Cannes Lions has today announced the 15 women selected for this year’s See It Be It programme and Australia’s Josie Fox, art director at Special Group, has made the cut.

The women, chosen from over 760 global applicants, will receive a complete Festival pass, travel and accommodation courtesy of the Festival, along with an exclusive programme of events, workshops and mentoring with some of the most respected industry leaders.

Louise Benson, VP of Festivals, Cannes Lions and Executive Lead of See It Be It commented,

“See It Be It is a key pillar of Cannes Lions’ response to the gender imbalance in the creative communications community and an active attempt to change the industry and the world for the better.

“Now in its sixth year we are starting to see the positive effects of the programme, as many of the global alumnae are not only achieving great personal success but also going on to drive and champion positive change in their markets.

“We are delighted to support these 15 women from across the world and look forward to seeing them grow and become inspiring leaders.”

The initiative addresses the lack of female creative leaders by identifying and facilitating the development of talented creative women, bringing them to the attention of the industry. In partnership with global sponsor, Spotify, the programme supports women to attain positions of seniority and drive further change as advocates and enlightened leaders.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Cannes Lions and See It Be It for a second year. While we have made incremental strides as an industry, it is as important as ever to empower women worldwide to reach their full potential in creative marketing,” said Danielle Lee, VP, Global Head of Partner Solutions at Spotify.

“The 2019 See It Be It class has raised the bar yet again. I look forward to being part of their journey and the inspiration they’re sure to impart to all of us.”

2019 See It Be It Ambassador Swati Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer of FCBULKA set this year’s theme asking women to “Invite Yourself”.

Building on the 2018 theme of “Leading from within” Swati challenges this year’s finalists, and the industry at large, to create space for themselves, and others, to participate in a meaningful and balanced way.

The 2019 See It Be It finalists are named as:

• Josie Fox, Senior Creative, Special Group, Australia
• Ana Luna, Creative Director, CIRCUS, Mexico
• Carla Padovani, Senior Creative Copywriter, McCann Santiago, Chile
• Cecile Pimont, Senior Copywriter/ACD, Freelance, France
• Devon Williamson, Art Director, Cheil, Canada
• Gabriela Guerra, Senior Creative Copywriter, Freelance, Singapore
• Hira Mohibullah Amin, Creative Director, BBDO Pakistan
• Jessica Toye, Creative Director, Virtue, USA
• Liz Cartwright, Creative Director, TBWA/Chiat/Day, USA
• Manoti Jain, Chief Operating Officer, Supari Studios, India
• Nimo Awil, Senior Creative, POKE London, United Kingdom
• Rachel Kennedy, Art Director, 180 Kingsday, The Netherlands
• Ruxandra Drilea, Senior Copywriter, Publicis, Romania
• Yaa Boateng, Creative Director, The Storytellers, Ghana
• Yaprak Gultay, Team Lead for Servivce Design, Fjord, Sweden

Speaking to B&T, Special Group’s Josie Fox commented, “I’m so honoured to have been selected, I’m still pinching myself!

“I’m really looking forward to spending a week with so many incredible women who’ve had similar experiences to me, and who also want to change the industry for the better. I can’t wait to pick their brains and learn alongside them. Bring it on!”