Spikes Asia 2011 names craft, design and PR jury presidents

Danny Searle is the chairman and chief creative officer of BBDO Singapore and has previously judged at Cannes Lions, The One Show and D&AD. He started his career as a film editor and had stints as a producer and copywriter later on.

During his time as executive creative director at Clemenger BBDO Sydney, Searle was named Australia's best creative director by business magazine BRW. He then relocated to BBDO Proximity's regional headquarters in Singapore four years ago and currently sits on the BBDO Worldwide creative board.

“There is no other region where craft is more exciting. It's where the cultural and ethnic diversity is most vibrant. From Thailand to Japan and India to Singapore, all have maintained a local reference or signature style. It makes the work unique and fresh for an outsider, and keeps it culturally relevant within its own country. I love that it has resisted the homogenised and familiar style of Europe and the West. Plus it makes judging it more fun,” commented Danny Searle.

Chairing the design jury is Elsie Nanji, managing partner of Red Lion, the design wing of Publicis Communications in India which she created in 2007. Nanji has also previously judged at Cannes Lions and Spikes Asia. 

“I'm delighted and honoured to be the president of the design jury at Spikes Asia this year. Having been a jury member at the very first design awards at Spikes in 2009, I discovered a world of fresh perspectives and leaps of imagination where the creative power of some of the most fertile minds in the world was unleashed,” said Nanji.     

With the new PR category rolled out this year, Tim Sutton, chairman of Weber Shandwick Asia-Pacific, will preside over the first every PR jury. He also serves as the Asia-Pacific chairman of  parent company Interpublic's CMG division.

“The breadth and depth of smart and strategic PR capability in Asia-Pacific is growing rapidly and devising innovative effective programmes which are truly tailor-made for Asia rather than just poor copies of what works in North America and Europe. This is a great opportunity to check progress and recognise the firms and people who are really raising the bar," commented Sutton.

Terry Savage, chairman of Cannes Lions, who with Haymarket Asia are joint organisers of Spikes Asia, remarked, “As well as being highly respected and very influential, Danny, Elsie and Tim are experts on what creative communications work in the region. Their wealth of experience and knowledge will be instrumental in leading the judging process and it’s fantastic to have them onboard at Spikes Asia this year.”