2026 Jury

Carlos Moreno
Partner, Chief Creative Officer
Broken Heart Love Affair

Carlos Moreno is recognized as one of Canada’s most successful Creative Directors. Over the
course of his career, he has helped redefine creative excellence, leading both Cossette and
BBDO to be named Canadian Agency of the Year by Strategy Magazine — Cossette in 2016,
2017, and 2018, and BBDO in 2011, marking first-time wins for both agencies. In 2020, Carlos
launched Broken Heart Love Affair, followed closely by Lifelong Crush. Both agencies have
gone on to be named among the Top 3 agencies in Canada in their respective categories, with
Broken Heart Love Affair earning Small Agency of the Year recognition from Strategy Magazine,
the Art Directors Club of Canada and Ad Age. As an Art Director, Carlos has twice been ranked
among the Top Ten globally by The Gunn Report. He has also been the recipient of some of
advertising’s most prestigious honours, including the Cannes Lion Grand Prix in Outdoor for his
work on McDonald’s and the first Black Lion for Effectiveness in Canada for SickKids VS.
Individually, he has been named three times as the top CCO in Canada.

A proud native of Guatemala, Carlos was named one of the Most Influential Hispanics in Canada by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. His career has spanned Toronto and New York, with roles at agencies including McCann, Saatchi, Downtown Partners, DDB, BBDO, and Cossette. Being part of numerous award winning campaigns has been truly rewarding; however, the highlight of his career is building both Broken Heart Love Affair and Lifelong Crush, and fostering a culture of creativity, community and trust amongst colleagues and clients.

Krista Webster
President & CEO
Veritas, Stagwell

Krista Webster is the CEO of Veritas Communication s, one of Canada’s largest and most awarded full-service public relations firms and part of Stagwell. She also oversees Meat & Produce, an influencer social production agency from Los Angeles that was launched in Toronto and Montreal.

Webster brings more than 25 years of global agency public relations, social media, and influencer marketing experience, working with blue-chip clients in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. A self-professed change agent, she is always looking for ways to push the envelope creatively and strategically; consistently striving to innovate ahead of the curve. That’s why in early 2019, Webster expanded the Veritas family to include performance-driven influencer co-creation and digital content hub, Meat & Produce (M&P), to strategically bring influencers more fully to the table and fill a digital and e-comms gap she identified in the market.

Credited with co-launching the MSL Toronto office in her late twenties and then moving to their New York office as the North American head of consumer marketing and their first PR Creative Director on the P&G and Phillips business, Webster was part of the team who received a Gold PR Lion for “Protecting Futures’, a program by Always and Tampax that aims to ensure girls have access to period protection and stay in school, while addressing period poverty and promoting menstrual health and education.

In addition to being a strategic business partner to clients and leading ‘#agencylife’ with operational rigour, Webster is passionate about advancing PR women in leadership and setting the table for a future where agency can be a great place to work – and stay – for working moms. In 2023, she launched an unprecedented parental leave ‘full top up’ based on an individual’s tenure. The goal is to retain more seasoned female PR leaders after mat leave and empower them to rewrite the rules for how to juggle both personal and professional her way.

Webster has been named as one of PRWeek’s Top 40 Under 40, PRNews’ Top Women In PR, PRovoke’s Innovator 25, and an Adweek Brand Star. In 2022, she was selected as the Public Service Advertising Co-Chair at Strategy Online Marketing Awards in Canada. In 2023, Webster was appointed as a board Trustee to the Institute for Public Relations Board, the leading US-based, non-profit organization that organizes and sponsors research on public relations. This year, she received two prestigious recognitions: being chosen as one of 12 Cannes Lions PR judges and being honored with a North American SABRE award for Outstanding Individual Achievement.

Melanie Hider
Partner, Editor
Saints Editorial

Melanie Hider is a partner and editor at Saints Editorial and has been editing commercials for over a decade in Toronto, working on brands including Google, TD, Winners, Lays, No Name, and Destination Canada. She loves all types of storytelling but has made her mark as a comedy editor.

She grew up in South Africa, lived in London, UK and then settled in Canada, which has left her with quite a mess of an accent. Melanie’s work has garnered various awards over the years and she remains as passionate as ever. She is dedicated to developing those around her through mentorship, and in addition has built and led editing workshops at the University of Toronto that explore Editing in Advertising.

Josh Stein
Partner, Chief Creative Officer
LG2

Josh joined LG2 in 2023 as Partner, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Chair of the agency's National Creative Council, leading efforts out of the Toronto office. Well-recognized for his work, Josh has garnered both creative and effectiveness awards from every major international and national award show. 

Prior to joining LG2, Josh was Chief Creative Officer at McCann Canada where he oversaw 40 creatives across offices in Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary. Under his direction, the agency rose from 34th place in 2017 to one of the top ten agencies on the Creative Report Card in three years, garnering Digital and Agency of the Year awards for the first time in over two decades for the long-standing agency. Prior to joining McCann, Josh was the ECD of Tribal Worldwide and Creative Director at Proximity BBDO where he helped those agencies win Digital Agency of the Year in Canada a total of three times. An entrepreneurial streak has run throughout his career - he founded and ran Blue Room Design Studio in 2000 for four years and opened SaaS company Stuzo’s Canadian office in 2010 until its acquisition by Dachis Group.

Louis Gagnon
Co-Founder, VP of Creation
Paprika

After completing a bachelor’s degree in graphic communications from Laval University in Québec City, Louis Gagnon began his career as an art director at Graphème (Cossette), where he became creative director. The adventure then continued in Montréal at design agency Nolin Larosée, before Louis cofounded Paprika with Joanne Lefebvre in 1991. Currently, as Vice-President of Creation, Louis still adheres to the same design principles: simplicity, intelligence, balance, and elegance. With more than 1,000 prestigious national and international awards to his name, his unique style has been widely recognized in Quebec, Canada, and abroad.

The regularity of this recognition—even more than the sheer quantity of awards won—attests to Louis’s constant focus on stripping beauty down to its purest form. It is for this reason that the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec has acquired over 20 of his works for its permanent collection.

In 2007, French publisher Pyramyd released Paprika, the first book dedicated to a North American agency, in its “Design & Designer” collection. Three years later, the Parisian gallery Anatome, one of Europe’s leading centres for contemporary graphic design, paid tribute to Paprika with an exhibition of its work. Paprika-Seripop. Un regard graphique sur Montréal was an acknowledgment of Montréal as a design city and was the first major exhibition in Europe featuring the work of two Canadian graphic design firms.

A member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale and the Type Directors Club as well as a judge for the Art Directors Club of New York, Communication Arts, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and the One Show Awards, Louis is known for his involvement in the field, his culture, open-mindedness, and his ability to reinvent himself. He was also president of the Grafika Annual Graphic Competition in 2000 and 2016.

Louis Gagnon has been invited to speak at conferences, colloquia, and other design events in both Canada and the United States. For the last 18 years, he has been a course instructor at the Ecole de Design of the University of Québec at Montréal, where he has been sharing his passion for timeless design that sparks the imagination with students.

In 2023, he received Canada’s highest distinction, the Les Usherwood Award, for his lifetime achievements in the field of design and communication.

Stephanie Yung
Chief Design Officer
Zulu Alpha Kilo

Stephanie is a self-confessed design nerd who believes great design can solve real business problems and human needs. Most recently, she spent over a decade as Director of Design at Smart Design New York, where she focused on front-end innovation and the strategic translation of brands into new products and experiences. Her clients included PepsiCo, Sephora, P&G, Under Armour and Amex.  

Stephanie’s work has been featured in top industry publications and recognized by award shows like The One Show, Cannes Lions, Communication Arts, the UX Awards, AIGA and the Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards. She’s a sought-after speaker, who’s taken part in conferences at Yale and Microsoft covering topics like inclusive design, behaviour change and designing for women. 

Recently, Stephanie returned to Zulu Alpha Kilo after helping the agency early on when it rebranded Bell back in 2009. As Head of Design, Stephanie will be helping to create meaningful human-centred design solutions for all of Zulu’s clients.  

During downtime, Stephanie enjoys watching music documentaries and loves spending quality time with her young daughter – which usually involves paint and lots of clean up.

Krystle Mullin
CCO
john st. & T&Pm

Krystle Mullin is CCO at john st. and T&P Canada in Toronto, bringing a wealth of global experience back to the Canadian advertising landscape. Prior to this, she made her mark as Global ECD at Edelman and VP CD at RPA in Los Angeles. Consistently recognized for her creative prowess, Krystle has been named Ad Week’s Top 100, Strategy’s Top 10 Creative Directors in Canada, and a One Club Next Creative Leader. Her award-winning work has garnered accolades from prestigious shows including D&AD, The One Show, and Cannes Lions.

Johan Vakidis
President & Co-CCO
Sid Lee

Johan is a globally recognized creative leader with over two decades of experience in Asia at world-class companies. This Canadian native has built an award-winning career across advertising, marketing, gaming, and entertainment, blending technological innovation with storytelling.

His journey includes leadership roles at Ogilvy Shanghai, establishing AKQA in China, launching R/GA in China and Japan, and spearheading digital transformation at Disney. After serving as
Chief Creative Officer at Publicis Groupe Asia, Johan returned to Canada for roles at Sid Lee and C2 before rejoining Sid Lee as Chief Creative Officer & President.

Johan has created standout work for brands including Nestlé, Samsung, Nike, Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz, and Tim Hortons. His leadership combines talent development with visually striking, impactful work. Drawing from experience in highly competitive markets, Johan brings a unique perspective that drives exceptional results.

Drawing inspiration from his contribution to China's digital landscape, Johan possesses a distinct advantage in leveraging technology to enhance brand experiences and is eager to apply this knowledge to the North American market. 

He is driven by a passion for crafting compelling narratives, fostering team growth, and seizing new business opportunities.

Sharifa Khan
Founder & CEO
Balmoral Multicultural Marketing

Sharifa Khan has dedicated her life to “building bridges of understanding” between businesses,
governments, media, and Canada’s thriving immigrant communities. A champion for
multicultural marketing, Sharifa is an acclaimed industry visionary, podcast host, and member of Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends.

Founding Balmoral Multicultural Marketing in 1989, Sharifa created Canada’s first agency
dedicated to helping businesses connect and engage with diverse communities. Today, she
continues to trail-blaze, leading an award-winning team of international marketers that has taken minority marketing mainstream. In a testament to the impact of her ongoing leadership,
Balmoral’s industry-defining multicultural marketing was just given special recognition by
Summit International Awards and named a Top Agency Award honouree at the 2025 Summit
Creative Awards.

To celebrate Balmoral’s 35th anniversary, Sharifa created The Multicultural Marketing Podcast,
the first show of its kind in Canada featuring high-profile marketing executives sharing personal
experiences about connecting their brands to diverse communities.

In addition to running Balmoral, Sharifa served as the first female president of the Toronto
Chinese Business Association and the first minority-group female vice-president of the
Canadian Club. Her historic work as co-founder of the Toronto International Dragon Boat Race
Festival shaped the city’s waterfront and has been instrumental in the success and popularity of
this large-scale, multicultural sporting event.

Much admired for her business achievements, Sharifa is also known for her philanthropic
leadership. She has served on advisory boards for the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater
Toronto, Mount Sinai Hospital, OCAD University, and the Ontario Media Development
Corporation, and presently counsels the Canadian Cancer Society.
Sharifa’s entrepreneurial spirit, contributions and ongoing involvement with multicultural
communities and businesses has received widespread recognition and been acknowledged by
prime ministers and all levels of government. She is a three-time recipient of the Queen
Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in
2025.

Celebrated again as one of The Top Women Leaders of Toronto for 2025 by Women We
Admire, Sharifa has been listed as one of the Top 25 Women of Influence by WOI+ and Top 25
Canadian Immigrants by Canadian Immigrant.

Sachi Mukerji
Founder, CEO & Creative Director
Monsoon Communications

Alana Lees
Founding Partner & Chief Strategy Officer
BOOM InterTribal

Prior to co-founding BOOM InterTribal, an Indigenous owned, full-service agency, Alana spent over 20 years honing her craft at some of Toronto’s top-performing agencies, including Cossette, Grip and JWT, delivering results for world-class brand portfolios such as LCBO, Honda, Coca-Cola, Toyota and Tim Hortons. She went on to work Client-side on global brands and not-for-profit. 

Alana is of mixed descent, raised in Judaism, and a proud member of Fisher River Cree Nation. As an intergenerational survivor of the residential school system, Alana has spent the last two decades re-connecting to culture, exploring and living her passion for advocacy and the global movement towards Truth and Reconciliation.

Alana’s lived-experience in the Indigenous and non-Indigenous worlds gives her an intimate understanding of the values, traditions, experiences, challenges, thought processes and ways of life – of both worlds.

Straddling these two worlds, Alana innately understands the human insights that transcend and unify them. Through the journey of discovery and strategic planning, she finds the common ground that opens lines of communication. She is a conduit between worlds helping to create meaningful campaigns that form genuine connections and an awareness of shared values.

By connecting Indigenous worldviews and marketing insights, Alana and her team at BOOM are elevating purpose driven work with clients such as TD, Telus, Deloitte and Sysco on their journey of Reconciliation. As well as supporting such Indigenous organizations as the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, and the First Nations Bank of Canada. Whether creating social impact or delivering business results, Alana firmly believes that awareness inspires action.

Matt Litzinger
Founder, Chief Creative Officer
The Local Collective

Matt is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Creative Agency, The Local Collective and
two contemporary pop art galleries, The Local Gallery, one in Toronto and one in New York City.
For Matt, creativity isn’t just a skill—it’s a way of seeing the world, transforming possibilities
into breakthrough ideas that leave a lasting impact.

With over 25 years of experience, Matt has been the driving force behind some of Canada’s
most iconic campaigns, believing that brave creativity leads to bold business success. This
philosophy fuels The Local Collective’s approach, where culture-led thinking transforms brands
into cultural forces. His work has shaped global brands, including McDonald’s, Cadillac, Fiji
Water, General Mills, NBA Canada, and Rogers, delivering not just creative excellence, but
tangible, business-changing results.

Matt’s work has earned recognition in nearly every major local and international award show,
but his true passion lies in building brands that move people, shift conversations, and leave a
lasting cultural impact. At The Local Collective, he continues to push creative boundaries,
ensuring brands don’t just advertise - they become part of the culture.