Dubai Lynx Confirms presidents for Design, Media juries

19 Oct 2012

The Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity will be held at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai from 10-13 March 2013. Heading up two of the seven juries will be Sylvia Vitale Rotta, CEO of Team Créatif, presiding over the Design jury, and Iain Jacob, president of Dynamic Markets, Starcom MediaVest Group, who will head up the Media jury.

Dubai Lynx Confirms presidents for Design, Media juries

Sylvia Vitale Rotta founded Team Créatif with Nick Craig in 1986. Since then the design agency has become a reference point both in the French market and abroad. With 165 collaborators from 10 different nationalities, Team Créatif works in 49 countries, including Brazil, where it has a subsidiary in São Paulo and also now Jakarta. A design ambassador around the world, Rotta was the president of the first Design jury at Eurobest and also the president of the Design Lions Jury at Cannes Lions 2009.

Commenting on her appointment Rotta says, "It is an honour for me to be chosen as president of the Dubai Lynx Design category. I have worked extensively in the fast moving MENA region and I have personally experienced the importance and the power of design in branding and packaging as well as retail and digital. This will be fundamental in bringing even more value to branded products and their corporations. Whether they be local, big or small brands or mega international brands! Enjoy the event and lots of success for this creative get-together in the region."

Iain's career

Iain Jacob, began his career in advertising at Boase Massimi Pollitt (now DDB) and Bartle Bogle Hegarty. In 1995, he co-founded Motive Communications, BBH's award-winning separate media company, after which he was given responsibility for the UK operations of Starcom Motive. In 2005 Jacob was made the CEO of Starcom Mediavest Group EMEA, and joined the global board of SMG. This new role gave him a great deal of exposure to fast growing markets such as the Middle East and Russia as well as the more established Western European countries.

In 2009 Jacob was made president of Global Innovation, alongside his EMEA role. In this role he was tasked with helping build out SMG's content business, Liquid Thread and also performance marketing disciplines for the company. In 2011 Jacob was elevated to president of Dynamic Markets following a global reorganisation. This added Australia and Canada to his European duties.

On being jury president Jacob says, "I feel very privileged to be asked to serve as the chair of the Dubai Lynx Media category. I passionately believe that great ideas and innovation are what really changes the fortune of brands. The Middle East is also a region that I hold very close to my heart, its vibrancy and diversity of culture are second to none, its creativity absolutely deserves global recognition. As judges, this is what we will celebrate."

Commenting on these announcements Philip Thomas, CEO of Lions Festivals, says, "The Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity showcases the best of the region's creativity and reflect changes and progression within the industry; which is why it's fantastic that we can welcome Sylvia and Iain on board as jury presidents, they are both enormously well respected and influential within their industries."

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