Ogilvy CCO to Head Up Film Jury at Cannes

Cannes Lions Names Ogilvy's Tham Khai Meng as Head of 2012 Panel.

 

Ogilvy Worldwide CCO Tham Khai Meng.

The Cannes Lions Festival has announced that Tham Khai Meng, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy & Mather, will head up both the Film and Press Juries at the 59th festival, taking place in Cannes, France, 17-23 June 2012.

Making his mark at Leo Burnett London, he then progressed to Batey Ads where his work as creative director for Singapore Airlines is still regarded as a textbook case on brand building. He joined Ogilvy & Mather in 2000 as Regional Creative Director and Co-Chairman of its Asia Pacific network. The creative transformation he instituted led him to be named 'Creative Director of the Year' for seven years running by Campaign Brief Asia.  Khai was inducted into the Campaign Brief Hall of Fame in 2008.

In 2009, Khai moved to New York to assume the duties of Worldwide Chief Creative Officer and Chairman of the Worldwide Creative Council at Ogilvy & Mather. He has won every major advertising award, and has worked on some world's most notable brands, including American Express, Cadbury's, Coca-Cola, China Mobile, H. J. Heinz, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Kraft Foods, Mercedes-Benz, McDonald's, Toyota, The Economist, Unilever Dove and United Nations, among others.

More recently, Khai's counsel has been sought outside the industry. He has addressed the World Economic Forum (WEF), worked with the UN Secretary-General, and served on the Singapore Prime Minister's Economic Review Committee. He is a faculty member at Steinbeis University, Berlin, and a board member of Agencies in Action, a non-profit organization that helps feed the hungry in New York City.

Commenting on his appointment Khai said, "Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity is the preeminent standard bearer for creative distinction in our industry. I am deeply honoured to be invited to chair the Film and Press juries and I look forward to working with some of the world's foremost creatives. Our role is not only to champion industry ideals, but to celebrate the brave ones who have deployed the highest creativity in the service of business."

Published 9, January 2012