LAS VEGAS, USA – The London International Awards (LIA) continues its legacy of championing creativity with the announcement of its 2025 Creative Strategy and Creativity in PR jury presidents. These industry leaders will be assembling from September 25 to October 3 at Encore @ Wynn Las Vegas to participate in a series of in depth deliberations to award the most strategically sound and culturally resonant campaigns of the year.
Appointed as Jury President for Creative Strategy is Sandi Preston, Chief Strategy Officer at Translation – Division of UnitedMasters, Brooklyn. A respected voice in the strategy community, Preston brings more than 15 years of experience driving cultural impact through brand storytelling. At Translation, she has been instrumental in shaping campaigns that blend strategic rigor with creative innovation.
“Early in my career as a strategist, I was given a piece of advice that has stayed with me: one of the true marks of a great leader is the ability to bring people along with you. I’ve come to understand this not merely as a lesson in persuasion, but as a lesson in attunement — creating a connection so that others feel inspired by, and a part of, the direction that I’m guiding. With great enthusiasm, I look forward to applying this wisdom as the 2025 LIA Jury President for Creative Strategy.” said Preston on her appointment.
Guiding the Creativity in PR jury this year is Judy John, Global Chief Creative Officer of Edelman. Since joining Edelman in 2019, John has led the network through a period of notable creative achievement, including accolades such as #1 Independent Agency of the Year (Good Track) and #2 Independent Network of the Year at Cannes Lions 2024. Under her leadership, Edelman has consistently earned top recognitions across global platforms, including LIA’s Regional PR Network of the Year for Europe, and Regional PR Company of the Year titles in both London and Bangkok.
John said on her appointment, “Honoured to be named Jury President for the PR Jury at LIA. There’s something special about LIA — smaller juries, deeper conversations, and an intentional focus on mentorship and growing the next generation of talent. It’s not just about awarding the best ideas in the world—it’s about helping shape the future of our industry.”
Barbara Levy, President of LIA, said, “Successful campaigns are those that bring fresh perspective to the table. There is strategic thinking coupled with tactical executions carried out flawlessly. We have on our juries the best Strategists and PR professionals. They know how to weed out the uninteresting, the unsurprising and the undistinguished. The work that survives their vigilant scrutiny will be work that deserves to be celebrated.”
2025 Creative Strategy Jury:
- Sandi Preston, CSO, Translation – Division of United Masters, Brooklyn – Jury President
- Anthony Chelvanathan, Global Creative Partner/Chief Creative Officer, Edelman Canada, Toronto
- Andrea Diquez, Global CEO, GUT
- Esther Franklin, Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis Media, Chicago
- Maria Galleriu, Executive Strategy Director, 72andSunny, Paris
- James Keng Lim, Creative Director (APAC), Burson APAC
- Simon Langley, Group Chief Creative Officer, Bastion, Sydney
- Menaka Menon, President / Managing Partner – Growth & Strategy, DDB Mudra Group, Bangalore
- Suzanne Powers, Founder / CEO, Powers Creativity and All&, New York
- Haem Roy, Head of Enterprise Marketing Canada / LATAM, Amazon Ads, Toronto
- Max Schöngen, Global Creative Lead, Mediaplus Group
- Ben Williams, Global Chief Creative, Experience Officer, TBWA\Worldwide
2025 Creativity in PR Jury:
- Judy John, Global Chief Creative Officer, Edelman – Jury President
- Rafa Antón, Global CCO at LLYC / Creative Partner at CHINA – Part of LLYC, Madrid
- Mohamed Bareche, Executive Creative Director, Horizon FCB, Dubai
- Dwayna A. Haley, EVP, Consumer Brands, MSL, Atlanta
- Alethya Heras, Creative Director, The Juju, Mexico City
- Tetsuya Honda, CEO, Honda Office, Tokyo
- Madeleine Page, Head of Consumer and Brand PR, Dentsu Creative Public Relations, Melbourne
- Taj Reid, Global Chief Creative Officer, Burson
- Ciro Sarmiento, Chief Creative Officer, Colle McVoy, Minneapolis
- Indy Selvarajah, Chief Creative Officer, Ketchum, London
- Daniela Varela, Group Creative Director, Weber Shandwick, New York
For more information on the juries, categories and/or requirements, visit www.liaawards.com
