officer, Weber Shandwick, Global
- Print & Publishing: Icaro Doria, President and Chief Creative Officer, DM9, Brazil
- Social & Creator: Beth Keamy, Chief Digital Officer, TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Global
- Sustainable Development Goals: Josy Paul, Chairperson and Chief Creative Officer, BBDO, India
- Dan Wieden Titanium Lions: Judy John, Global Chief Creative Officer, Edelman, Global
Cannes Lions 2025 is set to take place in June, celebrating the best creative and effective work from around the world. Submissions for all Lions categories are now open.
