A response from Simon Cook

From: Simon Cook To: Papel & Caneta

We are committed to having more representative juries - but we are still far from where we want to be. This year, we have missed the mark on the selection of jurors in Brazil.

I wholeheartedly recognise there is more work to be done at an individual country level. The Cannes Lions shortlisting jury will be announced next week and we will ensure better representation globally - and at a local level, particularly in Brazil.

To date, our efforts have been focused on inclusivity and representation at a global level, with representation of Black people increasing from 8% in 2021 to 13% this year, and people of colour increasing from 37% to 47%. These are steps in the right direction on a global scale.

Moving forwards we commit to reviewing our criteria, increasing transparency about in-country representation and ensuring juries at a country level are representative of society.

I’d like to thank you for writing to me and for raising awareness of this important issue. We are doing the work to view everything we do through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion and we’re committed to our juries being more representative of society, year on year.

Simon