ADFEST has finalised its jury presidents, the seven creative stars who will come together in Pattaya, Thailand to preside over its Lotus Awards in March. Leading them will be Grand Jury President, Yasuharu Sasaki, Global Chief Creative Officer of dentsu, who is also Jury President of Creative Strategy Lotus, Effective Lotus, INNOVA Lotus and Sustainable Lotus and a keynote Speaker.

The complete list of ADFEST 2026 Jury Presidents is:

Yasuharu Sasaki, Global CCO, dentsu - Grand Jury President & Jury President of Creative Strategy Lotus, Effective Lotus, INNOVA Lotus and Sustainable Lotus

Ajay Vikram, CCO, Publicis Groupe, South East Asia, Jury President of Film Lotus, Outdoor Lotus, Press Lotus and Radio & Audio Lotus

Geet Rathi, Founder & Creative Director, Openfield, Jury President of Design Lotus and Print & Outdoor Craft Lotus

Jim Ingram, Group Chief Creative and Co-Founder of Thinkerbell, Australia, Jury President of Brand Experience Lotus, Commerce Lotus and Direct Lotus

Julie Jihyun Kang, CEO, Serviceplan Korea & Founder & CEO, Flux AI Asia, Jury President of Entertainment Lotus, Media Lotus and PR Lotus

Michael Ahmadzadeh, Partner & Executive Producer, APAC & MENA, Jury President of Film Craft Lotus and New Director Lotus

Theresa Ong, Head of Creative Shop at Meta, SEA & India, Jury President of Digital & Social Lotus and Digital Craft Lotus

The seven jury presidents have been chosen to bring both local expertise and global prowess to this year’s ADFEST Lotus Awards judging. Each is an expert at the forefront of the creative industry, leading their company’s evolution in technology, culture and creativity to find new ways to shape advertising and marketing success.

Yasuharu Sasaki capped a remarkable 30-year career at dentsu with his current role as Global Chief Creative Officer in October 2023, following two years as Chief Creative Officer in Tokyo, a role that continues, and seven years as Executive Creative Director, a role that made him one of the youngest Executive Officers to lead one of the largest creative teams in the world as a single agency. He is now responsible for leading dentsu’s global Creative Practice, including Dentsu Creative. He sets the standard for creative excellence and is key to building a culture of creativity and innovation across the whole of dentsu.

Sasaki commented, “ADFEST is a wellspring of creativity born from Asian culture and history, and I am truly looking forward to seeing powerful ideas born from unique insights and exceptional crafts. Furthermore, I am also very focused on ADFEST's value as a learning centre. I feel it is a truly valuable award where young creatives gather and engage in discussions day and night, and it is a great honour to be able to participate in it.”

Geet Rathi is an award-winning Creative Director and Design Director working between New York, Mumbai, and Coimbatore. Her work has been recognized globally, including a Grand Prix at Cannes Lions, along with honors at LIA, The One Show, Clio, and D&AD. She has served as a jury member at Cannes Lions, The One Show, Loeries, Clio and many more. After building part of her career in the United States, Geet now runs her own studio, Openfield, Mumbai and collaborates internationally with companies, founders, and cultural institutions to shape brands at the intersection of design, technology, and human insight.

As the Head of Creative Shop at Meta, Theresa Ong, leads a global crew of adventurers, dreamers, entrepreneurs, marketers, data hackers, inventors, and creators who are hungry to build communities and empower brands to innovate in meaningful ways. She oversees the creative vision and direction for some of the most dynamic and diverse markets in the world, Southeast Asia and India.

Theresa Ong commented, "The past year has demonstrated significant developments in the digital and social landscape in SEA, and I anticipate this year's submissions will showcase further innovation and creativity. I look forward to recognising outstanding work that drives cultural impact and audience engagement."

Jim Ingram is the Co-Founder & Group Chief Creative of one of Australia’s most recognised communications agencies. Thinkerbell is currently recognised as the #1 ranked agency globally on BestAds, multiple Agency of the Year winner in Australia and one of the fastest growing advertising companies in the world.

"In my opinion, the judging process at ADFEST is one of the best judging experiences you can have. It's extremely well organised, allows for complete and open discussion around the work, with plenty of time to assess it all properly as a panel. I'm particularly excited to be involved as Jury President of Brand Experience, Commerce and Direct Lotus because to me, these three disciplines are the ones that really matter - the experience a customer has with the brands, related directly to the brand itself, and work that ultimately helps create and amplify commerce. I'm looking forward to rewarding real work, for real brands, that really has a commercial impact. Not just creative, for creative sake. Oh, and Pad Kra Pao, I look forward to that too," Jim Ingram commented.

Michael Ahmadzadeh has amassed more than a decade of experience leading cinematic commercial work across the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Australia, as Partner & Executive Producer of electriclimeº, a global boutique production company with offices in Singapore, Dubai, Sydney, Seoul, and Thailand.

“I’ve always admired ADFEST for the incredible culture it has built — it’s more than a festival; it’s a creative community. The organisers have done such a brilliant job of fostering an inclusive, collaborative spirit that champions regional talent and craft. I’m honoured to serve as Jury President, and I’ll be looking for work that’s bold, meaningful, and executed with intent,” Michael Ahmadzadeh commented.

As CEO & Managing Partner of Serviceplan Korea and Founder & CEO, Flux AI Asia, Julie Jihyun Kang leads the agency’s strategic and creative transformation at the intersection of creativity, technology, and culture. She brings a culturally connected perspective shaped by Asia’s fast-paced creative dynamics and ecosystem, and their influence on both Asian and global creativity.

Julie Jihyun Kang commented, “ADFEST consistently champions work that feels culturally alive. I’m looking forward to judging ideas that are not only creatively strong, but meaningful within their context, and powerful to truly move people. Entertainment, media, and PR increasingly shape culture together. At ADFEST, I’m excited to see work that understands this intersection and uses creativity to create real resonance and impact.”

Ajay Vikram has spent much of his career with Publicis Groupe in leadership roles across Singapore, global clients in APAC, and now across six countries in the SEA region as Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe, South-East Asia. Under his creative leadership, the Groupe’s work across multiple agencies has delivered strong business results, global account wins and growth, entered pop culture and helped drive social impact across the region.

“Great creativity doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it’s the context that gives it meaning. And when that context is the fastest moving, most innovative and diverse region in the world, the lens through which we judge the best work is everything. Simply put, the best work in APAC, as seen by the people who understand APAC best,” Ajay Vikram commented.

Sasaki concluded, “I believe the highest form of creativity is work that creates discontinuous change - work that shifts reality. Such work moves people deeply. In other words, it produces both surprise and empathy. It makes us feel something unexpected, and it makes us recognise something true. And it also travels. The strongest ideas can be shared effortlessly—passed from one person to another—and can often be adapted and applied beyond their original purpose, extending their impact over time.”

ADFEST 2026, Human+, will be held Thursday 19 – Saturday 21 March 2026 at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand. ADFEST is open for delegate registrations. Find out more about the ADFEST delegate registrations here.

As the beacon of Asian branded marketing communications creativity, ADFEST is the dynamic annual celebration of Asian cultures. It offers an unparalleled combination of learning, inspiration, and networking—no other regional event provides such a rich mix of industry forums, breakout sessions, cultural connectivity, and multi-event awards. At its heart, ADFEST is the place to meet and be inspired.

ADFEST is a not-for profit entity that believes passionately in its role to nurture and support the creative industry in the Asia Pacific and MENA region. It is 1 of only 7 regional creative festivals included in the WARC Creative 100 Rankings, 1 of 12 awards included in the Campaign Brief Asia Rankings, and 1 of 22 awards included in The Drum World Creative Rankings.