University of Asia and the Pacific selects Roshan Uttamchandani to join Cannes Lions Roger Hatchuel Academy

Since 2012 to date, six Philippine student representatives to the annual Cannes Lions Roger Hatchuel Academy have been chosen from among the graduating students of the Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) program at the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) based in Manila. For 2020, Roshan Uttamchandani, a graduating IMC student of UA&P, will represent the Philippines as the official delegate.

Google is the 2020 sponsor of the Roger Hatchuel Academy, and leaders of the Google Creative Campus program will oversee this year’s activities. The Creative Campus seeks to foster emerging creative talents across the globe through training sessions, networking and mentorship programs, and access to sessions from Googlers, as well as from external speakers. Due to the global pandemic, however, sessions this year will be done online, but still with the hope of getting everyone together next June at Cannes for a graduation ceremony.

The IMC program of the University of Asia and the Pacific, that began in 1997, is among the universities of choice in the Philippines for students who wish to specialize in the fields of brand management and marketing communication. Margot Torres, General Manager, McDonald’s Philippines says, “UA&P IMC has produced the new breed of talent our industry has been searching for.  They are consumer centric and understand how to connect the different elements of marketing. They are versatile and can navigate from high level strategic perspective to creative discussion to marketing plan execution. They work with an omnichannel mindset when it comes to engaging with the consumer. They are fast learners and good team players.”

Gina Lorenzana, the Immediate Past Global Vice President of Unilever, and currently the Chief Energist & Founder of BetterBrandLabs, has worked with a good number of UA&P IMC graduates through the years at Unilever. She affirms, “for years, I have worked closely with graduates of UA&P’s IMC program. They’ve impressed me with their innovative ideas, passion for excellence and team effectiveness when working on challenging projects. They have a strong track record, with many  of them successfully moving into more senior marketing roles in the Philippines and around the globe.”

Raul Castro, Chairman & CEO, McCann Worldgroup Philippines comments, “I personally have been very impressed with UA&P IMC graduates and have hired many to work for us. I have also seen some of them eventually set up their own agencies successfully and have since continued to mentor a couple. I have also actually learned a lot from IMC graduates – as fresh graduates then and as leaders of their businesses now. Congratulations to UA&P IMC program for a job well done.”

David Guerrero, Creative Chairman of BBDO Guerrero affirms, “without a doubt, UA&P’s Integrated Marketing Communication program never fails to bring forth bright, exceptional and talented graduates year after year. These young creatives show confidence in their work and are eager to better their craft. We are always delighted to have them as part of the team.”

Kenneth Lingan, Chief Executive Officer, Publicis Groupe Philippines, opines, “a number of our leaders and amazing talent in the Publicis Groupe are alumni of UA&P’s IMC program. It speaks a lot of the quality of talent and the rigour of the program.”

The IMC graduates who have represented the Philippines at Cannes Lions Roger Hatchuel Academy through the years believe that the Cannes experience has been truly life-changing. Jolo Valdez (Cannes delegate in 2012), who is now the Operations Manager- Convenience Retail at Shell Philippines, was the first Philippine Canes Lions student representative to Roger Hatchuel Academy. He explains that “attending the academy with students from 25 different countries gave me a global benchmark on the lessons I’ve learned and skills I developed in IMC. Truly a humbling and enriching experience!”

Isabel Agoncillo (Cannes delegate, 2013), who is currently an Associate Planning Director at Publicis Jimenez Basic, shares, “the year I went to Cannes Lions – its 60th year – was unforgettable because I got to witness the Philippines win its first Grand Prix. To be part of that moment and among the Philippine delegation gave me a north star – something to aspire for myself – right as I was starting my career.” Iya Forbes (Cannes delegate in 2014) and now a freelance photographer and video journalist also says, “we went in as young students wanting to learn more skills as future advertisers but we came out wanting to be overall better communicators and storytellers to push the industry forward.”

Troy Bautista (Cannes delegate 2015), is currently the Sports Content Head at TV5 Philippines television network. He says that “experiencing the Cannes Festival through the Roger Hatchuel Academy was the absolute best experience any IMC student can dream of! Learning from the best minds in the advertising world with its past, present, and future rockstars in one beautiful city was something I’ll never forget!” Katrina Olan (2017 Cannes delegate) and currently a copywriter at Dentsu Jayme Syfu opines, “it was a journey into the future of marketing, tech and advertising…and a homecoming to the greatest creative community on earth.”

The University of Asia and the Pacific IMC program is also the organizer of the Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards, an annual award show on creative and effective brands with purpose (www.tambuliawards.asia).

Jerry Kliatchko, Ph.D., dean of the UA&P IMC program and organizer of the Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards (pictured below) remarks, “we are truly grateful for the partnership and support that the client companies and the marketing communications industry in the Philippines and across Asia Pacific have extended to our IMC program through the years. Collaboration through internships and training programs for our students, research projects, involvement in curriculum development, serving as adjunct faculty, providing employment to our graduates, and for choosing our students to represent the country at the Cannes Lions Roger Hatchuel Academy for six years, are some of the ways by which our partnerships with industry have been forged . This alliance with industry has also made the continuous growth and expansion of the Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards initiative across the APAC region and the rest of the world a reality.”