Spikes Asia Announces First 2013 Jury Presidents

Singapore, May 14, 2013 – (ACN Newswire) – The Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity has announced the five jury presidents who will take the helm of the Branded Content & Entertainment, Direct and Promo & Activation, Media, PR and Film, Press, Outdoor, Radio and Integrated juries.

Tham Khai Meng, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy & Mather, has been named jury president of the Film, Press, Outdoor and Radio Jury as well as the Integrated Jury. During his 28-year career, Khai has explored every corner of the ad business while building brands and agencies on four continents. Khai joined Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific in 2000 as Co-Chairman. While there, he was named Campaign Brief Asia’s ‘Creative Director of the Year’ for seven straight years and was inducted into the Campaign Brief Hall of Fame. Khai moved to New York in 2009 to assume his current post of Worldwide Chief Creative Officer and spark a creative renaissance throughout Ogilvy & Mather. Three years after his arrival, Khai led Ogilvy & Mather to victory at Cannes Lions taking home a Grand Prix, 83 Lions and for the first time in the agency’s history, the Network of the Year award. Considered by Advertising Age to be “one of the world’s most influential people in the communications business,” Khai has worked with brands that include American Express, Cadbury’s, China Mobile, Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola, H. J. Heinz and IBM.

About his position as jury president, Khai says, “It’s a great honour to be invited to serve as jury president for the Film, Press, Outdoor, Radio, and Integrated categories at Spikes Asia. After five years away from Asia Pacific, and now with a different lens, I am thrilled with the prospect of curating the great work coming out from this vibrant part of the world.”;

Mike Cooper, Worldwide CEO of PHD, will head up the Media Jury. Starting his career at Saatchi & Saatchi London, Mike moved to Asia in 1989 and was responsible for starting what is now Zenith in China in 1990. He joined OMD Asia Pacific in 1997, and was the driving force behind their regional expansion which grew to 26 offices and saw them become the number two media specialist in the region as well as the most awarded media agency in APAC. In 2005 he launched PHD across the Asia Pacific region and a year later was named ‘Regional Head of the Year for Asia’ by Media Magazine. In 2007 he became CEO of PHD Worldwide, responsible for growing the network which today has over 73 offices in 62 countries worldwide, with clients that include Unilever, HP, GSK, VW Group, Elizabeth Arden, Starbucks and Canon.

Talking about his position Mike says, “Having worked in media and marketing in Asia for 19 years I am thrilled to be returning to be Spikes as Media Jury President in 2013. Asia is still the most exciting place to be in the world from a media perspective and I know we’ll be looking at some outstanding work and I will be working alongside some of the region’s best senior media talent. I cannot wait.”

Jose Miguel Sokoloff, President, Lowe Global Creative Council & Co Chairman and CCO, Lowe SSP3 Colombia, will preside over the Direct and Promo & Activation Jury. Since becoming part of the Lowe network over 15 years ago, Lowe SSP3 has become the second largest agency in Colombia and gained recognition as the most consistently creative agency in the market. It was the first Colombian agency to have its work named in the Gunn Report’s most awarded list in the world and earlier this year, it was awarded Advertising Age’s ‘International Agency of the Year’, the first time a Colombian agency has taken this accolade. In 2011, Jose Miguel was appointed to the role of President of Lowe and Partners Global Creative Council and in 2012 he won Colombia’s first Black D&AD pencil, the only one awarded that year. Last year he took home Latin America’s first coveted Titanium Lion for his agency’s work against terrorism in Colombia.

About his role Jose Miguel says, “Being invited to judge at any of the Lions Festivals is always an honour. Time spent in the judging room serves to remind me what I love about this job and this industry. The work and talent coming out of Asia never fails to surprise and I look forward to seeing what Spikes Asia brings to the fore in 2013.”

Lynne Anne Davis, President & Senior Partner, FleishmanHillard Asia Pacific, will serve as president for the PR Jury. Lynne Anne oversees the agency’s operations across 19 owned offices and three brands in 10 countries, which more than doubled revenues organically in the last five years. Under her leadership, FleishmanHillard won “Asia Pacific Network of the Year” honours four times from three celebrated industry organisations for exceptional growth, retention of clients and talent, creative excellence and innovation in new services. Named “Standout Agency” on the 2013 A-List and “Best Places to Work 2012” by Advertising Age, the agency recently launched a major global rebrand to reflect its evolution as a “fully integrated communications company.” With 25 years of PR experience, Lynne Anne is frequently called upon to comment on industry issues by the likes of The Asian Wall Street Journal, South China Morning Post, CNBC and Working Mother.

Lynne Anne says about her role, “It’s a time of seismic shifts in the industry as public relations has crossed boundaries to apply its undeniable power and influence in a more integrated world. Creativity remains at the heart of the world’s best work and I’m thrilled to be at the coalface of the best of the best in Asia by leading the PR jury for the region’s most revered showcase of creative excellence. I expect to be blown away by the true ingenuity of this year’s most ground-breaking PR campaigns.”

Leading the Branded Content & Entertainment Jury will be Anthony Freedman, Group CEO of Host. Anthony founded Host in 2000, creating an agency that reinvented the agency model and the way that campaigns were developed. By 2008, Host was the largest independent agency in Australia and remained so until 2011 when a partnership with Havas Worldwide was announced. Today Host has offices in Sydney and Singapore and a list of clients that include global brands like Coca-Cola, Lego and Sony Playstation. Anthony began his career in London before moving to Sydney where he joined Spin Communications. In 2007 he co-founded PR and social media agency One Green Bean, which has quickly become the most celebrated agency of its type in Australia. He was elected the inaugural Chairman of The Communications Council in 2010 and heads a board of twelve industry leaders from agencies across Australia.

Commenting on his appointment Anthony says, “There’s lots of attention around the world from agencies and brands, on both Branded Content and Asia, so it’s extremely exciting to be Jury President of a much talked about category within the pre-eminent Asian awards show.”

Terry Savage, Chairman of Lions Festivals, says, “This is a great line-up of jury presidents that pays homage to both local knowledge and international excellence. In particular I am delighted to see Tham Khai Meng return to his native Singapore to lead the Film, Press, Outdoor, Radio and Integrated juries, and Mike Cooper return to the region in which he spent so many years. A good look at the history of these five presidents highlights that they are thought leaders and people of extraordinary talent and leadership skills, which Spikes and the region are privileged to have steering the juries in what is the most important awards event in the region.”

Spikes Asia is currently open for delegate registration and from 16 May 2013 will accept entries into the 16 awards categories. Further information can be found online atwww.spikes.asia.

About Spikes Asia

The Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity, celebrating and inspiring Asia-Pacific creativity in advertising, takes plaace at Suntec City, Singapore, 15-17 September 2013. Building on the illustrious Spikes Asia Awards, the Spikes Asia Festival is a collaboration between Cannes Lions and Haymarket. The Festival provides the region’s growing creative communications industry with a platform to network and exchange ideas, bringing together some of the finest creative thinkers from across the region and around the world.

The Festival offers an engaging programme of seminars and workshops focusing on creativity and learning. In addition, there are exhibitions of creative work from Asia, evening networking events and the exciting Spikes Asia Awards Ceremony which celebrates and rewards creative excellence in communications.

The Spikes Asia Awards are the region’s oldest and most prestigious awards for creative advertising. They reward the best entries in Film, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Digital, Direct, Promo & Activation, Media, Design, Film Craft, Print & Poster Craft, Integrated, Mobile and PR. For more infomation, please visitwww.spikes.asia.

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Contact:

Amanda Benfell,

Head of PR & Press

Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity

amandab@lionsfestivals.com

Tel: +44-20-3033 4000

www.spikes.asia/