Jury President, Cannes Lions 2023

Sustainable Development Goals

Global Chief Culture Officer

Dentsu Group Inc.

interview with Jury President

Jean Lin

Awards play an important role in celebrating creativity, innovation, effectiveness, and promoting excellence in advertising. Prestigious awards like the Cannes Lions set the ‘gold standard’ that the whole industry and creative ecosystem aspire to create.

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This is an important element when looking at the SDG Lions and all the other awards that try to measure impact. We can do this together, because this is the most important industry movement and contribution that we can make. With the urgency of the actions we have to take, we need to be all in and truly deliver a better society that is thriving for everyone.

  • First, work that advocates, educates and influences consumer behaviour to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle because we all know the consumer is a key part of the equation to make the work better. Every time we buy something we are casting a vote for the future of the world in which we would like to live.


  • Second, we are looking for work that demonstrates Growth through Good. How can we ensure that brands and enterprises embrace a mindset not just to drive and deliver exponential growth but to achieve considered sustainable growth that can make the world better and kinder.


  • Third, we are looking for work that embraces SDGs as the part of their business strategy. Rather than a CSR campaign that a brand randomly connected with there needs to be a clear foundation of how that connection made SDGs part of the strategy. Because the only way sustainability will work is to be part of the economic value chain.

This year as we judge the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Lions we are looking for excellent work that helps to redefine where the industry is going. We are trying to look for work that fulfills some of the following criteria:

This is an important element when looking at the SDG Lions and all the other awards that try to measure impact. We can do this together, because this is the most important industry movement and contribution that we can make. With the urgency of the actions we have to take, we need to be all in and truly deliver a better society that is thriving for everyone.

  • First, work that advocates, educates and influences consumer behaviour to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle because we all know the consumer is a key part of the equation to make the work better. Every time we buy something we are casting a vote for the future of the world in which we would like to live.


  • Second, we are looking for work that demonstrates Growth through Good. How can we ensure that brands and enterprises embrace a mindset not just to drive and deliver exponential growth but to achieve considered sustainable growth that can make the world better and kinder.


  • Third, we are looking for work that embraces SDGs as the part of their business strategy. Rather than a CSR campaign that a brand randomly connected with there needs to be a clear foundation of how that connection made SDGs part of the strategy. Because the only way sustainability will work is to be part of the economic value chain.

This year as we judge the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Lions we are looking for excellent work that helps to redefine where the industry is going. We are trying to look for work that fulfills some of the following criteria:

Awards play an important role in celebrating creativity, innovation, effectiveness, and promoting excellence in advertising. Prestigious awards like the Cannes Lions set the ‘gold standard’ that the whole industry and creative ecosystem aspire to create.

Jury President, Cannes Lions 2023

Sustainable Development Goals

Global Chief Culture Officer

Dentsu Group Inc.

interview with Jury President

Jean Lin