Kassaei, Nobay, Cupples head Dubai Lynx juries

Amir Kassaei

Amir Kassaei, chief creative officer of DDB Group Germany will head the TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor and Radio Jury. David Nobay, creative chairman of Droga5 Australia, will chair the Direct & Sales Promotion and Interactive Jury. The Media Jury will be led by Barry Cupples, CEO of Omnicom Media Group Asia Pacific.

"Once again, we are delighted to welcome to Dubai Lynx three highly respected international award-winning professionals to guide the juries as they continue to set the standard and ultimately raise the creative bar in the Middle East and Africa," said Philip Thomas, CEO of Cannes Lions, organiser of Dubai Lynx.

Amir Kassaei has been creative director and managing partner of the DDB Group in Germany since 2003. He is one of the most highly-decorated creatives in the world, having won over 1600 national and international awards and has served on the most noted award shows around the globe. According to the Big Won Report (2007, 2008 and 2009), he is one of the three best chief creative officers in the world.

Barry Cupples

"I am honoured and proud to be this year's TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor and Radio Jury President. On the one hand because the Middle East will be the emerging region concerning communication, on the other hand it is like a journey home as I was born in Iran," said Kassaei on his appointment.

David Nobay is ranked in Archive Magazine's Top Ten most published copywriters of the last millennium as well as being named as Australia's most awarded creative director by Campaign Brief Magazine in 2008. In January of the same year, he was invited by David Droga to launch Droga5 Australia, the New York-based agency's first foray into an international network.

During his career, Nobay has been recognised by D&AD, Art Directors Club, New York Festivals, London Festivals, the Clio Awards, Cannes Lions and The One Show for a myriad of international clients, including Toyota, Lexus, Lion Nathan, Milk, the New York Times, Sony, Fox Sports, Intel and Datek Online. Under his leadership, Droga5 Sydney has just been named Agency of the Year in Australia by B&T magazine.

David Nobay

"Of course, I'm honoured to be leading the Direct & Sales Promotion and Interactive juries, but even more so, I'm genuinely intrigued: the categories are, in my opinion, where the most ambitious creativity is happening and geographically this is a region I've never worked in so I'm fascinated to see what will be revealed," commented Nobay.

As CEO of Omnicom Media Group's (OMG) Asia Pacific region since October 2007, Barry Cupples oversees media operations in 26 offices, spanning 13 countries.

Cupples moved to OMG in 2006, serving both the media communications company OMD and the newly-launched media services company PHD. Under Cupples' leadership, OMD won significantly more awards on behalf of clients than any other regional competitor and, for the fourth time, was named Media Magazine's Media Agency of the Year in 2008.

"I am very honoured to have been asked to take part in such a prestigious event and I take the responsibility seriously to ensure that the best work gets the recognition it will surely deserve. Great work is no respecter of borders and I am really excited at the prospect of seeing this year's entries and the solutions to business challenges that they will represent," said Cupples.

"The world we live in has changed so much in the last 12 months and that seismic change is matched by the communications industry where media platforms driven by technology and content and fed by a socially-aware consumer are evolving at a pace that is both inspirational and exciting for the future," he continued.

Entries can now be submitted online in the categories of TV/Cinema, Outdoor, Print, Radio, Interactive, Direct & Sales Promotion, Media, Integrated and, new for 2010, Craft. To submit entries or register to attend the Dubai International Festival, go to www.dubailynx.com.