Rory Sutherland, vice-chairman of Ogilvy Group UK, has been named chair of the 2007 Direct Lions jury.
Mr. Sutherland will oversee the largest jury in Cannes, the French Riviera resort where the International Advertising Festival each June holds its annual Cannes Lions advertising contest.
The Direct Lions competition was launched in 2002, focusing on direct marketing creative and solutions.
Mr. Sutherland takes over from 2006 Lions Direct jury president Steve Harrison, managing director and creative partner of Harrison Troughton Wunderman, London.
The 41-year-old Mr. Sutherland was educated at Haberdashers’ Monmouth School and at Christ’s College, Cambridge, England. He joined OgilvyOne as a graduate trainee in 1988. After being fired from the agency’s planning department, he moved over to creative in 1990 as a junior copywriter on the American Express, Microsoft and Royal Mail accounts.
Through the years, Mr. Sutherland won numerous promotions and awards. He was named head of copy in 1995 and creative director two years later during which time he worked on the relaunch and restructuring of OgilvyOne.
Mr. Sutherland was promoted to the agency’s executive creative director in 2002, becoming vice-chairman of Ogilvy Group in Britain last year.
He is married with twin daughters. Britain’s Campaign magazine named him the “Worst Dressed Man in British Advertising.”
