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The 2022 Lions Creativity Report features 15 Indian creative professionals. The annual report ranks the most creative businesses and people in the world based on performance at Cannes Lions. 

The Lions Creativity Report presents four Regional Network of the year awards and 11 global awards: Creative Company, Network, Agency, Independent Agency, Creative Brand and Palme d’Or, as well as Health Network, Health Agency, Media Network, Agency by Track, and Independent Agency by Track of the Year. The creative rankings also include the top performing Director, Art Director, Creative Director and Copywriter.

Also included in the report are analysis and insights from the winning work and lessons on how brands are growing businesses and tackling some of the world’s most challenging problems in innovative ways. The themes covered include: Creativity for Growth; Scalable Solutions; Craft with a Conscience; Tech in Service to the Idea; and Invite Everybody.

Speaking about the report, Simon Cook, CEO, Lions, said, “It's a celebration and also a tool for future success. The official global creativity rankings provide a definitive benchmark for the industry, accompanied by insights and commentary from our winners and the talented experts who judged the work this year. I would like to congratulate everyone who ranked this year. Together, they set the global benchmark for creativity.”
The official people rankings are announced as follows:

Creative Director of the Year: 

1. Aabhaas Shreshtha, Dentsu Creative, Bengaluru, India

1. Amey Chodankar, Dentsu Creative, Bengaluru, India

1. Ashwin Palkar, Dentsu Creative, Bengaluru, India

1. Binaifer Dulani, Dentsu Creative, Bengaluru, India

1. Geetika Sood, Dentsu Creative, Bengaluru, India

1. Kushal Lalvani, Dentsu Creative, Bengaluru, India

2. Eduardo Tavares, Area 23, an IPG Health Network Company, New York, USA

3. Andrey Tyukavkin, Publicis Italy, Milan

3. Eoin Sherry, Publicis Italy, Milan

Director of the Year: 

1. Ronak Chugh, Freelance, Bengaluru, India

1. Sergio Rapu, Freelance, Bengaluru, India

2. Bryan Buckley, HUNGRY MAN, Los Angeles, USA

3. Lieven Anthonise, eRACINGTV, Dordrecht, The Netherlands

3. Sidney Van Wichelen, Freelance, St-Niklaas, The Netherlands

3. Witten Anthonise, eRACINGTV, Dordrecht, The Netherlands

Art Director of the Year: 

1. Karthik Nambiar, DENTSU CREATIVE, Bengaluru, India

1. Manasi Sheth, DENTSU CREATIVE, Bengaluru, India

1. Sachin Ghanekar, PURPLE FOCUS, Bengaluru, India

1. Tanya Paul, DENTSU CREATIVE, Bengaluru, India

1. Vaishakh Kolaprath, DENTSU CREATIVE, Bengaluru, India

2. Katie DiNardo, LEO BURNETT, Chicago, USA

3. Sofia Gahn, LEO BURNETT, Chicago, USA

Copywriter of the Year: 

1. Farishte Irani, DENTSU CREATIVE, Bengaluru, India

1. Meghna Yesudas, DENTSU CREATIVE, Bengaluru, India

2. MacKenzie Hart, LEO BURNETT / MISCHIEF @ NO FIXED ADDRESS, Chicago / New York, USA

3. Kelley Barrett, LEO BURNETT, Chicago, USA

The rankings are compiled using data from Lion-winning and shortlisted work from 2022. PwC is LIONS’ Process Integrity Partner and is responsible for independently confirming due process in the calculation and reporting of the Special Awards rankings listed in the Lions Creativity Report. Read full report <a href="https://em.ascential.com/ODk3LU1CQy0yMDcAAAGG2tf7C5FMoGqz7AD0xZ2E_QVb2uT2raQ8AifMgSMQPi4FRSoUoOJX-KKEtPX6BLZUPKLOHGU=">here.</a>

Indian creatives dominate the Cannes Lions Creativity Report

Dentsu International’s CEO Wendy Clark is reportedly stepping down, multiple international reports stated. 

Storyboard18 reached out to the company for a statement but did not get a response at the time of filing this report. Clark took charge of the Japanese-owned advertising network on 1 September 2020. Prior to that, she was the global chief executive of DDB, the Omnicom-owned creative agency. Wendy is regarded as the most respected female agency leader in the global advertising circuit. She was previously a marketer at Coca-Cola. 

At Cannes Lions this year, Clark made an official announcement on the creation of Dentsu Creative as the company’s lead creative agency network and her vision to set up “One Dentsu” strategy that will bring Dentsu Japan and Dentsu International’s businesses closer. Under her leadership, Dentsu Creative Bengaluru went on to win Ad Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions 2022 – the first time a Dentsu agency won the prestigious award. Dentsu is the world’s fifth largest agency group with about 65,000 staff. The international business outside Japan employs around 45,000 people.

Under Clark’s leadership, the network also went through an accelerated ‘transformation’. This massively hit Dentsu International’s operations globally and in India. A series of leadership changes, consolidations and dissolutions of agency brands has been happening, especially in India, over the past year and a half.

Few ad agencies have witnessed drastic changes in a short span triggered by a raft of reasons ranging from the pandemic slowdown to restructuring to internal audits at units over alleged malpractices.

As it happens, the exits are bad PR, ironic for a company that is in the business of communication, senior agencies heads of rival networks. While Dentsu International’s big ambition is also to simplify its structure, the effort is “confusing and complicated”, according to agency insiders Storyboard18 spoke to. It’s been a year and Dentsu International India is still on the hunt of a CEO. Interestingly, Robert (Rob) Gilby takes charge as CEO APAC, Dentsu International, on 5 September 2022.

A former senior leader of Denstu agency observes, “Clark got in American way of leadership. The brutal slice down of operations and head count could have been dealt better. The Japanese didn’t particularly like this approach.” 


Is Wendy Clark leaving Dentsu International?

Dentsu Creative India on Wednesday announced the appointment of Sumeer Mathur as chief strategy officer effective immediately. He will report into agency’s CEO Amit Wadhwa.
Mathur’s mandate will be to build upon agency’s strategic capabilities in order to further enhance its work. The aim is to leverage the group’s strength in data and technology to deliver a deeper understanding of consumers, society and contemporary culture.
 
His responsibilities will include brand management, digital, and PR. In addition to this, he will work closely with Ajay Gahlaut, group chief creative officer, Dentsu Creative India, and the business teams.
 
Prior to this, he was the national strategy head at Havas Creative.
 
Wadhwa says, "Sumeer’s appointment takes us a step further toward our vision for Dentsu Creative in India to lead the way in modern creativity. He not only brings in knowledge and credibility from some of the best agencies but also has vast experience across brands, digital and PR, which indeed makes him the perfect fit."
 
With over 20 years of experience, Mathur has previously held national, regional and global strategic responsibilities for many brands including Colgate-Palmolive, Clinic Plus, Clinic All Clear, Fair & Lovely, Airtel, Horlicks, Royal Enfield, Livon, Taj Hotels, UNICEF, Adidas, LG, Microsoft, Bira and Muscle Blaze among others.
 
He has worked with agencies such as Rediffusion DYA&R, Lowe Lintas, JWT, DDB Mudra and Edelman.

Speaking on his new role, Mathur says, "Frankly, it's a privilege to join the team at Dentsu. There isn't a communication agency in the country right now that combines tech, culture, craft, and ideas the way Dentsu does. They are ahead of the curve and have their feet firmly planted in the future, in order to deliver value to clients."   
 
Dentsu Creative was recently declared the 'Agency of The Year' at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2022. It won a Titanium for its ‘Unfiltered History Tour (UHT)’ campaign in addition to bagging three Grand Prix, two Gold Lions and three Silver Lions.
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