Spikes Asia announces 2013 jury presidents

• Tham Khai Meng, Ogilvy & Mather’s worldwide chief creative officer, has been named jury president dealing with Film, Press, Outdoor and Radio as well as Integrated
• Mike Cooper, worldwide CEO of PHD, will head up the Media Jury
• Jose Miguel Sokoloff, president, Lowe Global Creative Council and co-chairman and CCO, Lowe SSP3 Colombia, will preside over the Direct and Promo & Activation Jury
• Lynne Anne Davis, president and senior partner, FleishmanHillard Asia Pacific, will serve as president for the PR Jury
• Anthony Freedman, group CEO of Host will lead the Branded Content & Entertainment Jury.

Tham joined Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific in 2000 as co-chairman. He moved to New York in 2009 to assume his current post. Three years after his arrival, he led Ogilvy & Mather to victory at Cannes Lions, taking home a Grand Prix, 83 Lions and for the first time in the agency’s history, the Network of the Year award. Tham has worked with brands that include American Express, Cadbury’s, China Mobile, Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola, H. J. Heinz and IBM.

“After five years away from Asia Pacific, and now with a different lens, I am thrilled with the prospect of curating the great work coming out from this vibrant part of the world,” he said about his appointment as jury president.

Starting his career at Saatchi & Saatchi London, Cooper moved to Asia in 1989 and was responsible for starting what is now Zenith in China in 1990. He joined OMD Asia Pacific in 1997, and oversaw a regional expansion to 26 offices. In 2005 he launched PHD across the Asia Pacific region and in 2007 he became CEO of PHD Worldwide.

“Having worked in media and marketing in Asia for 19 years I am thrilled to be returning to be Spikes as Media Jury President in 2013," he said. "Asia is still the most exciting place to be in the world from a media perspective and I know we’ll be looking at some outstanding work and I will be working alongside some of the region’s best senior media talent."

Sokoloff became part of the Lowe network more than 15 years ago, Lowe SSP3 is the second largest agency in Colombia and has gained recognition for consistent creativity, including being named in the Gunn Report’s most awarded list in the world. In 2011, Sokoloff was appointed to the role of president of Lowe and Partners Global Creative Council and in 2012 he won Colombia’s first Black D&AD pencil. Last year he took home Latin America’s first coveted Titanium Lion for his agency’s work against terrorism in Colombia.

“Time spent in the judging room serves to remind me what I love about this job and this industry. The work and talent coming out of Asia never fails to surprise and I look forward to seeing what Spikes Asia brings to the fore in 2013,” Sokoloff commented.

Davis oversees FleishmanHillard’s operations across 19 owned offices and three brands in 10 countries, which more than doubled revenues organically in the last five years. With 25 years of PR experience, she is frequently called upon to comment on industry issues by the likes of The Asian Wall Street Journal, South China Morning Post, CNBC and Working Mother.

“Creativity remains at the heart of the world’s best work and I’m thrilled to be at the coalface of the best of the best in Asia by leading the PR jury for the region’s most revered showcase of creative excellence," she said. "I expect to be blown away by the true ingenuity of this year’s most ground-breaking PR campaigns.”

Freedman founded Host in 2000. By 2008, Host was the largest independent agency in Australia and remained so until 2011 when a partnership with Havas Worldwide was announced. Today Host has offices in Sydney and Singapore and clients includingCoca-Cola, Lego and Sony Playstation. Freedman began his career in London before moving to Sydney where he joined Spin Communications. In 2007 he co-founded PR and social media agency One Green Bean. He was elected the inaugural Chairman of The Communications Council in 2010 and heads a board of 12  industry leaders from agencies across Australia. “There's lots of attention around the world from agencies and brands, on both Branded Content and Asia, so it's extremely exciting to be Jury President of a much talked about category within the pre-eminent Asian awards show,” he said.

“This is a great line-up of jury presidents that pays homage to both local knowledge and international excellence,” said Terry Savage, chairman of Lions Festivals.  “A good look at the history of these five presidents highlights that they are thought leaders and people of extraordinary talent and leadership skills, which Spikes and the region are privileged to have steering the juries in what is the most important awards event in the region.” Spikes Asia is currently open for delegate registration and from 16 May 2013 will accept entries into the 16 awards categories. 

Spikes Asia is a joint venture of Lions Festivals and Haymarket Media, publisher of Campaign Asia-Pacific.

The article first appeared on Campaign Aisa