CANNES, FRANCE — David Lubars, former Chief Creative Officer of BBDO Worldwide, is being named Lion of St. Mark at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, an honor reserved for those whose body of work has redefined the industry.
Lubars’ career spans over 40 years with over 600 Lions to his name under his creative leadership. From BMW Films’ The Hire, the piece that sparked the creation of the Titanium Lions, to Snickers’ You’re Not You When You’re Hungry, a campaign that resonated across 70 countries and transformed a candy bar into a global storytelling platform – Lubars has continuously set the bar for what brand storytelling can be.
About the honour, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “Throughout his career, David has been a true force for creativity. We have welcomed him onto our Juries seven times – five of those as Jury President – and his ground-breaking piece of work for BMW served as a catalyst for the creation of the Titanium Lions. The Hire went on to win our inaugural Titanium Lion, a piece of work so iconic that it is part of MoMA’s permanent collection in New York City. As a creative leader, he has shaped the industry landscape, and his visionary creativity has resulted in some of the world’s most impactful and compelling work. We’re delighted to be recognizing David’s expansive body of work and significant contribution to the industry at Cannes Lions this year.”
About being named the Lion of St Mark, Lubars said: “Great brands and companies are brilliant, high-quality, and deliver on their promises. They possess a certain kind of magic, but one not always expressed. The goal for me was to surface that magic, mine it, turn it into something tangible a client could grab onto and run with around the world. You do that by injecting effervescent creative air into the culture rather than mediocre media pollution. You surprise people, you delight people; they fall in love. It’s that simple and that challenging. It’s the thing the fantastic clients and agency partners I worked with for 43 years were always chasing. And it’s why Cannes is Cannes.”
Lubars started his career in 1982 as a copywriter at Leonard Monahan Saabye before moving to Chiat\Day LA as a writer for Apple. A few years later he came back to Leonard Monahan, this time as a partner to build Leonard Monahan Lubars, before moving on to lead BBDO West as CEO and Chief Creative Officer. In 1998, David took on the top creative job at Fallon in Minneapolis, where he made some of his best-known work, including BMW Films. In 2004, David returned to BBDO, where he remained at the helm for 20 years until announcing his retirement last year.
This June, the industry will gather in Cannes to celebrate the man behind the magic. Lubars will take the stage for the Lion of St. Mark seminar on Friday, June 20, offering insights from a career that has inspired generations of creatives.
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity runs 16–20 June in Cannes, France. Learn more about attending or entering the awards at www.canneslions.com.
