Dubai, United Arab Emirates – WARC has revealed the roster of esteemed judges for the WARC Awards for Middle East & Africa 2024. In collaboration with LIONS, these awards will recognize outstanding strategies and the impact they have made across 12 different categories. With a diverse jury panel handpicked for their expertise and cultural insight, the judging process promises to be comprehensive and insightful.
A lineup of industry veterans hailing from the Middle East and Africa regions make up the jury. Notable names from the Middle Eastern advertising industry include Khaled Al Shehhi, the Executive Director of Marketing and Communication at UAE Government Media Office, and Elda Choucair, CEO of Omnicom Media Group. Al Shehhi will lead as the jury chair for categories such as Channel Integration, Channel Pioneer, Partnerships & Sponsorships, Path to Purchase, and Use of Data.
Joining Al Shehhi are jury members Elda Choucair and Babar Rahman, Vice President Marketing of Qatar Airways, both bringing their extensive expertise to the table. Representing the African region are Yssem Saadi, General Manager of Mindshare Tunisia; Yvonne Gyefour, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Head of Brand at Jumia Group; Christine Amisi-Bwire, Media Director at Starcom East Africa/ALB Media; Mosala Phillips, Chief Marketing Officer at Old Mutual; and Dawn Rowlands, CEO of Dentsu for Sub Saharan Africa.
Gugu Mthembu, the Chief Marketing Officer of Telkom, will lead the jury for the Brand Purpose, Business-to-Business, Cultural Impact, Customer Experience, Instant Impact, and Long-term Growth categories. The Middle East region sees the participation of Walid Kanaan, Chief Creative at TBWA RAAD Lebanon; Rawad El Dahouk, Head of Strategy and Planning at Wunderman Thompson Saudi; Juman Sleiman, Senior Strategist at Imagination Middle East; and Dina El-Dessouky, Head of Strategy & Insights at Leo Burnett MENA. From Africa, Souheil Badaa, CMO of Riaya Industries; Deepankar Rustagi, CEO of OmniRetail Technology; and Neema Masinde, Regional Lead Marketing Communications & Integrated Media at Beiersdorf Kenya, complete the jury.
Adding further excitement, a new category, Strategic Thinking, has been introduced this year. The jury for this category will be led by Carolyne Kendi, the Chief Marketing Officer at Absa Kenya PLC. She will be joined by other accomplished professionals including Anton Reyniers, Head of Strategy at Impact BBDO; Maria Parsons, Head of Strategy at Grey Group Qatar; Anastasia Kim, Creative Strategy Lead at Google UAE; Angela Vic Kyerematen-Jimoh, National Digital Transformation Lead at Microsoft Africa; and Bogosi Motshegwa, Chief Strategy Officer & Founder of Thinkerneur. Completing the jury are Fred Akinmuyisitan, Head of Portfolio Strategy at CMI and Marketing Capabilities at Nigerian Breweries Plc, and Tahaab Rais, Group Chief Strategy Officer at Publicis Groupe for Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey.
The juries will evaluate submissions and award Gold, Silver, and Bronze accolades across the 12 categories. Following this, the jury chairs from all regional awards will come together to form a super jury that will decide on the Grands Prix, chosen from the regional Gold winners.
The WARC Awards for Middle East & Africa 2024 promises a rigorous and fair evaluation process, recognitions for exceptional marketing strategies, and the celebration of industry excellence throughout the region.