It is one of those nice problems to have. If you are privileged to be going to Cannes, it is impossible to see and do everything. The Festival has slimmed down to five days, but still offers a yacht-load of content.
This is the fifth year I have searched through the official agenda to cherry-pick sessions that feature articulate and talented women. Not sessions simply talking about the lack of women on stage or in the top jobs – a hand-wringing trend that, hopefully, has died down in favour of action – but the "see it be it" concept of successful women to learn from and admire.
When I wrote my first post, there was much more of a male skew to the speaker roster. Now, some of the agencies hosting the sessions have wised up and offer a more interesting diversity. And Cannes keeps getting closer to a 50/50 balance in the jury rooms as well; 46% are female this year up from 43% in 2017.
I'm truly chuffed to be joining the jury myself in this milestone year – 2018 is the 10th anniversary for the PR Lions. It was an addition (among others) that led to the rebranding of Cannes as the Festival of Creativity, rather than the Festival of Advertising.
This expansion is also reflected in the big-tech brand tents, villas, parties and piers. This guide is not reflective of all the interesting things happening there; just one woman's pick from the published .
your must-see speakers or secret soirées and let me know what gems I missed.
MONDAY - THURSDAY
The Girls’ Lounge @ Cannes Lions
Powered by | Penthouse Suite # 731,
If you are not on the mailing list, . The Girls’ Lounge has been an oasis in Cannes for seven years, pampering all of us who don’t have our own gorgeous penthouse views. Congratulations to and team, by the way, for their at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Follow at important conferences everywhere.
Wake Up With The Economist
Host: Cannes Lions | 10:30 (1h) | Cannes Lions Beach
This is a good series to check out all week if you want to hear directly from global chief marketers. After all, access like this is really the unique selling proposition for Cannes. To catch the rarer species of female chief marketers, go (, Diageo), (, American Express) or (, Johnson & Johnson and , Deloitte)
MONDAY 18 June
Host: Adobe | 13:00 (45min) | Debussy Theatre
Artificial intelligence is now part of our lives. It's in our pockets and in our homes. So it is good to see a debate by makers on what it means for creatives. There is a nice mix of art and design in the speaker line-up: , Pentagram; , artist; , vice-president design, Adobe. Go to their panel so you can converse wisely with them later on the Carlton terrace.
Host: Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve | 13:00 - 13:45 | Lumière Theatre
Fighting for our attention in the same slot, with an excellent clickbait title, futurist offers this much-needed look at what it means to be a man today. Her panel mixes the academic, entertainment and business worlds: men’s studies professor , PhD, drag queen and , founder of The Riveter. If you can't get a seat, get their zine .
Host: Pinterest | 14:00 - 14:45 | Lumière Theatre
If you are new to Cannes, the tip to the sessions the organisers feel are most important is the size of the space. Good to see take command of the Lumière.
Its co-founder, , is helped by having one of advertising's top creatives on stage, Wieden & Kennedy's chief creative officer, . She's the star boss every creative wants. Despite the title, the session probably won't be about her life, but about how creatives can use technology platforms (like Pinterest) in unexpected ways. For 2018, Colleen is the prestigious Titanium Lions ; good to see in a year where only nine of 26 jury presidents are female.
Host: Hearst | 16:00 - 16:45 | Innovation Stage
If you do any panel moderation, you can learn a lot from expert interviewer , chief content officer, Hearst. She will make sure this session goes beyond the key messages in the PR deck. I've never tried , but maybe I should. It is run by a majority-female executive team, and reportedly valued at more than $1bn. Chief executive is also the co-founder of Tinder.
Created by AKQA | 16:15 - 16:45 | Debussy Theatre
In pure creative terms, this is hands-down my can't-miss session every year. It is a brilliant scheme to identify and showcase amazing ideas by young talent still in school. At last, it is legitimately earning a place on this guide for 2018, because, for the first time ever, Future Lions will be hosted by women: AKQA's , head of technology, and , group creative director. Hurrah. A positive sign from AKQA, an agency known for super-smart digital work, and one of the worst gender pay gaps in London.
Other session to note:
If I hadn’t sworn to avoid the , I would be tempted to attend talk by Burger King and David The Agency. But no worries. It is hardly a spoiler to predict we will see a lot of their work on the award stage. I call the same trend Stuntvertising, and Burger King is admittedly a master.
TUESDAY 19 June
Host: UN Foundation & McCann Health | 10:00 | Health Inspiration Stage
The title says it all. Girls are the secret to a better world. Grab a friend, go, and spread the word. This session is in the Health track but should be on the main stage. It is so much more important than Hackvertising.
Kudos to , president, McCann Global Health, for putting this ace panel together: , UN Foundation; and , Girl Up.
Host: WWE | 11:00 | The Forum
Ok, I'm not a fan of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) but it does have a female chief marketer ( of the WWE ruling ) and we all need to leave our filter bubble sometimes.
Plus, I AM a fan of , who's self-made success deserves her channel name . She's listed as a YouTube content creator, entrepreneur, actress, author, comedian. Add role model and Lilly is so awesome, I just may stalk her on the Croisette to . Don't miss this chance to make your teenage niece pea-green with envy.
YouTube | 14:00 - 14:45 | Lumière Theatre
Want to be the next Lilly? Get familiar with a YouTube-centric view of the world. Chief executive – whose suburban was famously the original Google office – is one of the most important women in tech and an articulate voice worth following. I think this is her first Cannes appearance.
Susan is joined by , BBC Radio 1 DJ, , chief digital officer of L'Oréal, and , YouTube's global head of music. A nice reversal of the usual gender ratio of tech panels. From the choice of panellists, it's clear that what matters, next to Susan, is , a competitor.
Hosted by and | 15:00 – 18:00, as part of the
Come and be wowed by this global creative showcase of work made by female directors and creative directors. This is my top pick for activities outside the Palais. I was part of the 2018 for this and can testify that there is some amazing work to enjoy. Grab a free ticket .
WEDNESDAY 20 June
Host: Wasserman | 10: - 10:45 | Lumière Theatre
Get ready to queue. , the all-time leading scorer – male or female – in international football, is an inspirational speaker. Bad-ass women everywhere are fist-bumping their computer watching her fierce .
Abby is joined by another Olympic medallist, , the first Muslim American woman to wear a hijab while competing in the Olympics. Plus, , president and co-founder, , a platform for athletes to connect directly with fans, and agency host .
Host: Girlboss | 10:00 - 10:45 | Innovation Stage
If you can't get a seat in the Lumière, go to this Innovation track conversation between chief executive and , who has just . Hopefully, it lives up to its great title.
Host L2 | 11:00 - 11:45 | Innovation Stage
Stay in your seat for a provocative discussion on why breaking up the big tech companies will create a more prosperous society. OK, there is no real feminist slant to this one – I just love .
Host: Apple | 12:00 - 12:45 | Lumière Theatre
Apple is one of Prof. Galloway's . A company so dominant, it is almost impossible to avoid. So go and listen to how its advanced retail experience will enslave us even more. As a cult member, I'm there.
Executive vice-president is the only women on Apple's leadership team, but is paid as the chief executive. Take that, wage gap. She's joined by Apple's vice-president of marcomms, , a top example of the of agency creatives to the tech giants.
THURSDAY 21 June
Host: Cannes Lions & ONE Championship | 08:30 | Palais Beach, The Terrace
For the athletically inclined early risers, take advantage of this only-in-Cannes martial-arts workout with World Champion . Take that, hangover.
Host: Cannes Lions | 10:30 - 11:00 | Meet Ups Space, The Terrace
The real value of Cannes, as veteran attendees know, is connecting with old friends, new friends and like-minds. A role model worth the name, Hill Holliday chair and chief executive will lead this informal meet-up. Bring your CV. Back when I was an art director in Boston, my dream was to work for Hill Holliday.
Host: FCB | 14:45 - 15:15 | Debussy Theatre
If you are going to talk about , it makes sense to start with the source. Activist, and Time’s 2017 "Person of the Year", coined the phrase in 2006 and founded what is now a global movement.
She's joined onstage by chief marketer , who wrote , a memoir about the cruelty and abuse in elite gymnastics, in a discussion moderated by FCB West chief creative officer .
FRIDAY 22 June
Host: Y&R | 10:30 - 10:45 | Lumière Theatre
Speaking of #MeToo makes me feel somewhat obliged to include this session.
Now, I don’t think this pageant should be redefined. I think it needs to retire. Any entertainment vehicle that treats women like show dogs in stilettos deserves to . However, there is no denying the session will get a lot of attention with the likes of former Fox News host, and former Miss America, on-stage. So queue up and hear them out. But it is going to take a lot more than losing the to stop me gagging when they use the word "empowerment".
Host: Cannes Lions | 11:00 (45min) | Awards Hub Stage
I am a huge fan of these sessions, which run all week. They offer real insight from the room where it happens. Learn about how the work gets debated and the Lions get awarded. Go to as many as you can, but especially this one on Friday. I’ll be there as a PR Lions jury member.
There is so much more happening in the Palais and around town in the tents and private spaces. Tweet me your tips for "can’t-miss" sessions and hope to see you there. Happy Cannes, everyone.