Sumit Virmani, Ananya Srikanth Rao, Josy Paul, & Gurbaksh Singh among Indian speakers at Cannes Lions 2025
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has revealed its 2025 content programme, with four Indian speakers set to take the stage at the world’s largest gathering for the global creative community.
Representing India this year are Sumit Virmani, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Infosys; Ananya Srikanth Rao, Brand Director, Strategy, at Saatchi & Saatchi; Josy Paul, Chairperson and Chief Creative Officer at BBDO India; and Gurbaksh Singh, Chief Creative Officer and Chief Innovation Officer at Dentsu Creative.
Virmani will speak on Tuesday, 17 June, during the CMO Spotlight session at 10:30 a.m., addressing the topic of “what it takes to be a Chief Marketing Officer in 2025.”
Rao is scheduled to join the panel ‘Creatives in Action’ on Friday, 20 June, at 11:00 a.m. The session will explore “how to solve problems like a creative genius and uncover the secret sauce behind the success of top creative leaders.”
Later that day, at 1:00 p.m., Paul will speak in the session titled ‘Creativity in the Making: Shaping Tomorrow with 2025 Jury Presidents,’ where he will discuss “how to fuel innovation, reshape the industry, and pave the way for a future where creativity drives progress.”
Running from 16 to 20 June in Cannes, France, the festival will present over 150 hours of content featuring around 500 speakers from across creative, business, and cultural fields. The programme is organised around five key content streams: Innovation Unwrapped, The Creativity Toolbox, Creative Impact, Talent and Cultures, and Insights and Trends.
'Innovation Unwrapped' will highlight transformative technologies and impact-driven innovation. It includes a session with Reckitt and global sports icon Serena Williams, discussing “how businesses, investors and change-makers can lead the way through fresh ideas, diverse voices and reimagined systems.” YouTube’s CEO, Neal Mohan, will also reflect on “20 years of YouTube and what it reveals about the future of creativity.”
'The Creativity Toolbox' will dive into creative craft and storytelling, including P&G’s session ‘Timeless Creativity’ with Marc Pritchard. VML’s ‘Defying Gravity’ will feature Debbi Vandeven, Jon M Chu and Bowen Yang, focusing on stories that “defy expectations and stand out in a crowded market.” Broadway producers Sue Gilad and Larry Rogowsky will also speak on storytelling techniques behind musicals.
‘Creatives in Action’ will bring together leaders like Vicki Maguire and Jessica Apellaniz to examine storytelling tools and evolving creative processes.
'Creative Impact' will address marketing effectiveness and creativity as a business driver. Apple’s Tor Myhren will lead the Creative Marketer of the Year Seminar. Duolingo’s ‘The Tech Marketer’s Playbook’ will highlight its social-first branding strategy with CMO Emmanuel Orssaud and mascot Duo the Owl. Additional sessions will feature CMOs from McDonald’s, Singapore Tourism Board, and Heineken Brazil.
'Talent and Cultures' will focus on inclusion and workplace transformation. Sessions include Zebedee Talent and The MosaiQs’ panel on the “inclusion revolution,” and a MORE GRLS workshop on negotiation strategies for women in creativity, led by Laura Florence, Larissa Zucatelli and Camila Moletta.
Greg Hahn and Jeff Goodby of GS&P will share their agency-building journey in ‘Going from Agency Flash in the Pan to Eternal Flame,’ and the daily ‘Changemakers’ series will spotlight leaders like Pedro Lerma who are “using their platforms to champion underrepresented voices and ignite business and cultural or social transformation.”
'Insights and Trends' will explore global cultural and consumer shifts. Highlights include F5 Shanghai’s ‘The Globalisation of Chinese Brands’ with Adams Fan, Yang Zhang and Renee Huang. The Quollective’s session will trace how a cult brand “took a two-footed leap into culture and let it dictate the path forward.” The stream will also include Inside the Jury Room sessions with Seiya Matsumiya, Andrea Diquez and Keka Morelle, and curated Tours of the Work.
Natasha Woodwal, Director of Content, LIONS, said, “This year's content programme reflects the immense transformation underway in the creative industries. From a record number of content proposals, we’ve curated a dynamic agenda that brings together the sharpest minds, the most pioneering brands, and the cultural disruptors shaping our future. Built around five foundational content streams, the programme is designed to help our global community navigate the broad range of topics, skills and trends shaping the future of our industry.”
Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, added, “The 2025 programme will dive deeper than ever before into the strategic, cultural, and technological factors influencing creativity at a global scale. Our delegates will hear from a wide spectrum of leaders and specialisms, including CEOs, chief marketing officers, creative leaders, content creators, entertainment and sports icons, producers, directors and even mascots – it’s representative of a multifaceted industry that is using the entire breadth of creativity to drive progress and business growth.”
News
