Piyush Pandey to chair TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor & Radio Jury at 2nd Dubai Lynx Awards

The awards will form part of the 1st Dubai International Advertising Festival to be held in Dubai 31 March - 2 April 2008.

Named as the most influential man in Indian advertising 5 years in a row by The Economic Times, India's leading business paper, Piyush has turned Ogilvy India into the creative powerhouse that it is today. Under his leadership, it is consistently named as India's most creative agency, and Ogilvy India is ranked amongst the most creative offices in the entire network, with over 500 Indian and international awards gracing its shelves, including fourteen Cannes Lions. Ad Club Mumbai voted Piyush's commercial for the adhesive brand Fevikwik as the commercial of the century and his work on Cadburys, as the campaign of the century.

Piyush, who became the first Asian to be president of a Cannes jury in 2004, doesn't think of advertising as a job: "When you're having so much fun, how can you call it work?" and hates being called the Godfather of Indian Advertising, a title often thrust upon him. He would rather be known as the Minister of Fun at O&M Advertising.

"When we initially announced the launch of Dubai Lynx we said we would bring the best jurors and presidents available in the world today. They don't come any bigger than Piyush Pandey - a former Cannes jury president and a legend not just in India but around the world", said Philip Thomas, CEO of Cannes Lions, organisers of Dubai Lynx.

Commenting on his appointment, Piyush Pandey said, "I am delighted to be Chairing the Dubai Lynx Festival Jury 2008. This is a young Festival and therefore an opportunity for all of us to build a distinctive character for it. A character that is unique to this Region and yet is an inspiration for the rest of the world. It will be my endeavour to work with the distinguished jury members, select the best pieces of work that are not confined to the tastes of just our fraternity, but are capable of delighting people that they are created for."

Piyush was a professional cricketer and tea-taster before joining Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai, in 1982. Rising up the ranks, he became its national creative director in 1994 and was inducted to Ogilvy's worldwide board in 1995. In 2004, Piyush was appointed Executive Chairman of O&M India and South Asia. Piyush's work has helped make advertising creativity a preferred career option for young professionals in India.