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Phil Thomas
CEO of AscentialPhilip Thomas is Chief Executive of Ascential (part of Informa Group), which is home to LIONS, WARC, Contagious, Money20/20, Acuity Pricing and WGSN. He is also Chairman of Cannes Lions, having been CEO of Lions Festivals for ten years, between 2006-2016.
He began his career as a journalist, working on national and international magazines and newspapers, and editing Empire, the UK’s biggest-selling movie magazine, before moving into publishing and becoming Managing Director of FHM worldwide, launching the iconic men’s magazine in more than 30 countries.
He was appointed Managing Director of Emap’s Australian and South East Asian division, based in Sydney for three years, before returning to the UK and being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Lions Festivals.
Philip is a Non-Executive Trustee of the Media Trust and Malaria No More charities, and was cited as one of the Agents of Change for Gender Equality by the UK's Management Today magazine.
In this session, Philip will provide insights into the evidence that underscores creativity as a catalyst for growth, as well as the strategies, characteristics, and practices that are successfully driving creative effectiveness in the Cannes Lions winners.
Bertille Toledano
President at BETCSince starting her career in 1994 in strategic planning at Saatchi & Saatchi, Bertille Toledano has consistently held roles connected to strategy, including Head of Business Development (CLM/BBDO), Head of Strategic Planning, and General Manager (YOUNG & RUBICAM).
Bertille joined BETC in 2012 and was appointed President in February 2013. She played a key role in the agency's transformation and growth during BETC's move to its new headquarters, the Magasins Généraux in Pantin, in 2016. More than just a workplace for the agency's 1,000+ employees, the Magasins Généraux is a 20,000 m² cultural and creative hub that hosts numerous resident artists.
Today, BETC is a globally renowned agency based in Pantin. It was ranked the world's most creative agency by the WARC Rankings in 2024. Its network spans Shanghai (2010), London (2011), São Paulo (2014), and New York (2024).
BETC believes in the power of creativity to capture emerging trends, change behaviors, and create value for brands. The agency supports over 100 brands, including CANAL+, Lacoste, Evian, Cisco, Yves Saint Laurent, Michelin, EDF, E.Leclerc, as well as cultural institutions like the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Museum of Immigration History, and the Philharmonie de Paris.
In 2017, AdAge named Bertille one of its Women to Watch for the year. She has served as a jury member at the Cannes Lions Festival in the Creative Effectiveness category in 2016 and 2022. In 2020, she was appointed President of the French Advertising Association (AACC). Most recently, in 2024, she served as Jury President at the Dubai Lynx Festival for categories including Creative Strategy, Creative Effectiveness, Integrated, and Glass, and she also joined the executive council of MEDEF as a representative of the creative industries.
Karen Owen
CMO at LIPTONKaren Owen is the Chief Marketing Officer for LIPTON Teas & Infusions, home to the some of the most loved tea brands in the world including Lipton, Pukka and PG Tips to name a few.
Karen is a distinguished marketing professional with extensive experience in leading major global brands to new heights. A FMCG veteran, her career, spans some of the most recognized names in the industry.
She started her career at Procter & Gamble in sales leading the UK & Irish Sales organisation in Healthcare before moving to marketing in Beauty. She grew Max Factor brand globally to beyond one billion dollars. She then moved to Coty leading brand building and innovation for the mass beauty brand portfolio, first across Asia and then globally.
She then transitioned from beauty to beverages, joining Diageo, where she drove transformation across the Luxury brand portfolio before moving to her current role at LIPTON Teas & Infusions.
Christian De la Villehuchet
Global Chief Client and Integration Officer at HavasPresident of EACA
Mark Brennan
Marketing Lead at Allianz IrelandMark Brennan has had an exceptional career successfully building brands and driving commercial success for multiple brands across multiple industry sectors and geographies including Allianz, AIB, EBS, Guinness, Volkswagen and L’Oreal.
His career began, agency side, in London where he worked in some of the biggest global advertising agencies including DDB & Adam&Eve, honing his marketing craft for 10 years.
Mark joined AIB bank in Ireland in 2013 as Head of Digital Marketing & Innovation, when AIB faced one of the biggest marketing challenges ever confronted in Ireland – the rehabilitation of AIB in the aftermath of the financial crisis and the Government bailout. Mark was a key leadership figure in AIB Group Marketing, instrumental in turning the brand around and being recognised twice in a row as Ireland’s Marketing Team of the Year.
In 2021, Mark took on a new challenge, becoming the Head of Marketing for one of Ireland’s longest established insurance companies, Allianz Ireland. Already in his 3 years at Allianz, Mark has deployed his marketing acumen and leadership experience and together with his team, transitioned Allianz into the second most reputable insurance brand in Ireland, delivering exceptional business results.
Creatively and commercially, Mark has been central to driving the Allianz brand to great heights. Allianz made history in 2023 by being the first brand in Ireland to be awarded a Grand Effie for its powerful ‘The World’s Strongest Women’ campaign, relating to its charity partnership with Women’s Aid and developed with Forsman and Bodenfors Dublin. Allianz was also awarded two Golds in the Effies in the Finance & Insurance Services Category and Gold in the Media Content & Partnership/Sponsorship Effectiveness Category.
Eric Benoist
Global CMO at Pernod RicardEric Benoist is an ESCP Europe graduate in Marketing and gained his initial experience in Marketing with Bahlsen France (1986-1988) and Henkel France (1988-1993). He joined Pernod Ricard as Brand Manager, non-alcoholic beverages at the Headquarters in Paris in 1993, where he became Marketing Manager, Spirits, in 1994. He was appointed Marketing Director of Pernod Ricard Asia in 1997, and Managing Director, Pernod Ricard Japan in 2000. Joining Martell Mumm Perrier-Jouët (MMPJ) as Marketing Director from 2003 to 2009, Eric then became Marketing Director of Chivas Brothers Ltd in 2009, a position he held until 2015 when he took his current responsibilities as Global Marketing and Commercial Director of Wyborowa Pernod Ricard and Pernod Ricard Central Europe.
Caio Franchi
Creative Director and Head of Creative Works (Northern Europe) at GoogleCaio is a Brazilian Creative Director and Head of Creative Works (Northern Europe) for Google. His creative journey is built differently: from creative coding to creative directing, leveraging design principles and technology to create compelling, innovative and engaging stories that build meaningful connections between Humans and Brands.
Kristina Nyström
Head of Partnerships at Visit SwedenKristina Nyström has both her heart and professional life in travel. As Head of Partnerships at Visit Sweden, her mission is to set Sweden in the spotlight with creative brand communication, to create curiosity and increase the demand for travel to Sweden. Before joining Visit Sweden in 2021, Kristina spent 25 years in the tourism and transportation industry within brand and marketing management. She has charted a dynamic career path covering senior management positions within Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Stena Lines (Northern Europe’s Largest Ferry Operator), as well as running a family tour operator business.
Presenting Effie Case “Sweden, not Switzerland”: With a very limited budget, Sweden had to promote itself. Global traveller's lacked a clear picture of Sweden —50% confused it with Switzerland. While Switzerland represents traditional luxury, Sweden offers a more modern form of luxury. They spotlighted this difference with an official proposal to end the confusion once and for all.
Dave Frauenfelder
Vice President of Brand, Marketing Communications & Sponsorships at KPN – Royal Dutch TelecomDave Frauenfelder is Vice President of Brand, Marketing Communications & Sponsorships at KPN – Royal Dutch Telecom. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic positioning of the brand and leads the marketing communication activities for one of the largest telecom companies in the Netherlands. He plays a key role in the development of societal campaigns, such as the award-winning #BetterInternet campaign. Additionally, he serves as a board member of the Dutch Advertisers Jury Foundation (SAN), where he is involved in selecting and recognizing the best marketing campaigns in the Netherlands.
In 2024, KPN won the prestigious Grand Prix at Cannes for the campaign "A Piece of Me", an initiative that brings KPN's societal role to life by helping young people and parents start conversations about a safer internet. The campaign was praised for its heartfelt and human approach, placing digital safety and empathy at its core. According to the jury's commentary, the campaign stood out due to "the exceptional combination of creativity and societal impact, delivering a powerful and relevant message of digital inclusivity." This recognition marks a milestone in the Dutch marketing landscape and underscores KPN's commitment to fostering meaningful connections within society.
Presenting Effie Case “A Piece of Me”: KPN, the Netherlands’ leading telco, wanted to transform attitudes to online shaming. Sexting isn’t shameful- forwarding intimate images without consent is shameful. Working with Dutch musician MEAU, they co-created a song and music video showing the devastating impact of online shaming, based on victims’ true stories. They managed to make a gold record, online shaming a crime and KPN the most valuable brand in the Netherlands.
Priscilla Garofalo
Senior Brand Manager at IchnusaPriscilla is a passionate marketing professional with experience in the FMCG industry, gained through several experiences in multinational Companies operating in very diverse markets. She has joined Heineken in 2022 as Senior Brand Manager of Ichnusa, one of Italy’s most iconic brands.
Presenting Effie Case “Sardinian Soul”: When your brand’s most powerful asset is its authenticity, how do you communicate it without looking like a sell-out? This is the story of how they launched Ichnusa - a small Sardinian beer - and turned it into one of Italy's favourite brands. And most importantly, how they made Sardinians proud of their beer.
Kaj Hettman
Creative Strategist at Forsman & BodenforsKaj Hettman is a creative strategist at Forsman & Bodenfors with a great passion for change. With experience working with several globally recognized Swedish brands, he is accustomed to exporting Sweden to the world. He has a deep love for travel and destination marketing and has worked with Visit Sweden for the last few years. Kaj is one of the key engineers behind Visit Sweden's brand concept and strategic direction as well as creative ideation. Before joining the global collective Forsman & Bodenfors, Kaj worked for several different branding agencies in Sweden, as well as the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
Presenting Effie Case “Sweden, not Switzerland”: With a very limited budget, Sweden had to promote itself. Global traveler's lacked a clear picture of Sweden —50% confused it with Switzerland. While Switzerland represents traditional luxury, Sweden offers a more modern form of luxury. They spotlighted this difference with an official proposal to end the confusion once and for all.
James Moore
Global Head of Strategy at Le PubJames Moore is LePub’s Global Head of Strategy where he currently leads the Heineken, Desperados and Toblerone global accounts. With 13 years of experience working on global brands, James has won numerous strategy and creative awards, including 4 IPA Awards, a Grand Effie and 32 Cannes Lions. He holds a BSc in Psychology and an MSc in Data Analytics and can usually be found on a KLM flight somewhere between Milan and Amsterdam.
Presenting Effie Case “Sardinian Soul”: When your brand’s most powerful asset is its authenticity, how do you communicate it without looking like a sell-out? This is the story of how they launched Ichnusa - a small Sardinian beer - and turned it into one of Italy's favourite brands. And most importantly, how they made Sardinians proud of their beer.
Jan Bosselaers, Marketing Director Heineken Italy
Presenting Effie Case “Sardinian Soul”: When your brand’s most powerful asset is its authenticity, how do you communicate it without looking like a sell-out? This is the story of how they launched Ichnusa - a small Sardinian beer - and turned it into one of Italy's favourite brands. And most importantly, how they made Sardinians proud of their beer.
Boris Nihom
CEO of Dentsu Creative AmsterdamBoris Nihom is an entrepreneur, creative agency leader, and strategist at the intersection of branding & innovation. A leader in Amsterdam’s planning community, he’s won 7 EFFIEs, founded the Account Planners Group, introduced creative strategy to the Dutch Creativity Awards. In 2020 he became CEO of Dentsu Creative Amsterdam, ranking top 3 annually, winning Agency of
the Year in 2023, with multiple Eurobest Grand Prix and Lions for Volkswagen Road Tales and
Adobe x Bowie. Boris was the driving force behind KPN’s Piece of Me campaign, awarded a Cannes Lions Creative Strategy Grand Prix in 2024. As well as CEO, Boris is also Head of Product for EMEA, defining the future of creativity across culture, experience and innovation. Side gigs include lectures at Universities of Delft and Amsterdam, informal investor in Dutch startups
and an unofficial double-life as a retired DJ and underground soul & disco record collector.
Presenting Effie Case “A Piece of Me”: KPN, the Netherlands’ leading telco, wanted to transform attitudes to online shaming. Sexting isn’t shameful- forwarding intimate images without consent is shameful. Working with Dutch musician MEAU, they co-created a song and music video showing the devastating impact of online shaming, based on victims’ true stories. They managed to make a gold record, online shaming a crime and KPN the most valuable brand in the Netherlands.
Vera Sidlova
Global Creative Thought Leadership Director of KantarVera’s passion for art and psychology seamlessly aligns with her professional focus on creative effectiveness. She is a seasoned professional specializing in shaping a broad range of global brands by helping them connect with their audiences in ways that deliver business results.
At present, Vera works as the Global Creative Thought Leadership Director at Kantar. Together with a great team of thought leaders, she crafts point of views not only on creative effectiveness and enjoys sharing those in discussions, podcasts, articles and the like.
