Meet the creative minds powering the LIT Advertising Awards! The Grand Jury Panel is a collective of thought leaders and industry professionals from across the advertising landscape. They’re here to discover the work that dares to be different and applauds innovation that moves the needle.
With expertise spanning creative media and advertising, they bring fresh perspectives to the judging process, elevating ideas that redefine creativity and leave lasting impressions.
Their passion and commitment form the backbone of the LIT Awards, ensuring every submission is given the attention it deserves. Think your work has what it takes to grab their attention? Let’s find out!
Hong Kong SAR
Dr. Ken Ip
Chairman, Asia MarTech Society
Dr. Ken Ip serves as the chairman of the Asia MarTech Society and holds advisory roles in numerous professional organizations, including two universities. He is an award-winning brand strategist, associate professor, columnist, and expert commentator specializing in Tech, Web3, Branding, and e-Commerce.
Ip has occupied diverse high-ranking roles within prominent multinational corporations and conglomerates, spanning from corporate consulting to providing advisory services in public affairs. Additionally, he serves as a strategic advisor for a Web3-focused venture capital firm with assets totaling USD 75 million.
He stands as a luminary in his industry, showcasing a wealth of accomplishments and contributions. His extensive experience in senior positions within leading multinationals and conglomerates reflects his profound impact on corporate consulting and public affairs advisory. Furthermore, as a chairman and a key figure on advisory boards for esteemed universities, he plays a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of marketing technology and education.
United States
Scott Berry
President, MarketCrest, LLC
Scott Berry has more than a decade of experience as a Senior Executive/Officer in billion-dollar Print Marketing and Direct Mail companies.
He is also the President of a full-service digital marketing agency, MarketCrest, LLC. His perspective comes from a strong return on investment (ROI) culture which has translated to enormous success for clients. As President of MarketCrest, he constantly evaluates the agency’s work to ensure it’s ready for clients and represents best-in-class deliverables. His team has won both national and international marketing awards including a Vega, NYX, NY Digital, TITAN, NYX and MUSE.
Scott admires creative people and enjoys recognizing exceptional marketing efforts and results. He is a bit of an adrenaline junkie having traveled the globe, jumped from planes, and scuba-dived in countless countries (he is a professional Divemaster and Assistant Instructor).
United States
Antara Dave
UX Designer, Microsoft
Antara Dave is a User Experience Designer and Artist with a unique blend of skills, combining her foundation in Data Analytics and Visualization with her passion for product design. With over 4 years of experience, she has made significant contributions in both multi-national corporations like Microsoft and The Home Depot.
Antara’s interdisciplinary background in user experience and data visualization allows her to bridge the gap between Design and Data. She strongly advocates for making design decisions that are data-driven and visually simple. Antara emphasizes the importance of evidence-based choices and the power of simplicity in creating impactful user experiences.
As the lead UX designer for Microsoft’s Azure Experimentation Studio Team, Antara plays a pivotal role in shaping one of the world’s largest experimentation platforms. Trusted by premier Microsoft teams such as Azure, Teams, Bing, and Office, this platform impacts millions of users globally. Antara’s responsibilities span from ideation to creating fully curated interactive designs, ensuring that the product is not only visually appealing but also highly functional.
Beyond her UX design expertise, Antara is also an accomplished artist. She expresses her creativity through various mediums, including gouache paintings, handmade flower wall art, bead earrings, and printmaking. Recently, her artwork was showcased at the Kirkland Arts Center in Seattle, Washington. She was also invited to be a guest lecturer at the Design Department at the Arizona State University, while only recently completing her professional speech at MIT’s Code Conference. In addition to such achievements, Antara is also a proud awardee of 6 major international and national design awards.
Romania
Matei Curtasu
Creative Director, Serenade Studios
Matei Curtasu has had the experience judging for SXSW Innovative, New York Festivals, WebAwards, as well as being an Advisory Board member of SXSW. He has also worked in ad agencies around the world, and recently opened his own shop in Bucharest.
Pakistan
Fizza Shah
Executive Creative Director, Grey Pakistan
Fizza Shah holds the position of Executive Creative Director at Grey Pakistan.
Shah is celebrated for her extraordinary capacity to introduce novel and unconventional concepts, and she has masterminded inventive marketing approaches for numerous distinguished Pakistani brands, such as Tapal, National Foods, Continental Biscuits, and Dalda Foods, to name a few.
She is also known for her tireless work ethic. She personally oversees the creative development for leading brands, ensuring that each project receives her undivided attention and expertise. Her dedication to excellence and hands-on approach have been instrumental in driving the success of these brands.
United States
Harshit Jain MD
Founder & Global CEO, Doceree, Doceree Inc
Harshit Jain MD, the visionary behind Doceree, the world's pioneering physician-exclusive network of programmatic marketing platforms, is actively committed to reducing global healthcare costs. In just three and a half years since Doceree's inception, Harshit has successfully reached over 18 million healthcare professionals (HCPs) worldwide, expanding operations to more than 20 countries with a team of over 160 professionals. The remarkable achievements include accolades such as NJBiz Great Place to Work 2023, PM360 Trailblazer award in POC category, Digiday Most Innovative Technology Platform 2023, and MMM Best Places to Work 2022 for Doceree. Before launching Doceree, Dr. Jain spent seven years with the renowned global advertising agency McCann, holding diverse roles such as country head, marketing director, and innovation lead across Asia, Europe, and America. Leveraging advertising media effectively, Harshit creatively addressed major health challenges like Immunization, Vitamin D deficiency, and Diabetes using innovative data approaches. In an era where digital adoption was met with skepticism among life sciences marketers and HCPs, Harshit Jain MD courageously reshaped the landscape by blending data science and technological advancements. Over his 15-year career, Jain consistently developed people-centric marketing solutions aimed at elevating patient treatment standards globally, emphasizing social upliftment. A trailblazer in the field, Harshit Jain doesn't view marketing solely through a profit-centric lens. He seeks to encourage social change and upliftment. Using the digital realm, he has paved the way for future pharmaceutical marketers in the global healthcare industry. As an advocate for knowledge-sharing, Harshit Jain explored the point-of-care virtual landscape with his book, 'The Next Marketing – To Healthcare Professionals,' and launched the industry-first talk show, 'The Next Marketing With HJ, Season 1,' inviting experts to decode new-age marketing strategies. Beyond knowledge-sharing, Harshit Jain MD creatively enhances patient education through groundbreaking healthcare campaigns like Immunity Charm, the highly awarded campaign in healthcare advertising history. He orchestrated India's first 24-hour blood donation drive, partnered to create the first bone marrow donor registry in India, published the inaugural textbook on liposuction, and conceptualized the world's first virtual world for the nutrition community – Nutritionists Republic. Many of his initiatives focus on rural and remote areas, addressing the challenge of providing quality patient treatment in those regions.
Singapore
Larry Lim
Motion Director, Anchor Agency Pte Ltd
Larry Lim is a Motion Director of Anchor Agency with over 7 years of experience in motion graphics, broadcast, production, branding & social platforms. Prior to the founding of Anchor Agency, Larry has been with Facebook, as well as multiple productions and post-production houses, hence expanding his expertise beyond just motion graphics but also how social media is able to integrate design into our daily lives. With his strong interest in design & entrepreneurship, he decided to embark on a new journey by starting Anchor Agency to pursue his ambitions to new heights. Being the Motion Director of Anchor Agency, he has worked with established clients such as Meta, Zespri, TikTok, Singapore Tourism Board, Conde Nast - The New Yorker Lab, MSIG, and Benjamin Barker. On top of illustrated animation and motion graphic content that live in both 2D and 3D spaces, Anchor's works can be seen as constantly redefining the animation art form with experimentation on different media, such as digital stickers or augmented reality.
United States
Michael Russo
Cheif Creative Officer, RUSSO Branding Agency
Michael Russo has over 20 years of creative experience with a vast array of clients from coast to coast. As an award-winning Art Director, Copywriter and Designer, Michael has been recognized by the American Advertising Federation, the Silver Microphone Awards, the AIGA, the PIAS, the W3 Interactive Awards, the Horizon Interactive Awards, the Pelican Awards and is a Silver TELLY winner. In addition, Michael is a member of the American Advertising Federation, the AIGA, a past voting member of the Recording Academy of Arts and Sciences (Grammy) and a Silver Council member and Judge of the International TELLY Awards. After receiving his BFA from the University of Louisiana, Michael worked as a Graphic Designer and Copywriter in Seattle, WA. In 2001, after returning to his hometown of Lafayette, LA, Michael co-founded RUSSO - is a strategic branding agency with offices in Lafayette, New Orleans and Nashville. RUSSO uses consumer insight to develop branding initiatives that effectively change the conversation - forming emotional connections between the consumer and the brand.
Ecuador
Jimmy Landaburu
Digital Creative Director, Ludikom
Jimmy Landaburu holds the position of Creative Director at Ludikom, engages in Digital Consulting at PRESS NETWORK, and serves as the Founder of Bross Studio. Throughout his career, he has had the privilege of working with some of Ecuador's leading agencies, including Maruri Grey, Norlop JWT, Lowe, and Y&R. Landaburu’s professional journey also led him to internships at renowned agencies such as Agulla & Baccetti, Y&R in Argentina, and Grey Brasil. He has been invited by The One Club to serve as a Mentor for the Creative Bootcamp in New York hosted by Wunderman and the Creative Bootcamp in London hosted by Wieden + Kennedy. Furthermore, he has been selected to participate as a judge in some of the most prestigious advertising festivals worldwide. His dedication to the field of advertising is exemplified by his extensive experience, continuous pursuit of creative excellence, and active involvement in judging at prestigious industry events.
India
Kiran Kumar C K
Senior Visual Designer, NetBramha (Global UI/UX Design Company)
Kiran C K is a dedicated Designer entrusted with the task of addressing challenges and crafting aesthetically pleasing products and services for some of the world's most renowned brands. In his role as a designer, he formulates concepts and strategies for intricate interactive projects. He is fervent about discovering optimal tools for translating content-driven visuals, visually captivating designs, intricate nuances, and adhering to brand guidelines, all while introducing innovative interfaces across diverse touchpoints. Furthermore, he actively collaborates with clients, fostering strong partnerships to deliver strategic and emotionally compelling creative solutions that effectively meet business objectives. C K's dedication to his role as a Designer is unwavering, as he consistently strives to tackle complex challenges and produce exceptional design solutions. He approaches each project with a passionate commitment to crafting visually appealing and innovative designs that align with brand guidelines and resonate with audiences across various platforms.
United States
Anna Mader
SVP, Head of Creative, XD Agency
As a long-time creative director, Anna is a passionate storyteller who has spearheaded experiences for some of the world’s most iconic brands. In her role as Head of Creative at XD Agency, Anna propels the agency’s creative vision forward and fosters an environment ripe for bold ideas and the strategic insight essential for exceptional creative work. She also mentors the creative team, ensuring that every experience the agency delivers aligns with the client's business objectives. Prior to joining XD Agency, Anna led experience design for major brands such as Google, Amazon, Adobe, LinkedIn, AT&T, Visa, and YouTube.
Canada
Romaicia Naser
Founder & Creative Director, Monarch Collective
As a passionate creative driven by a love for visual arts, Romaicia Naser naturally embraced an 'out-of-the-box' approach to marketing, design, and branding. The opportunity to channel this freethinking, inventive mindset alongside a refined and ever-evolving skill set has been instrumental in her journey as an Entrepreneur, Creative Director, and Brand Developer. Taking bold steps beyond her comfort zone has earned her recognition on a larger scale, including being a recipient of the respected international award programs for Excellent Communications Design, Integrated Campaigns and Advertising category.
With over 15 years of experience in the design industry, Naser has built a reputation for leading multi-platform marketing and branding initiatives across digital aesthetics and their broader applications for both new and established businesses. She excels in fostering unity in art and design, streamlining concepts, and assembling dynamic creative teams. her relentless commitment to advancing compelling ideas has propelled Monarch Collective into new markets on a global scale.
Latvia
Janis Verzemnieks
Creative Director, Founder, Corebook
Janis started his career back in 2010 when founded a graphic design and music marketing studio. Forbes Magazine recognized Janis in its 30 Under 30 Latvia ranking in 2014. Later he joined pan-Baltic advertising agency HAVAS as a Creative Director and founded Latvian Sound Designers association LSDC in order to develop an audio branding industry. Now as a Co-founder & Creative Director, Janis is building a startup called Corebook for the global branding industry by reimagining how brand guidelines are built and used. With Corebook product he is serving brand studios and agency networks like McCann, Mackey Saturday, NORD ID, Monday Creative, et.al., and brands like Vauxhall Motors, Monitor Audio, Kaltura, Soundboks, et.al.
China
Edward Cheung
Former Associate Creative Director,
Edward is a quadrilingual creative who grew up in Hong Kong, spent a working holiday in Australia, advanced in the Japanese language (JLPT N1), and developed his career in Shanghai, China. With over ten years of experience in the advertising field, Edward has developed a strong portfolio of creative works for brands such as Shell, Oreo, Reebok, Unilever, Lancôme, Land Rover, and Perrier.
Edward joined Dentsu Creative, one of the largest and most innovative agency networks in the world, as an Associate Creative Director in 2020. In this role, he served as a creative lead for brands like Sangokushi Strategic Version (Ali Games), Alibaba Group, American Express, Dicos, and, most importantly, Shell across various media platforms and channels.
More than a seasoned advertising creative at agencies, before joining Dentsu, Edward was a creative lead at Oliver, a UK in-house agency network. He gained himself a unique experience to work closely in the client’s team as an in-house creative solely for Reebok GC and APAC before transferring to the team for Unilever.
United States
Kushal Birari
Creative, Mother New York
Kushal Birari is a creative at Mother, one of the world’s most respected, independent creative companies. Having worked in five prominent cities across three continents, he has made a significant impact through his art direction and design. He has left an indelible mark on numerous international brands, including OREO, MINI Cooper, Make in India, FIFA, Bosch, Instagram, and more. His recent noteworthy contribution to the OREO Pride campaign has garnered widespread attention, resonating with diverse communities globally and earning recognition through various national and international accolades. Birari excels in creative direction, advertising, ideas development, art direction, and creative strategy, showcasing a comprehensive skill set in the realm of visual communication and strategic brand development. His proficiency in his role is evident through the impactful influence he has wielded on major international brands, demonstrating a keen understanding of art direction and design and His ability to resonate with diverse audiences.
China
Hao Shan
Founder, Cre+ Design
Hao Shan, the founder of Creplus Design Studio, established the studio in 2009. He currently holds the position of Director in the Department of Visual Communication at the School of Art, Design & Media within East China University of Science and Technology.
With a background in both Eastern and Western design education, extensive experience in design and management roles within leading French international design firms, and a wealth of hands-on involvement in international brand design projects, including L'Oréal, Garnier, Nike, SFR, Dassault, Renault, Citroën, Club Med, Nestlé, PMU, Disney, Bank of Communication, and more, Hao Shan's designs have garnered numerous international accolades.
Shan's reputation in the design art industry is a testament to his dedication and unwavering commitment to excellence. His extensive experience, creative vision, and contributions to international brand design projects have not only earned him recognition but have also left an indelible mark on the field.
Poland
Alex Brodsky
CEO, Playsense
Alex Brodsky is a senior marketing executive with over a decade of senior management experience. He previously ran Wargaming's in-house agency, one of the largest in-house agencies in the video game industry.
Alex is now the CEO of Playsense, a global creative agency for video games, with clients including Riot Games, Ubisoft, Wargaming, Krafton, and Tencent. He has managed cross-cultural teams of approximately 200 people across Europe and APAC, overseeing 7-figure budgets. His teams have worked with major game titles, Hollywood and music icons, and have won numerous prestigious industry awards.
He led the business through challenging times such as the pandemic, revolution, and war, although he wishes these hardships had never occurred. Despite these challenges, Alex and his partners started a new company when the world was in turmoil, achieving this feat in less than two months, demonstrating an expert level of difficulty.
Currently, Alex's focus is on Playsense, which he co-founded and where he serves as CEO. Playsense is an award-winning creative agency for video games.
United Arab Emirates
Shadi Al Hroub
Founder and CEO, MENAMONSTERS
In the realm of branding and creative leadership, Shadi Al Hroub has emerged as an award-winning creative director and industry luminary with over 17 years of expertise, including a notable 9-year immersion in branding research. With a diverse background encompassing creative direction, packaging design, and multimedia, this visionary has established collaborations with renowned global brands and organizations. His impressive portfolio features partnerships with industry giants such as Leo Burnett, Hilton Worldwide, Jordan Aviation, Jordan Duty-Free, Hublot Watches as well as esteemed NGOs like UNRWA, the International Trade Center (UN), Global Health Development, and USAID. He has actively supported the industry's growth as a discerning judge for prestigious awards programs where he evaluated entries from industry leaders like DHL, Nivea, Pepsi, and Coca-Cola. As a respected professor at prestigious American universities, he shares valuable knowledge and experience with the next generation of professionals.
Germany
Philipp Nottelmann
Visual Designer, N+ DESIGN
Philipp Nottelmann serves as the brand experience director at the creative network of N+Design, where he contributes a wealth of expertise from various domains. His knowledge spans digital and brand identity, along with concept and art direction, and extends to interaction and installation. As a visual designer at N+Design's creative network, Nottelmann demonstrates a profound cross-cultural competence that complements his interdisciplinary skills and mindset. His role involves a harmonious blend of digital design, brand identity, conceptual art direction, and interactive design, enriched by his ability to think across various cultural contexts. This diverse background has honed his solution-oriented approach, allowing him to effectively address and integrate a wide range of design elements in his work. He is dedicated to developing solutions for a broad spectrum of clients, ranging from regional and global key corporations to businesses of all sizes and individual clients.
United States
Min Lu
Marketing Manager, Meta
Min Lu, an artist based in New York and recognized with awards, has spent her life crafting a diverse array of artworks, from graphic design to painting and sketching. Lu's graphic design is fueled by conceptual thinking, drawing from her dreams and feelings to shape a personal visual narrative through the use of line, color, and structure. She has spearheaded effective campaigns for global entities like NBC Universal, Goldman Sachs, Comcast, Charter Communications, Cox, and Discovery Financial Services. Her creations have been showcased in locations like the United States, China, and Italy etc and was heavily featured in numerous social and traditional media outlets. She aims to invigorate, challenge, and contribute to the industry that helps brands engage with their audience creatively while expanding their business. Her expertise encompasses creative strategy, media and marketing execution, campaign planning, and achieving Key Performance Indicators.
Malaysia
Jae Leong
Judging Committee Chairperson, International Awards Associate (IAA)
Jae Leong is the accomplished chairperson of IAA’s extensive judging committee.
As the chairperson, Leong assumes a leadership role, guiding the organization and spearheading initiatives to uphold quality and creative excellence in critical areas such as design, creative advertising, marketing communications, video production, and business. Additionally, she serves as a key award representative at IAA, consistently demonstrating success in overseeing assessments throughout her career.
She prioritizes the coordination of strategic arrangements among various jury panels, establishing herself as a standout figure in the industry. Demonstrating a keen sense of management, Leong has executed her role with precision, ensuring that each participant receives fair evaluations and unbiased assessments, underscoring the significance of integrity in maintaining the credibility of the judging outcomes. Furthermore, her collaboration with professionals globally has positioned her at the forefront of specialization, enabling the development of exceptional communication and relationship management skills.