CAXTONS ANNOUNCES KEYNOTE SPEAKERS FOR 2009
The 2009 Caxton Seminar has announced JWT Creative Chairman of Continental Europe and Latin America Fernando Vega-Olmos and Publicis Mojo’s new Chief Creative Officer Craig Davis as its keynote speakers for this year.
“We are extremely fortunate to have two speakers of this calibre to speak at the Caxtons this year, especially with our theme of ‘creativity as a currency,” Caxton Chairman Rob Belgiovane said.
“They will both bring an immense amount of global experience and knowledge to our seminar.”
Argentine-born Vega-Olmos joined JWT in the newly created role of Creative Chairman for Continental Europe and Latin America in 2008.
He has won more than 500 awards since 1992, when he became the first Argentine creative to win a Gold Lion at Cannes. Vega-Olmos studied psychology at Pontificia Universidad Catolica Argentina, but decided to move into advertising because he loved to write.
His first copywriting job was 1980 at one of the biggest agencies in Argentina, Gowland & McCann Erickson. In 1997 he and partner Hernan Ponce established VegaOlmosPonce, which was acquired by Lowe in 2007. Vega-Olmos became Lowe's worldwide creative director for Unilever and in 2000, Lowe set up an agency in Madrid, Lowe Latina (Lola), and appointed Vega-Olmos as its chairman.
Davis, who has just joined Publicis Mojo,was previously global Chief Creative Officer at JWT. He graduated from AWARD School in Sydney and after establishing his own advertising agency, moved to Singapore as Executive Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi. Within a year he was promoted to Regional ECD Asia/Africa and moved to Hong Kong.
Under his leadership Saatchi won Regional Agency of the Year, International Agency of the Year at Cannes and Network of the Year titles from both Ad Age and Adweek. In 2003, Davis was named one of the world's Top 100 advertising people by Ad Age and Advertising Person of the Year by Campaign Brief.
He joined JWT London as Chief Creative Officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa and, within a year, was given global responsibilities for the creative leadership of JWT's 10,000 strong network.
Davis helped JWT win the global HSBC and Nokia businesses and produce some remarkable "brands as entertainment" work for Ford, Unilever, Shell, Freixenet and Wilkinson Sword.
He has been selected as a juror for every major international advertising festival including One Show, Clio, D&AD and the Cannes Titanium jury, and has made the Campaign "A List" five consecutive years.
His client experience includes Ford, Toyota, Sony, HSBC, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Shell, Nokia, Vodafone, Kraft, Nestle, Diageo, Bank of China, Netease, Hewlett Packard, DTC and Johnson & Johnson.
Davis was also the first ever guest editor of the Gunn Report, worked as an advisor to the Berlin School of Creative Leadership, was President of the Cannes Film and Press juries in 2008 and delivered the keynote address to the World Export Development Forum in Switzerland last November.
And on the side he also became the fastest Australian to complete a marathon at the North Pole.
Winners and finalists will be announced at The Caxton Award Weekend Seminar being held on 23-25 October 2009. Join our renowned panel of local and international speakers as they unveil their own plans for a creative revival and raise a glass to the year’s best press.
The seminar takes place on 23-25 October at the idyllic Hyatt Regency Coolum. Bookings are now open and numbers are strictly limited.
Download a registration form HERE.
