South African Marketing & Creative Talent Celebrated at Cannes Lions

The 2025 edition of the annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity takes place in Cannes France from 16 – 20 June. The internationally celebrated festival of creativity has announced its jury for 2025, which includes a group of celebrated South African creatives and marketers in the mix.

“As the official Cannes Lions festival representative for the South African market, we are delighted with the inclusion of this prestigious list of industry heavyweights as a global acknowledgement and celebration of the very high standard of local talent,” says Lynne Wylie, chief marketing officer of Ster-Kinekor.

“The Lions awards sit at the heart of the festival. It is therefore important to preserve and uphold the standard of judging and the value of the award.”

One of the major factors that contributes to the prestige and integrity of the awards is the quality of the juries, and the quality of the discussions when Lions are awarded. It is essential that the work continues to be judged by a stellar cast of world-class candidates – the very best creative talent that sets Cannes judging apart.

“It is wonderful that as South Africa, we can present such a distinguished list of jurors to participate on the global stage at the prestigious Cannes Lions this year. We wish them well as they go about their judging tasks, and trust they will come back to their respective agencies and corporates with many invaluable learnings to share with their colleagues,” comments Wylie.

The Cannes Lions Awards Jury Members from South Africa are:

CATEGORY

JURY MEMBER

AGENCY

AUDIO & RADIO

Xolisa Dyeshana

Joe Public

BRAND EXPERIENCE & ACTIVATION

Andrea Quaye

Heineken

CREATIVE B2B

Thembeka Ngugi

SVP Marketing MEA

CREATIVE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION

Gugu Mthembu

Telkom

CREATIVE EFFECTIVENESS

Tebogo Skwambane

WPP

CREATIVE STRATEGY

Pete Case

Ogilvy South Africa

DESIGN

Peter Little

Publicis Groupe

DIRECT

Carl Willoughby

TBWA Hunt Lascaris

ENTERTAINMENT

Kagiso Lediga

Skybound Galactic

ENTERTAINMENT - MUSIC

Kitso Moremi

Sonovision Studios

ENTERTAINMENT - SPORT

Vaughan Croeser

SA Breweries (ABInBev)

FILM

Neo Mashigo

M&C Saatchi Group SA

LUXURY & LIFESTYLE

Thebe Magugu

Thebe Magugu

OUTDOOR

Kagiso Musi

Meta Media

TITANIUM

Andisa Ntsubane

Vodacom Group Africa

 

ENDS

 

About Ster-Kinekor Theatres

Ster-Kinekor Theatres is the largest movie exhibitor on the African continent. To most South Africans, the word ‘movies’ is synonymous with the name ‘Ster-Kinekor’. The company operates 36 commercial cinema complexes in South Africa that house 294 large-scale screens, with 41 253 seats and the largest 3D footprint featuring 113 state-of-the-art 3D screens in South Africa (Commercial, 3D, IMAX, Kids Cinema and Cine Prestige). It also operates four cinema complexes in Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia, with 23 screens and 3 014 seats. 

As the industry leader, Ster-Kinekor has pioneered cinema concepts such as Cinema Nouveau, a dedicated art-house multiplex cinema, and the luxurious Cine Prestige theatres, the first ‘business class’ cinema experience in South Africa. It boasts a cinema that is fitted with the advanced Dolby Atmos sound system (at Gateway in Durban); and has headed the return of the IMAX® Experience, with nine IMAX® Theatres across the country. Ster-Kinekor has expanded its cinema innovation to launch the first Kids’ cinema complete with slides and bean bag seating (currently five screens) as well as D-BOX which brings movie experiences to life with motion seats.

As one of South Africa’s most loved brands, it is Ster-Kinekor’s ongoing mission to become synonymous with the unrivalled magic of the cinema experience, by providing ‘Great Moments at Their Greatest’. During 2013, the company embarked on a massive roll-out project to convert and equip every cinema with the very latest in digital projection and sound technology. The result of this upgrade is that every cinema now boasts state-of-the-art cinema technology that encompasses 2K and 4K digital projection and 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound systems.

The SK Club loyalty programme rewards members with redeemable points when they swipe their card when buying movie tickets or catering, as well as half-price tickets on Tuesdays. Combined with industry leading loyalty programmes from Edgars Club and Discovery Vitality, these give Ster-Kinekor a strong consumer value proposition and competitive advantage. Ster-Kinekor have extended their loyalty offering to include the first subscription model in South Africa, SK Subscription Club offers members a limited or unlimited amount of movies per month at a set cost whilst also enjoying the benefits of SK Club.

As the market leader, Ster-Kinekor aims to spearhead the advancement of cinema across both South Africa and the rest of Africa, to ensure that consumers continue to experience movies as they were made to be seen – on the big screen. 

See more at: www.sterkinekor.com