Cannes Lions 2015: JWT's Tista Sen part of 9-member Glass Lion jury

The inaugural Glass Lion will recognise work that breaks through unconscious gender bias and shatters stereotypical portrayals of men and women

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | April 29, 2015

The nine members of the first Glass Lion: The Lion for Change jury have been announced by Cannes Lions.

The award, launched with the support of Leanin.Org, recognises work that breaks through unconscious gender bias and shatters stereotypical portrayals of men and women. It will be judged by an accomplished, diverse group who will bring a broad cross-section of cultural perspectives, insights and experience to the table.

They jury members are:

Cindy Gallop, Founder/ CEO, IfWeRanTheWorld and MakeLoveNotPorn – President

Marcello Serpa, Partner/Co-President of the Board, AlmapBBDO

Catherine Emprin, Managing Director, BETC

Tista Sen, National Creative Director & Senior Vice President, J. Walter Thompson

Laura Jordan Bambach, Creative Partner, Mr President

Nick Bailey, Chief Executive Officer/ Executive Creative Director, Isobar

Susan Credle, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett

Gail Heimann, President, Weber Shandwick

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Founder & CEO, The Representation Project

Elizabeth Nyamayaro, Senior Advisor to Under Secretary-General UN Women, Head @HeForShe Campaign

Commenting on the jury appointments, Philip Thomas, CEO, Lions Festivals, said that they would be instrumental in helping shape the future of the award, and, in turn, the industry. “We believe that marketing actively shapes culture, and the Glass Lion is part of our commitment to having a positive impact on this. The introduction of a new Lion is an opportunity to define both the category and what we hope the communications landscape might look like,” he added.

Jury President Cindy Gallop also stressed on the importance of the award in actively shaping industry change. “I want every single creative in every country around the world to desperately want to win the Glass Lion – because the work that wins this award represents 'The New Creativity', the gold standard for creative and socio-cultural change in our industry.”

Agreeing with her, Judge Nick Bailey of Isobar, added that the global, multi-disciplinary perspective of the jury would also play a role in how the work was judged.

“It's no secret that one gender and one viewpoint is over-represented in our industry, which means inevitably a certain viewpoint is over-represented. The Glass Lion seeks to redress that by recognising work that holds a mirror up to the world as it really is, rather than what just a minority of people see it as. That's why it's particularly exciting to see not just a truly international mix in the jury, but also a mix of viewpoints from both within and from outside our industry.”

The introduction of the Glass Lion: The Lion for Change follows on from the 2014 launch of the 'See It Be It' initiative, created to address the industry's gender imbalance by accelerating creative women's careers in advertising. The three-day programme for 12 creative women is returning to Cannes Lions this year and nominations are now open.

Entries for the Glass Lion are open to marketing that promotes more inclusive, gender-aware forms of brand communication, rooted in creative excellence. It's expected that winners will have achieved this via a range of approaches, including clear, progressive messages and less obviously active tactics within sectors which have traditionally been very gender-specific, including beauty and automotive.

Points won will count towards Network, Agency and Holding Company of the Year awards, and proceeds from entries will be put back into a programme that helps the mission of creating a more gender-neutral media landscape. In addition to the support of Leanin.org, The Glass Lion: The Lion for Change is also sponsored by Facebook, IBM Interactive Experience and the Ipsos Girls' Lounge.

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