A look at the 2022 Cannes Lions speakers and program

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has released some details of its programming including a list of first speakers for the upcoming June event. The deadline for the 2022 Small Agency Awards is Wednesday, April 27. Submit your entry at AdAge.com/SAA2022 Agency notables taking center stage at the event include WPP CEO Mark Read, Accenture Song CEO and Creative Chairman David Droga, Dentsu International CEO Wendy Clark, VaynerX and VaynerMedia CEO Gary Vaynerchuk and Ogilvy Global Chief Creative Officer Liz Taylor, along with many others. Client-side speakers include Adidas Head of Global Marketing Vicky Free, Diageo Chief Marketing Officer Cristina Diezhandino, Pepsi CMO Todd Kaplan, as well as LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky. The festival is also bringing out some celebrity speakers, such as actors Sir Patrick Stewart, Issa Rae and Ryan Reynolds, chief creative officer of MNTN and Maximum Effort. The five-day event will be based on “six priority areas” identified by the Lions' State of Creativity Study which surveyed thousands of members of the marketing community about the issues facing the industry around the world, according to a statement by the conference organizers. The panels will focus on topics centered around the talent crisis; diversity, equity and inclusion; sustainability; data, tech and innovation; business transformation; and creative effectiveness. “We’re delighted to relaunch the global platform and bring together the world’s most creative minds to solve some of the industry’s biggest challenges and the world’s most urgent problems,” said Lions CEO Simon Cook. “This year’s agenda is focused around the key themes that the industry has told us are the most pressing. CEOs, CMOs, activists and world leaders will convene to collectively address them, take action, find solutions and drive progress through creativity.” This is the latest announcement as anticipation for the festival, being held June 20-24, continues to build. CMOs have expressed they are rethinking their travel plans for events including Cannes as issues like the Russia-Ukraine war and COVID-19 remain top of mind. Agencies have also ramped up their plans to attend the event as clients have made it clear they will have a presence this summer. The deadline for the 2022 Small Agency Awards is Wednesday, April 27. Submit your entry at AdAge.com/SAA2022 In March, AB InBev was named Cannes Lions 2022 Marketer of the Year, and it was announced that Colleen DeCourcy, the former global chief creative officer and president of Wieden+Kennedy, will receive the 2022 Lion of St. Mark award.

A look at the 2022 Cannes Lions speakers and program

Featured Stories