Ogilvy sponsors Young Lions and launches Teaching Festival @CannesLions2017 

Cristina Blanaru Creativity, Education, Festivals & Awards

Ogilvy, one of the largest marketing communications companies in the world, has announced it is the official sponsor of the Young Lions competition at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, along with Getty Images. This is the fifth time Ogilvy has sponsored the event. The continued support is just one pillar of Ogilvy’s dedication to nurturing young talent, which has always been a key focus for the agency.

Ogilvy has experienced success with Young Lions in recent years. Last year, Michael DiSalvo, Vice President Healthcare, and Ben King, former Account Director, Ogilvy Media Influence [now with WPP], took home the PR Young Lions.  This year, Ogilvy has several Young Lions participating in this year’s festival including:

  • Briony Chappell and Chris Marley, London
  • Guido Donadio and Sebastián Regiani, Buenos Aires
  • Ioana Archontaki, Katerina Dimitrakopoulou, Dimitra Karagianni, Antonis Margaronis, Panos Miriagos and Evros Voskarides, Athens
  • James Dominic Mendoza and Joaquin Torres, The Philippines
  • Udara Dharmasena and Havishmi Sivananthan, Sir Lanka
  • Kenie Kwok and Elaine Li, Hong Kong
  • Boboy Ramanathan, Jakarta

To further drive their commitment to nurturing new talent, Ogilvy is running a dedicated ‘Teaching Festival’ throughout this year’s Cannes Lions. The name of the festival is inspired by David Ogilvy’s famous quote: “Ogilvy & Mather is the teaching hospital of the advertising world”. The initiative is spearheaded by last year’s winner Michael DiSalvo and will consist of a stream of insights, which offer key learnings from Cannes and advice to young talent on how to advance their career.

Part of the programme will also include a panel called Next Generation Talent and Building Brands for the Future. The panel will be made up of Jennifer Risi Ogilvy’s Worldwide Chief Communications Officer;  Michael DiSalvo , Vice President Healthcare and rising stars Elaine Li and Kenie Kwok, both Senior Art Directors from Ogilvy’s Hong Kong office.

Michael DiSalvo, VP Healthcare Ogilvy:

 Winning a Young Lions last year was such a turning point in my career so I know first-hand what this can mean for others. I am very excited about leading the Teaching Festival and using the platform to ensure others are given the same opportunities I have been during my time at Ogilvy.

Jennifer Risi, Worldwide Chief Communications Officer Ogilvy:

It is essential for companies to create opportunities that are more flexible, diverse and provide cross-functional experiences to best cultivate our next generation of talent.  As part of Ogilvy’s Next Chapter agenda, we are focused on providing opportunities for professional growth to our talent who bring a range of skills, experiences, cultures, and capabilities.  We believe that real work must get done but not without taking the time to teach young people how to be better every day.

In addition, Tham Khai Meng, Co-Chairman & Worldwide Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy, has been invited by Cannes Lions to talk at the Cannes Lions School about his experiences in advertising. This is being held as part of their Young Creative Academy and Khai will be advising the up-and-coming creatives on how to succeed in today’s climate.