Confessions of a Jury President at Cannes Lions 2025

Time of India

15-07-2025

I had a strange realisation at Cannes Lions 2025. I'm not an expert. I've never been one. Experts come with definitions. Boundaries. Templates. They arrive with answers. But the world is asking new questions, too fast. Certainty is shrinking. Expertise is under siege. And that's when it hit me. I'm not here because I know. I'm here because I feel. I'm a lover. I'm madly, unapologetically in love with this business of creativity. A lover is not limited by knowledge. A lover is led by wonder. Curiosity. Intuition. Emotion. As a lover, I could feel the work. I could feel the intent. I could feel the jury too - their thoughts, their pauses, their excitement. In the very first hour, we found our rhythm. We didn't just judge the work. We lived with it. We gave it time. We let it speak to us. There was an easy energy in the room. Gentle, deep, and generous. There was grace. There was listening. There was love.
Expertise has posture. Love has presence. Expertise wants control. Love allows. Love doesn't interrupt - it leans in. And that made all the difference. There was debate, but not resistance. Disagreement, but never disconnection. We weren't trying to be right. We were trying to be real. And maybe that's what the world needs right now - more sincerity. Less expertise, more empathy. More lovers.
We judged for 11 hours on the first day. Eleven hours of fierce focus and honest conversation. But no one felt tired. Because love doesn't tire you out. It lifts you. Expertise can be exhausting. Love is effortless.
As Jury President for the
SDG Lions
, I had to lead a brilliant team of highly respected and accomplished industry talent from around the world
.
But instead, I followed. I followed the work. I followed the jury. I followed the love. And in letting go, I found something more.
The Grand Prix went to '
Amazon
Greenventory' by Natura. This groundbreaking initiative challenged the belief that profit in the Amazon must come at the cost of deforestation. By leveraging artificial intelligence and drone technology, Natura conducted the largest tree inventory in Amazon history - 400 km² mapped in six months, a task that would've taken 25 years traditionally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE9JVpZyWRY
It empowered local communities, improving harvesting methods, boosting incomes and deepening their connection to the land. A powerful demonstration that sustainable profit can come from innovation, not destruction.
Our other discovery was the 'Sounds Right' initiative which made NATURE an official artist - using music to raise funds for conservation. It is a global music and conservation movement developed by the Museum for the United Nations – UN Live, in partnership with
Spotify
, EarthPercent and a coalition of cross-sector partners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5newTxSZ9bU
'Sounds Right' made history by officially launching NATURE as an artist on music streaming platforms for the first time. We witnessed many more transformational ideas that had measurable impact at scale.
At the award ceremony on Friday evening, I stood on the giant stage before the expectant audience and made my confession - I did not judge the work, the work judged me. It made me aware of my biases and limitations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76VCpc01qcI
And when we finally gave away the awards, I felt one with the receivers. Many of them wanted me in their photograph, hugging me tight like I was one of them. I realised experts stand on the outside. Love is an inside job.
At the end of the week, as I stepped onto the flight back home, I felt an overwhelming sense of becoming, of having found something, of being born again. And the lyrics of an old Donna Summer song came to me - the soundtrack of my Cannes Lions experience:
Ooh, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good
Ooh, heaven knows, heaven knows, heaven knows, heaven knows, heaven knows
Ooh, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love
Because in the end, it's not about being the expert. It's about being a lover.
(Jo