Cannes Lions to honour Steve Ballmer as Media Person of the Year

Steve Ballmer (pictured), CEO, Microsoft Corporation will be honoured with the Media Person of the Year Award at the 56th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

The honour pays tribute to a prominent personality who is an influential figure in the development of today's media landscape, which ultimately plays an integral part in shaping the future of the advertising industry.

In a statement, the organisers of the Cannes Lions Festival say they "are proud to present this prestigious honour to Steve Ballmer in recognition of his leadership and Microsoft's continued commitment to digital advertising. In less than a generation, the worlds of publishing and advertising have been transformed by a tidal wave of paradigm-busting digital technologies. Microsoft has been at the heart of these changes for over 30 years, bringing digital within reach of mainstream audiences and driving both consumer and advertiser innovation."

"We are delighted to honour Steve Ballmer, a passionate and dynamic personality whose energetic leadership and vision over the years has made Microsoft into the global leading brand that has touched the lives of millions, and changed the face of worldwide communication," said Philip Thomas, Festival CEO.

On receiving the award, Steve Ballmer said, "I'm honoured to accept this prestigious award on behalf of all the people at Microsoft who are working to redefine media and advertising in the digital era. This is a time of sweeping innovation and transformation in advertising and publishing, and there are incredible opportunities to use technology to deliver more value to both advertisers and consumers. We look forward to working closely with our media and advertising partners to continue to push the boundaries of what is possible."

Steve Ballmer will be honoured during the Press, Cyber and Design Lions Awards Ceremony on the evening of Wednesday 24 June, in the Palais des Festivals, Cannes.Delegates will be able to listen to Steve Ballmer when he presents the Microsoft Advertising Seminar on Wednesday 24 June.

Previous recipients of the Media Person of the Year Award include Sir Anthony O'Reilly, Chief Executive of Independent News & Media, Tsuneo Watanabe, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings; Gunter Thielen, Chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann; Lachlan Murdoch, Deputy COO, News Corporation; Arnaud Lagardere, Chairman and CEO of Lagardere Group; Sumner Redstone, Chairman and CEO of Viacom; Gerald Levin, CEO of AOL Time Warner; Jean-Claude Decaux, President of JCDecaux Group; and Silvio Berlusconi, media magnate and Prime Minister.