ADFEST TURNS TO MARCO VENTURELLI TO LEAD LANDMARK 30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

ADFEST has appointed Marco Venturelli as Grand Jury President for ADFEST 2027, marking a significant step towards its 30th anniversary celebrations. Under the theme 30&BEYOND, the festival aims to honour its creative legacy while looking forward, with Venturelli bringing global expertise, acclaimed leadership and a distinguished creative track record.

As ADFEST prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2027, the Asia-Pacific advertising festival has announced one of the industry’s most respected creative leaders, Marco Venturelli, as Grand Jury President for its landmark edition.

The appointment comes as ADFEST unveils its anniversary theme, 30&BEYOND, a vision that reflects both the festival’s rich creative heritage and its ambition to champion the ideas, talent and innovation that will define the future of the industry.

Venturelli will play a pivotal role in shaping the awards programme. As Grand Jury President, he will lead the panel of Jury Presidents in judging the prestigious Lotus Roots award, which recognises work deeply rooted in local culture and distinguished by its cultural relevance. In addition, he will serve as Jury President for the Creative Strategy Lotus, Effective Lotus, Innova Lotus and Sustainable Lotus categories. He is also set to deliver a keynote address during ADFEST 2027.

Based in Paris, Venturelli currently serves as President and Chief Creative Officer of Leo, a global creative network that brings together 15,000 professionals across 90 countries. He also holds the roles of Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Groupe France and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Conseil.

His appointment follows a period of remarkable success. Under Venturelli’s leadership, Publicis Conseil was named Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions in both 2024 and 2025, a rare back-to-back achievement in the global creative industry. The agency also secured Agency of the Year honours at the LIA, Clio and Eurobest awards in 2025 and was recognised by WARC as the world’s most creative agency.

Venturelli’s journey began in Milan in 2001, where he started his career as a copywriter. He went on to work with agencies including BGS/D’Arcy, Publicis, BBDO and Havas before relocating to Paris in 2010 to join Agence H as Creative Director. Four years later, he became Executive Creative Director of the newly established Les Gaulois, helping it become Havas’s most awarded agency at Cannes Lions. He later returned to Publicis, taking on the role of Global Executive Creative Director for Heineken.

Over the course of his career, Venturelli has amassed more than 100 Cannes Lions, including prestigious Titanium Grand Prix honours, as well as two D&AD Black Pencils. In 2024, D&AD ranked him as the world’s leading Chief Creative Officer. His judging credentials are equally impressive, having served as a juror or jury president at major international competitions including Eurobest, LIA, New York Festivals, Clio and D&AD, while also judging at Cannes Lions on five occasions.

Welcoming the appointment, ADFEST Chairman Vinit Suraphongchai said Venturelli’s reputation for producing work that challenges conventions and raises creative standards made him an outstanding choice for the role.

“As we look towards the next chapter of ADFEST under the theme 30&BEYOND, we believe creativity must continue to evolve, challenge conventions and embrace new possibilities,” Suraphongchai said.

With three decades of creative achievement behind it and an eye firmly on the future, ADFEST’s choice of Venturelli signals an anniversary celebration focused not only on recognising excellence, but also on inspiring the next generation of transformative ideas.