The initiative aims to highlight the existence of very talented creative women in the industry and accelerate their careers. All are between six and ten years into their careers, in creative job roles, and have been identified as promising future creative leaders.

Participants

• Nivedita Agashe - Group Head DDB Mudra Mumbai, India
• Mara Binudin - Associate Creative Director AKQA, New York, US
• Mariana Borga - Creative Director JWT São Paulo, Brazil
• Marta Caseny - Senior Copywriter FCB Hamburg, Germany
• Tove Eriksen Hillblom - Senior Copywriter TBWA Stockholm, Sweden
• Katherine Glover - Copywriter Joe Public Johannesburg, South Africa
• Sally Hastings - Senior Art Director Ogilvy & Mather Melbourne, Australia
• Kia Heinnen - Art Director Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Maddy Kramer - Interactive Art Director LatinWorks Austin, US
• Nikki Lindman - Senior Creative BBH London, UK
• Ilia Márquez - Copywriter Badillo Saatchi & Saatchi San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Yumiko Ota - Copywriter Dentsu Inc. Tokyo, Japan

Gender topics

Gender is high on the Festival agenda this year. Sessions dedicated to the topic include:

• Jefferson Hack from Dazed in conversation with Samantha Morton about the lack of female directors in Hollywood;
  
• Ogilvy & Mather's session with Monica Lewinsky;
  
• A&E Network's 'Marketing to women in the fourth wave of feminism' forum;
  
• Venus Comms's session on the business case for marketing to women;
  
• The United Nations Foundation talk at Lions Health about solutions for saving women's lives;
  
• The Unruly talk about tackling the gender gap in tech at Lions Innovation.

The See It Be Forum panel 'Diversify or Die' will also discuss the inaugural Glass Lions, the new award for work that shatters the stereotypes of gender representation in marketing.

"Every year Cannes Lions reflects our community's most pressing topics. It is clear gender equality, representation and female creativity are burning issues that are helping to drive the future of the industry," says Philip Thomas, Lions Festivals CEO. Women represent around 30% of the speakers and 31.5% of judging panels at Cannes Lions. "Not the 50% we all wish to see, but we're committed to seeing the scales equalling out," concludes Thomas.

See It Be It and The Glass Lion are supported by LeanIn.Org and sponsored by IBM Interactive Experience, the Ipsos Girls' Lounge and Refinery29.