The organisers of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity have announced jury presidents for the 2026 edition.

Representing India on the jury list are Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Groupe, South Asia (Creative Data) and Kainaz Karmakar, chief creative officer, Ogilvy India (Health and Wellness).

Marcel Marcondes, global chief marketing officer, AB InBev, Global, has been named the inaugural jury president for the Creative Brand Lion category. 

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.”

The full jury president list:

Audio & Radio: Oriel Davis-Lyons Mother New York, USA

Brand Experience & Activation: Rafael Pitanguy, VML, Global

Creative B2B: Ty Heath, LinkedIn

Creative Brand: Marcel Marcondes, AB InBev, Global

Creative Business Transformation: Gugu Mthembu, Telkom

Creative Commerce: Phil Camarota, Flywheel

Creative Effectiveness: Bertille Toledano, Havas Creative Network

Creative Strategy: Sarah Lemarié, Publicis France

Design: Greg Quinton, Design Bridge and Partners, Global

Digital Craft: Andrés Ordóñez, McCann

Direct: Joaquín Cubría, Gut

Entertainment, Chris Beresford-Hill, BBDO

Entertainment Lions for Gaming: Lolly Thomson, M+C Saatchi Group

Entertainment Lions for Music: Matt Murphy, 72andSunny

Film: Pelle Sjoenell, Droga5, part of Accenture Song

Glass: The Lion for Change: Monique Nelson, UWG

Industry Craft: Rafael Gil, Artplan

Innovation: Kazuhiro Shimura, Dentsu

Media: Sindhuja Rai, WPP Media

Outdoor: Aaron Starkman, Rethink

PR: Dana Tahir, Havas Red

Print & Publishing: Jessica Apellaniz, Wieden+Kennedy

Social & Creator:Mihnea Gheorghiu, LePub

Sustainable Development Goals: Kazoo Sato, Earth Centric Design

Dan Wieden Titanium: Chaka Sobhani, TBWA\Worldwide

Entries for the festival are open till 9 April.