Ajay Vikram, Julie Jihyun Kang and Tania Singh Khosla join AdFest 2026’s Jury President line-up
ADFEST has announced its next three Jury Presidents for the 2026 awards in March. In total, the ADFEST Lotus Awards will bring together seven creative leaders in Pattaya, Thailand, led by Grand Jury President Yasuharu Sasaki, Global Chief Creative Officer of Dentsu. Sasaki will also serve as Jury President for the Creative Strategy, Effective, INNOVA, and Sustainable Lotus categories, in addition to delivering a keynote speech.
Sasaki said: “I believe the highest form of creativity is work that creates discontinuous change – work that shifts reality. Such work moves people deeply. In other words, it produces both surprise and empathy. It makes us feel something unexpected, and it makes us recognise something true. And it also travels. The strongest ideas can be shared effortlessly—passed from one person to another—and can often be adapted and applied beyond their original purpose, extending their impact over time.”
The second three ADFEST Lotus Awards Jury Presidents are:
Julie Jihyun Kang, CEO, Serviceplan Korea & Founder & CEO, Flux AI Asia, Jury President of Entertainment Lotus, Media Lotus and PR Lotus
Ajay Vikram, CCO, Publicis Groupe, South East Asia, Jury President of Film Lotus, Outdoor Lotus, Press Lotus and Radio & Audio Lotus
Tania Singh Khosla, Founder & Creative Director, TSK Design, Jury President of Design Lotus and Print & Outdoor Craft Lotus
As CEO & Managing Partner of Serviceplan Korea, Julie Jihyun Kang leads the agency’s strategic and creative transformation at the intersection of creativity, technology, and culture. She brings a culturally connected perspective shaped by Asia’s fast-paced creative dynamics and ecosystem, and their influence on both Asian and global creativity. Kang is also the Founder & CEO of Flux AI Asia, where she explores how emerging creative technologies can support storytelling, expression, and creative flow, helping creators and brands bring ideas to life more fluidly across platforms and formats. She achieved international acclaim when her work with Korean startup, Dot, won the Titanium Lion at the Cannes Lions Festival. Since then, she has served as a juror at major global festivals, contributing a perspective grounded in cultural relevance and innovation-led creativity.
Julie Jihyun Kang said: “ADFEST consistently champions work that feels culturally alive. I’m looking forward to judging ideas that are not only creatively strong, but meaningful within their context, and powerful to truly move people. Entertainment, media, and PR increasingly shape culture together. At ADFEST, I’m excited to see work that understands this intersection and uses creativity to create real resonance and impact.”
Ajay Vikram has spent much of his career with Publicis Groupe in leadership roles across Singapore, global clients in APAC, and now across six countries in the SEA region as Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe, South-East Asia. Under his creative leadership, the Groupe’s work across multiple agencies has delivered strong business results, global account wins and growth, entered pop culture and helped drive social impact across the region. Publicis agencies have been recognised for both creativity and effectiveness at Cannes Lions, Spikes Asia, ADFEST, D&AD, the One Show, the Effies, WARC and more, consistently ranked among the top-ranked in the SEA region. Vikram has been named among Campaign Brief’s Asia-Pacific Creative Directors of the Year, Singapore’s Most Influential Creative Directors and Campaign’s Asia-Pacific Creative of the Year.
“Great creativity doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it’s the context that gives it meaning. And when that context is the fastest moving, most innovative and diverse region in the world, the lens through which we judge the best work is everything. Simply put, the best work in APAC, as seen by the people who understand APAC best,” Ajay Vikram commented.
Tania Singh Khosla is the Founder and Creative Director of awarded brand and graphic design studio, TSK Design, creating compelling design solutions for corporate, lifestyle and hospitality brands, as well as educational and cultural institutions. Inspired by a rapidly evolving India that remains deeply rooted in its identity and visual culture, Tania sees this context as a powerful catalyst for design that is contemporary, relevant, and meticulously crafted. Guided by this philosophy, the work at TSK Design strikes a nuanced balance between Indian and global aesthetics, and between traditional and contemporary influences. With over two decades of experience in branding and visual storytelling, Tania is expanding her studio now into a multidisciplinary practice, engaging in design research and blurring the boundaries between graphic and product design.
Tania Singh Khosla commented, I am honoured be Jury President, Design Lotus at ADFEST 2026. I especially look forward to seeing the best of creative work that is specifically Asia focused. The culture, context, aesthetics and market here is unique and I’m keen to see how the work will reflect this. Equally, the opportunity to engage with fellow jurors from across the region, and to learn from their diverse perspectives and insights, will enrich our dialogue around contemporary design in Asia.
ADFEST 2026, Human+, will be held Thursday 19 – Saturday 21 March 2026 at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand. ADFEST is open for delegate registrations. Find out more about the ADFEST delegate registrations here.
As the beacon of Asian branded marketing communications creativity, ADFEST is the dynamic annual celebration of Asian cultures. It offers an unparalleled combination of learning, inspiration, and networking—no other regional event provides such a rich mix of industry forums, breakout sessions, cultural connectivity, and multi-event awards. At its heart, ADFEST is the place to meet and be inspired.
ADFEST is a not-for profit entity that believes passionately in its role to nurture and support the creative industry in the Asia Pacific and MENA region. It is 1 of 12 awards included in the Campaign Brief Asia Creative Rankings. The recently released Creative Rankings can be seen here.