Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced its Jury Presidents for the 2026 edition, scheduled to take place from 22 to 26 June 2026. The line-up has brought together senior leaders from global brands, agency networks, platforms and independent agencies to oversee judging across key creative disciplines.
Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Groupe South Asia, has been appointed Jury President for the Creative Data category, while Kainaz Karmakar, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India, has been named Jury President for the Health & Wellness Lions. Their appointments have reinforced India’s presence in leadership roles at the global festival.
AB InBev’s Global Chief Marketing Officer Marcel Marcondes has been appointed the inaugural Jury President for the newly introduced Creative Brand Lion. The category has been introduced to recognise brands that have built systems, cultures and capabilities to deliver consistent creative excellence and long-term business impact. Under Marcondes’ leadership, AB InBev has been named Creative Marketer of the Year twice in the history of Cannes Lions.
The 2026 line-up has also marked the inclusion of independent agencies as Jury Presidents for the first time. Leaders from Artplan, Rethink, M+C Saatchi and Mother have been named, highlighting the growing influence of independent agencies in shaping creative work across markets and disciplines.
The announced Jury Presidents span a wide range of categories, including Audio & Radio, Brand Experience & Activation, Creative B2B, Creative Business Transformation, Creative Commerce, Creative Data, Creative Effectiveness, Creative Strategy, Design, Digital Craft, Direct, Entertainment, Film, Glass: The Lion for Change, Health & Wellness, Industry Craft, Innovation, Media, Outdoor, PR, Print & Publishing, Social & Creator, Sustainable Development Goals and Dan Wieden Titanium.
The full list of Cannes Lions 2026 Jury Presidents includes Oriel Davis-Lyons (Audio & Radio), Rafael Pitanguy (Brand Experience & Activation), Ty Heath (Creative B2B), Marcel Marcondes (Creative Brand), Gugu Mthembu (Creative Business Transformation), Phil Camarota (Creative Commerce), Anupriya Acharya (Creative Data), Bertille Toledano (Creative Effectiveness), Sarah Lemarié (Creative Strategy), Greg Quinton (Design), Andrés Ordóñez (Digital Craft), Joaquín Cubría (Direct), Chris Beresford-Hill (Entertainment), Lolly Thomson (Entertainment Lions for Gaming), Matt Murphy (Entertainment Lions for Music), Pelle Sjoenell (Film), Monique Nelson (Glass: The Lion for Change), Kainaz Karmakar (Health & Wellness), Rafael Gil (Industry Craft), Kazuhiro Shimura (Innovation), Sindhuja Rai (Media), Aaron Starkman (Outdoor), Dana Tahir (PR), Jessica Apellaniz (Print & Publishing), Mihnea Gheorghiu (Social & Creator), Kazoo Sato (Sustainable Development Goals) and Chaka Sobhani (Dan Wieden Titanium).
Commenting on this year’s line-up, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “Our Jury Presidents are selected for their proven creative leadership, global perspective and ability to recognise creative work that will raise the bar. The 2026 Jury President line-up reflects the full breadth of creativity today – spanning from brand building to transformation, to driving culture and influencing commerce. I have no doubt they will collectively set a powerful new standard for the year ahead.”
