The cards were finally dealt today as the Creative LIAisons program opened its doors to 130 emerging talents from across the globe. Under the guidance of this year’s Creative LIAisons Moderator, Chris Smith, Principal and Chief Creative Officer of Plot Twist Creativity Dallas, these rising stars will spend five days gaining an unprecedented seat inside LIA, learning directly from global industry icons.

Day 1 kicked off with an inspiring slate of sessions and panels from the industry’s top iconic trailblazers, culminating in the prestigious LIA Legend Award being presented to one of Germany’s most awarded creative leaders, Dörte Spengler-Ahrens, honoring her outstanding contributions to the industry and its next generation.

With Creative LIAisons attendees, jurors, and industry heavyweights present, Dörte Spengler-Ahrens was honoured with the prestigious LIA Legend Award. Introduced in 2023, the award recognizes not just creative brilliance but those who selflessly mentor, empower and raise creative standards for the next generation: creative titans whose shoulders others stand on.

The Non-Executive Chairwoman of Jung von Matt Group Germany, Dörte has built a career of firsts: founding MARIA, Germany’s first women’s agency; becoming the first female president of the Art Directors Club Germany; shaping the creative landscape with award-winning campaigns for BMW, Audi, Nivea, Zalando and more; and being a tireless champion of diversity, women’s empowerment and the next generation.

Presenting the award, Barbara Levy, President & Founder of LIA, shared, “This year, I am proud and honored to present the LIA Legend Award to a creative leader who has impacted the industry, not just in Germany but around the world: Dörte Spengler-Ahrens. And it gives me great joy me to present this award here in Las Vegas, a city that holds a special place in her heart: the city where she got married.”

"Everything You Ever Wanted to Ask a CCO,

But Were Afraid To" Moderated By Liz Taylor

Jetlag didn’t stand a chance. Bright and early, Creative LIAisons attendees were buzzing as they stepped into a rare, unfiltered conversation with some of the biggest creative decision-makers in the world. Moderated by Liz Taylor, Global CCO of Ogilvy, the panel brought together Chaka Sobhani (President and Global CCO, DDB Worldwide), Gabriel Schmitt (Global CCO, Grey), Perry Fair (Head of Creative, Mattel El Segundo), and Peter Khoury (Regional CCO, TBWA\Asia & CCO, TBWA\Singapore).

Questions flew fast, from career hurdles to the future of creativity, and the answers were as candid as they were inspiring, including frank takes on risk, vulnerability, and staying emotionally invested in the work. And especially for the room’s rising female stars, Chaka Sobhani urged, “Never be afraid to find your voice, and fight for it.”

Suzanne and Andrea Unpack Creativity's Secret Weapons

Suzanne Powers, Founder/CEO, Powers Creativity and All& Westport, and Andrea Diquez, Global CEO of GUT, gave our rising stars a unique look at creativity from the business and strategy side. Their advice was simple but powerful. Amongst them: stay obsessed with people, not screens; get out into the world to learn what moves them; know what you’ll fight for and say it with conviction; and treat creativity as a team sport with strategists, business partners, and even the office manager who sets the scene for client meetings.

As the session neared its end, Andrea and Suzanne encouraged, “Always say yes to everything, even if it’s a boring brief or scary new task, because no matter what happens, you’ll learn from it.”

Unleashing the Power of Creativity in Media

Creative LIAisons attendees got a masterclass in how creativity and media collide from Creativity in Media jury members, Linda Cronin (EVP, Global Media, .monks & Creativity in Media Jury President), Jackie Lyons (Chief Planning Officer, Havas Media North America), and Dino Myers-Lamptey (Founder, The Barber Shop London). They explored how to give ideas a fighting chance in an attention economy: understand how people really behave on platforms, treat data as a friend, and apply creativity to media to spark deeper connections beyond incremental gains. 

When asked by the future creative leaders how they could earn brownie points from their media counterparts, Linda urged, “Collaborate early in the process. They are your audience behavior experts who might take your idea to the next level with a new angle or insight.”

Jurors Share Why Craft Counts More Than Ever

‘Craft is now critical’ was the rallying cry as LIA jurors Dan Lucey (CCO & Co-CEO, Havas New York; TV & Cinema and Online Film Jury President), Michael Ritchie (Managing Director/Co-Owner, Revolver Sydney), Umma Saini (Director – Creative & Content, PhonePe Bengaluru), and Juan Woodbury (CCO/Global Head of Branded Content & Entertainment, Bento Entertainment Chicago) explored how executional excellence can cut through today’s noise.

As they shared some of their favorite examples of exceptional craft, they urged mentees to keep craft as their differentiator, while tailoring style to each platform. They also advised our rising stars to not lose their authentic human touch while embracing AI. As Umma summed up, “Good craft gives your ideas an unfair advantage in the face of noise.”

Nicholas Spiro on Thriving in a Social-First World

Nicholas Spiro, Chief Commercial Officer at Viral Nation New York and Creative Strategy jury member, took Creative LIAisons attendees inside today’s “social-first” reality where ideas no longer begin with glossy ads but in feeds, trends and communities. In a presentation peppered with engaging case studies, he showed how social-first work thrives when it’s always-on, audience-centric, platform-endemic and authentic: lo-fi and UGC often outperform polished content, while paid media can’t be an afterthought.

Emphasizing the importance of captivating audiences at scale, Nicholas advised, “Move at the speed of trends and culture. Then engage the community to amplify your ideas wide without losing authenticity.”

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