Media Lions jury head appointed

Dave Verklin, Media Lions jury president

Says Terry Savage, executive chairman of the festival, “David is a highly respected international leading authority and visionary of the media business. We are honoured that he will chair the 2006 Media Lions Jury.”

Commenting on his appointment, Verklin says, “I am thrilled to be serving as the Media Lions Jury President. This is an important moment in the history of commercial persuasion and marketing sciences. I look forward to doing my part to pay tribute to the great work being done around the world and honour the best and brightest in the business.”

Based in New York, Verklin joined Carat in 1998 as CEO of Carat Americas and in 2005 was also appointed chairman of Carat Asia Pacific. In his role, Verklin oversees the operations of Carat in the US, Latin America, Canada and Asia Pacific, as well as on the Indian sub-continent. He also sits on the board of directors for Aegis Group plc (Carat’s holding company).

Under Verklin’s leadership, Carat Americas has grown into one of the world’s leading media-centric diversified marketing services companies, as well as the fastest growing within the industry with media billings approaching US$8 billion annually. Carat Americas companies have over 300 clients including Pfizer, P&G, Revlon, Motorola, adidas, Philips, Hyundai, Kia, Honeywell, Marriott and Gap. Carat has won multiple industry accolades, including the Advertising Age Media Agency of the Year Award in 2001.

Verklin is one of the most frequently quoted experts in the media services industry and currently sits on the Board of the American Advertising Federation, the Ad Council, the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the Virginia Commonwealth University’s AdCenter and the New York Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Verklin began his career at Young & Rubicam, New York. He helped create Hal Riney & Partners in San Francisco, first serving as its media director and later managing the entire agency as its MD. Under his leadership Hal Riney grew into one of the largest privately held advertising agencies in the US. Verklin is a graduate of the University of Virginia and his new book Watch This, Listen Up, Click Here is being published this year. He lives with his wife and their three children in Connecticut.