Tham Khai Meng to chair Dubai Lynx 2009

16 Jan 2009

Tham Khai Meng, who has recently been appointed as Ogilvy & Mather's Worldwide creative director, and chairman of its Worldwide Creative Council, will be the Dubai Lynx 2009 jury president for the TV/Cinema, Outdoor, Print and Radio juries, as well as the Integrated jury.

The awards takes place 15 - 17 March 2009.

Tham Khai Meng is widely recognised as one of the world's most awarded creative directors. Raised in Singapore and educated at Central Saint Martin's and Royal College of Art in London, Khai's career includes stints in London, Chicago and across Asia. He joined Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific in 1999. In 2005, he was elected to the Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Board.

Under Khai's leadership, the Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific network has risen through the regional and global creative rankings to be crowned "Creative Network of the Year" by Campaign Brief Asia for seven consecutive years (2001 - 2008). In each of those seven years, Khai was named "Creative Director of the Year." According to New York publication, Advertising Age, Khai is "One of the world's most influential people in the communications business." In 2005, Hong Kong-based Media magazine named Khai "Regional Head of the Year." Khai has also chaired and served on a number of jury panels around the world including New York Clio, Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, World Press Awards and Spikes.

Philip Thomas, CEO of Cannes Lions, organisers of Dubai Lynx said, "Khai is a formidable creative and an outstanding leader who is highly respected around the world. His involvement at Dubai Lynx is a huge privilege for us as organisers as well as for all those taking part."

Commenting on his role, Tham Khai Meng said, "It is an honour for me to serve as Jury President of the Dubai Lynx 2009. Our industry has to lead change and be right at the cutting edge of innovation. It is only the truly great ideas that can lift us to that next level and I very much look forward to working with the jury to seek out these game-changers."

Khai has served on a number of boards, including Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's Economic Review Committee in 2002, a think tank of business, academia and government leaders that was tasked with finding a strategic direction for the country that was migrating from a manufacturing to a knowledge-based economy. Khai currently serves on the Singapore Ministry of National Development's Urban Redevelopment Authority.

He is the author of "The Ugly Duckling - a cautionary tale of creativity", now translated into Korean, Japanese and Mandarin. Way back in 1989 when being "green" meant militant activism, he co-founded Asian Pals of the Planet, a group dedicated to creating a sustainable future.

Khai donates whatever spare time he has to the Singapore Hospice Council, a foundation devoted to making palliative care the norm for the terminally ill.