The official UAE representatives of the Cannes Lions Festival, Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan announced that Chloe Salloum, a third year student majoring in Visual Communication – Digital Media at American University in Dubai (AUD), has been selected to represent the UAE at the exclusive Cannes Lions Roger Hatchuel Academy 2023.
The Roger Hatchuel Student Academy is a six-day global learning experience as part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, designed for students approaching graduation. Since 2003, the Academy has been inspiring the next generation of creative leaders by giving them the tools, knowledge and connections they need to explore different creative avenues and launch their careers in the advertising and creative communications industry.
Salloum was one of the four recommended students from the UAE this year, alongside Mary Al Nassr Allah and Ayesha Malak from AUD, and Samyuktha Shankar Narayanan from Middlesex University Dubai, whose submissions were reviewed by the Roger Hatchuel Academy Jury panel – a diverse mix of global experts from reputed education institutions, the industry and related creative fields.
Commenting on being selected for this year’s Roger Hatchuel Academy, Salloum said, “I have always had a love for visual storytelling. I spent much of my childhood embracing my creative side through photography, drawing, and creating short films. So far, I have learned a lot through my own experimentation and throughout my academic journey at the American University in Dubai, and I am looking forward to taking my knowledge to the next level. I am honored and delighted to be representing the UAE at the esteemed Cannes Lions Roger Hatchuel Academy. I am incredibly excited to be a part of this classroom alongside other young and eager creatives from across the world.”
I could not have achieved this alone, and I am so grateful to my professor Dina Faour, my university, and my family for endlessly supporting me, believing in me, and guiding me to become who I am today,” she added.
Commenting on Salloum’s selection as this year’s Roger Hatchuel Academy student from the UAE, Dina Faour, Professor of Advertising, Department of Visual Arts, American University in Dubai said, “We, at AUD, are very excited and proud to be representing the UAE, once again, at the Roger Hatchuel Academy and at the Cannes Lions Festival. As avid believers in active learning and in close engagement with the industry, we find that the RHA and the Festival as a whole offer exceptional learning and networking opportunities that prove to be inspirational to our students, year after year. We want to thank the festival for this initiative.”
“We also thank the Motivate Val Morgan team, especially Ms. Dumindrini Ratnayake, for organising and conducting the selection process and for their professional support they consistently offer our students. Finally, we wish Salloum the best of luck and we are certain she will learn immensely and will continue to do us proud,” she added.
The Roger Hatchuel Academy class of 2023 will host 30 students, and throughout the week-long programme, students will dissect diversity and unlock a greater understanding of each other, the world and the nature of the industry.
This year’s Roger Hatchuel Academy will run in parallel to the Cannes Lions Festival from 19– 23 June 2023 in Cannes, France.
