20 November 2007 - The organisers of the 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards are pleased to announce that the 2008 TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor and Radio jury president will be Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and National Creative Director of Ogilvy, India & South Asia. The awards will form part of the 1st Dubai International Advertising Festival to be held in Dubai 31 March - 2 April 2008.

Named as the most influential man in Indian advertising 5 years in a row by The Economic Times, India's leading business paper, Piyush has turned Ogilvy India into the creative powerhouse that it is today. Under his leadership, it is consistently named as India's most creative agency, and Ogilvy India is ranked amongst the most creative offices in the entire network, with over 500 Indian and international awards gracing its shelves, including fourteen Cannes Lions. Ad Club Mumbai voted Piyush's commercial for the adhesive brand Fevikwik as the commercial of the century and his work on Cadburys, as the campaign of the century.

Piyush, who became the first Asian to be president of a Cannes jury in 2004, doesn't think of advertising as a job: "When you're having so much fun, how can you call it work?" and hates being called the Godfather of Indian Advertising, a title often thrust upon him. He would rather be known as the Minister of Fun at O&M Advertising.

"When we initially announced the launch of Dubai Lynx we said we would bring the best jurors and presidents available in the world today. They don't come any bigger than Piyush Pandey - a former Cannes jury president and a legend not just in India but around the world", said Philip Thomas, CEO of Cannes Lions, organisers of Dubai Lynx.

Commenting on his appointment, Piyush Pandey said, "I am delighted to be Chairing the Dubai Lynx Festival Jury 2008. This is a young Festival and therefore an opportunity for all of us to build a distinctive character for it. A character that is unique to this Region and yet is an inspiration for the rest of the world. It will be my endeavour to work with the distinguished jury members, select the best pieces of work that are not confined to the tastes of just our fraternity, but are capable of delighting people that they are created for."

Piyush was a professional cricketer and tea-taster before joining Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai, in 1982. Rising up the ranks, he became its national creative director in 1994 and was inducted to Ogilvy's worldwide board in 1995. In 2004, Piyush was appointed Executive Chairman of O&M India and South Asia. Piyush's work has helped make advertising creativity a preferred career option for young professionals in India.

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The 1st Dubai International Advertising Festival incorporating the 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards, The Middle East and North Africa Advertising Awards for Creative Excellence, will be held 31 March - 2 April 2008 in Dubai, UAE.

Presented by Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival together with their regional partners, Motivate Publishing, the Dubai International Advertising Festival is held with the support of Dubai Media City (DMC) and in association with the UAE Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA). The 1st Dubai International Advertising Festival will bring to the Middle East and North Africa a series of high profile seminars, workshops, exhibitions and screenings aimed at giving creative inspiration, learning and networking opportunities to the advertising and allied industries in the region. The 2nd Dubai Lynx awards, which are part of the Festival, will honour creative excellence in TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Direct Marketing, Media and Interactive advertising. High-profile international jurors will award the coveted Dubai Lynx trophy to establish the definitive standard for creative excellence in the MENA region.

For further information, please contact:
Amanda Benfell, PR & Press Manager
Dubai International Advertising Festival
Greater London House,
Hampstead Road, London NW1 7EJ,
United Kingdom
Tel: +44-(0)20-7728 4040;
Fax: +44-(0)20-7728 4044;
E-mail: amandab@canneslions.com
www.dubailynx.com

Steve Lane,
Festival Director
Dubai International Advertising Festival
PO Box 2331, Dubai,
UAE
Tel: +971-4-2052 403;
Mobile +971-(0) 50 552 7781
E-mail: stevel@dubailynx.com
www.dubailynx.com

© Press Release 2007