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Cannes, France, April 28, 2015 (Newswire.com) - ​The nine members of the first Glass Lion: The Lion for Change jury have today been announced by Cannes Lions.

The award, launched with the support of Leanin.Org, recognises work that breaks through unconscious gender bias and shatters stereotypical portrayals of men and women. It will be judged by an accomplished, diverse group who will bring a broad cross-section of cultural perspectives, insights and experience to the table.

They are:

• USA: Cindy Gallop, Founder/Chief Executive Officer, IfWeRanTheWorld/MakeLoveNotPorn - President
   
• Brazil: Marcello Serpa, Partner/Co-President of the Board, AlmapBBDO 
   
• France: Catherine Emprin, Managing Director, BETC 
   
• India: Tista Sen, National Creative Director & Senior Vice President, J. Walter Thompson 
   
• UK: Laura Jordan Bambach, Creative Partner, Mr President
   
• UK: Nick Bailey, Chief Executive Officer/Executive Creative Director, Isobar
   
• USA: Susan Credle, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett
   
• USA: Gail Heimann, President, Weber Shandwick
   
• USA: Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, The Representation Project
   
• USA: Elizabeth Nyamayaro, Senior Advisor to Under Secretary-General UN Women, Head @HeForShe Campaign

Commenting on the jury appointments, CEO of Lions Festivals, Philip Thomas, said that they would be instrumental in helping to shape the future of the award, and, in turn, the industry. “We believe that marketing actively shapes culture, and the Glass Lion is part of our commitment to having a positive impact on this. The introduction of a new Lion is an opportunity to define both the category and what we hope the communications landscape might look like.”

Jury President, Cindy Gallop, Founder/Chief Executive Officer, IfWeRanTheWorld/MakeLoveNotPorn also stressed the importance of the award in actively shaping industry change. “I want every single creative in every country around the world to desperately want to win the Glass Lion – because the work that wins this award represents The New Creativity: the gold standard for creative and sociocultural change in our industry.”

Judge Nick Bailey, Chief Executive Officer/Executive Creative Director, Isobar, agreed, adding that the global, multi-disciplinary perspective of the jury would also play a role in how the work is judged. “It’s no secret that one gender and one viewpoint is over-represented in our industry, which means inevitably a certain viewpoint is over-represented. The Glass Lion seeks to redress that by recognising work that holds a mirror up to the world as it really is, rather than just as a minority of people see it. That’s why it’s particularly exciting to see not just a truly international mix in the jury, but also a mix of viewpoints from both within and from outside our industry.”

2015 See It Be It programme accepting nominations

The introduction of the Glass Lion: The Lion for Change follows on from the 2014 launch of the See It Be It initiative, created to address the industry’s gender imbalance by accelerating creative women’s careers in advertising. The three-day programme for 12 creative women is returning to Cannes Lions this year and nominations are now open. Successful candidates will receive airfares to Nice, a Classic Pass to the Festival and accommodation for the duration of the programme (21 - 24 June 2015).

Full details and criteria for participation can be found at http://www.canneslions.com/cannes_lions/seeit/

About the Glass Lion

Entries for the category are open to marketing that promotes more inclusive, gender-aware forms of brand communication, rooted in creative excellence. It’s expected that winners will have achieved this via a range of approaches, including clear, progressive messages and less obviously active tactics within sectors which have traditionally been very gender-specific, including beauty and automotive.

Points won will count towards Network, Agency and Holding Company of the Year awards, and proceeds from entries will be put back into a programme that helps the mission of creating a more gender-neutral media landscape. In addition to the support of Leanin.org, The Glass Lion: The Lion for Change is also sponsored by Facebook, IBM Interactive Experience and the Ipsos Girls’ Lounge.