Debbi Vandeven

She will also be speaking at the International Seminar of Creativity, which will be held at Cape Town City Hall on 20 September. She has served on several international award juries, including Art Directors Club and New York Festivals. VML's creative teams have garnered accolades from top international shows, including Cannes Lions, London International Awards, CLIO, Webby Awards, One Show, OMMA and Effie Awards, among others.

"Last year at Cannes, South Africa brought home Gold in the mobile category for a campaign that is now proving to be on par with the best work from around the world," says Vandeven. "I know that South Africa has a long tradition of creative excellence in advertising, but have also learned that strong digital work is still lacking due to a heavily regulated telecoms environment. There has been progress with deregulation over the last two years and I believe we will see digital come of age in the near future in South Africa. Marketers are investing more online as their consumers become connected and as a result, the work is improving. Agencies are beginning to produce work that is unique and appropriate to the African consumer while leveraging technologies from around the world."

Accomplishments

With more than 20 years of advertising and digital experience, Vandeven has earned a reputation for exceptional, on-strategy creative solutions that drive business for clients and connect with consumers through integrated channels. Since joining VML in 2000, she has led creative engagements for brands such as Carlson Hotels, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Kellogg's, Revlon, Southwest Airlines, US Bank, Wendy's and Xerox.

She is accomplished in both traditional and interactive creative development, earning a reputation for creative solutions, rich in design and functionality. Her creative leadership has enabled VML to become one of the top global digital agencies today with more than 18 offices and 1100 employees worldwide. Its recent achievements include being named a Standout Shop by Advertising Age in 2012 and awarded with seven Lions at Cannes in the same year.

"I'm honoured to be the digital jury chair at the Loeries this year and look forward to seeing great work that will no doubt make its mark on the international stage."

"Vast strides are being made in the use of digital media within our region and especially in the quality and budgets of these campaigns," says Loeries CEO, Andrew Human. "Last year our digital entries grew by 23% and this has influenced the decision to appoint an international digital jury chair to lead the panel this year.