CAN at Cannes Lions: Everything you need to know

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Dear CAN supporter,

The CAN team are thrilled to be attending Cannes Lions again next week! This is an important opportunity for us to engage in important conversations and share our Guiding Principles and Guides.

Bringing together creatives and industry leaders from across the world, the festival is a space where can continue to advocate for effective, sustainable, and inclusive advertising that works for everyone.

CAN Co-Founders Jake Dubbins and Harriet Kingaby will be attending, along with CAN Membership & Engagement Account Director Nafissa Norris and CAN Project Director Marsha Jackson.

Here are some key events we'll be taking part in:

Wednesday 18th June:

📅 Wednesday 18th June
🕝11:20–12:40pm
📍 Ogury Suite, Boulevard de la Croisette – Cannes

Panel – Conscious by Design: Effective Advertising That Works for Everyone
Can Advertising Drive Commercial Success?

Join Harriet Kingaby and Jake Dubbins, the co-founders of the Conscious Advertising Network (CAN), in conversation with Samir Chabab at Ogury, one of CAN's active members, as they unpack what it means to create effective advertising that works for everyone.

In this panel, industry leaders dive into:

How can advertising drive commercial success and positive societal impact?
In a time when privacy, inclusivity, and sustainability are business imperatives – not buzzwords – this session introduces CAN's new Guiding Principles and explores how brands can lead change without sacrificing impact.
Expect a candid, actionable discussion about navigating modern advertising with integrity – and why the best advertising choices are conscious ones.

Lunch & Networking to follow

Access the CAN Guiding Principles
🔗 Register here

📅 Wednesday 18th June
🕝 14:30–16:30pm
📍 LIONS Sustainability Hub (inside the Palais)
Meeting Point: Steps of the Cannes Tourist Office
🆓 No badge needed – open to all

Open House For Good 2025 at Cannes Lions
With a special pitch from Jake Dubbins (CAN)

This is the only time during the week where the doors of the Palais are opened to everyone — no pass required.

Organised in partnership with ACT Responsible, IAA Global, and Cannes Lions, Open House For Good is a dynamic, inclusive event bringing together purpose-driven organisations, nonprofits, and curious creatives to explore how advertising can be a true force for good.

🎤 As part of the opening, Jake Dubbins will take the stage for a 2–3 minute pitch on the Conscious Advertising Network – sharing CAN's vision and 'solution for the industry'.

What to expect:

🎨 Explore the ACT Responsible Exhibition highlighting campaigns focused on solidarity, human rights, education, and the environment
🗳️ Vote for your favourite campaign and celebrate creativity that makes a difference
💬 Network with like-minded delegates, leaders, and activists
🌟 Keynote by Oskar Metsavaht, visionary Brazilian artist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Sustainability

This is your front-row seat to creativity with impact — and a rare open-access moment at Cannes.

🔗 Register here

Thursday 19th June:

📅 Thursday 19th June
🕝 10:00–11:00am
📍 Brands & Culture Villa

Panel – Culture, Clickbait & Consequences

The creator economy is one of the most powerful forces in advertising and culture. As individual creators build global audiences and brand partnerships become more sophisticated, the rules are shifting.

Who's looking after creators' interests?
How are brands measuring success?
How do we ensure growth doesn't come at the cost of ethics, inclusion, or transparency?

This session brings together leading voices from the UK's creator landscape to explore what's next—and why the UK is uniquely placed to shape a more responsible, creative, and commercially powerful future for the creator economy.

Panellists:

Vanessa Sawyerr, Co-Founder and Chief of GSD, WeRepresent
Harriet Kingaby, Co-founder & Co-chair, Conscious Advertising Network
Thomas Walters, Billion Dollar Boy
Sophie Butler, Content Creator, Influencer and Podcast Host

Moderated by:
Aisling Conlon, International Director for UK Advertising, Advertising Association

Brunch & Networking to follow

🔗 Register here

📅 Thursday 19th June
🕒 15:00–15:45pm
📍 Empower Café

Outvertising Takeover: Introducing the Advocacy Playbook

Join Conscious Advertising Network, Outvertising, Media.Monks, and Propeller Group for a dynamic session spotlighting the Advocacy Playbook – a bold new resource co-created to help advertisers and agencies take meaningful steps toward LGBTQIA+ inclusion.

This isn't about gatekeeping - it's about moving the industry forward with intentionality, allyship, and action. The session will explore:

Practical, real-world strategies for inclusive advertising
Why LGBTQIA+ inclusion is not just the right thing to do - it's smart business (with $3.7T+ in global spending power)
How to rethink casting, media placements, and internal culture to build brands where everyone feels seen and safe

Panellists:

Nafissa Norris, Conscious Advertising Network
Chris Dunne, Outvertising
Anthony Leeds, Propeller Group
Omar Abou-Ezzeddine, Media.Monks

Networking to follow

Access the Advocacy Playbook
🔗 Register here

Friday 20th June:

Don't Miss Us on Friday 20th June at The Forum Stage!

Climate Information Integrity before COP30: Opportunities and Risks for Advertisers

📅When: Friday 20th June
🕒 Time: 13.15-13.45pm
📍Where: The Forum, Rotonde

Jake Dubbins will be joined by Charlotte Scaddan (Senior Adviser on Information Integrity, United Nations), João Brant (Secretary of Digital Policies - Social Communication Secretariat, Presidency of the Republic of Brazil), and Tarja Turtia (Senior Programme Specialist, UNESCO). They'll unpack the biggest issues facing humanity in advance of COP30 and explain the UN's Global Principles for Information Integrity and the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change led by the UN, UNESCO and the Government of Brazil, launched at the G20 in Rio de Janeiro.

🔗 Register here: Cannes Lions Festival Programme

A Look Back at Cannes Lions 2024

Last year saw us attending panels, roundtables, and informal discussions, we highlighted the critical importance of conscious advertising.

We also got to catch up with other CAN members, igniting further conversations for collaboration and action to drive change. We hope to see some of again this year!

Find out what we got up to last year here