Steve Henry, founder and former creative director of Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury (HHCL) in London, has been named as this year’s new 2010 Grand Jury President for Adfest.
Henry replaces Washington Olivetto, who will not be able to commit to Adfest’s new judging dates from 24 to 28 May 2010, after the festival was postponed earlier this year following the political situation in Thailand.
Jimmy Lam, president of the ADFEST Working Committee said, “We are delighted that Steve has been able to step in as Adfest Grand Jury President at such short notice. We are looking forward to his energy and experience to select the most deserving winners of the Lotus Awards.”
As the founder and creative director of HHCL, Henry was the youngest person to make Campaign UK’s inaugural Hall of Fame in 2007, which listed 40 of the most influential people in British advertising over the last 50 years.
"I consider it a great honour to step in as Grand Jury President at Adfest this year. I have always enjoyed seeing work from Asia. I've been interested in the region all my life, at least partly because I was born in Hong Kong,” says Henry.
“I'm hoping to see rule-breaking work, which on one hand is hard because of the economic situation, but on the other hand is easier because of all the opportunities brought by new media. I'm looking forward to seeing how Asia, which has a growing and well-deserved reputation for creativity, is faring."
Under Henry’s rein at HHCL, the agency won Campaign UK’s Agency of the Year three times, and was voted Agency of the Decade in 2000. In 2006, HHCL changed its name to United London, which closed its doors in 2007.
Since then, Henry worked for two years as TBWA/London on brands such as Playstation, Adidas, Apple and Starburst, before leaving the agency to embark on his own projects, which include authoring the book, ‘Change the World for a Fiver’. He has won everything from D&AD Yellow Pencils to the Grand Prix at Cannes.
An official release from the Adfest says that the majority of the invited Jury presidents and jury members are all available to attend the new dates, so the new judging schedule will go ahead as planned.
