APAC Effie Awards 2022 appoints Akira Mitsumasu & Fern Canning as Heads of Jury

Effie Asia Pacific has announced the names of Akira Mitsumasu, Vice-President – CX, Data Analytics & Marketing at Japan Airlines and Fern Canning, Executive Vice-President, Integrated Client Solutions, APAC of Edelman, as Heads of Jury for the APAC Effie Awards 2022.

Both have served as Head of Jury previously and they will return to lead the judges in uncovering the gems and awarding the most effective marketing communication efforts in the region.

In his current role as Japan Airlines’ Vice-President – CX, Data Analytics & Marketing, Mitsumasu leads the department in driving the growth and innovation across the airline’s international markets. A veteran in the aviation industry with more than 30 years of experience and multiple leadership positions under his belt, he has been named one of Asia’s Best Marketers and celebrated amongst the 50 Most Influential Global Marketing Leaders in the course of his illustrious career.

Rendering his contribution to the larger marketing community, Mitsumasu also serves as Vice-President of the Airline Passenger Experience (APEX) board of directors and is a member of the CMO Council Asia Pacific Advisory Board. He is also a voracious researcher on business-related issues and has published a book on Japanese Corporate Groups.

Mitsumasu said, “It is a great honour to serve as a Head of Jury for the prestigious APAC Effie Awards together with a panel of accomplished judges. The past two years of pandemic have brought about many changes in consumer behaviour and the ways in which brands respond to those changes. From being purpose driven to accelerating their use of digital technology, brands have sought to remain relevant, inspiring and innovative. I look forward to witnessing what epitomises the APAC Effies – creative ideas, outstanding work and effective outcomes from across the region.”

Canning is the Executive Vice-President, Integrated Client Solutions, APAC at Edelman. An awarded brand builder and agency leader with over 20 years in the industry, she has vast knowledge and experience across brand strategies and creative with cross-disciplinary expertise in tech, CPG, F&B, travel, automotive and lifestyle.

Responsible for driving best-in-class work across Edelman, Canning delivers fully integrated work across strategy, creative, content, social, paid media, design, UX and web development. Besides overseeing integrated campaign strategy, creative and execution for major clients such as Microsoft, she also serves as Global Strategy Lead for PayPal and Executive Counsel for UNDP’s The Lion’s Share Fund. She has led insight-driven, award-winning work for a diverse portfolio of clients, notably winning APAC Effies for PayPal and HP. Before moving to Australia, she spearheaded international campaigns for multiple brands across the P&G, Diageo and SABMiller portfolios, earning a marketing excellence award for her work with Diageo. 

In 2022, Canning joined The Marketing Academy alumni, the distinguished scholarship creating outstanding leaders in the marketing, media and creative industries.

Canning said, “My fundamental belief is that truly great work is grounded in strategy. This is what accelerates creativity to have real and measurable business impact. That’s why I am such a strong advocate for the Effies. We seek outstanding, best-in-class work that not only moves people through creative executions, but that also shifts the needle for a business. The calibre of judges for the APAC Effie Awards and the rigour of discussion around the strategy, creativity, execution, and critically the true results, is second-to-none. I’m proud to be returning as Head of Jury for 2022.”

The remaining Heads of Jury will be introduced in the coming weeks and the latest competition updates can be accessed via www.apaceffie.com.

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