Network to sponsor Creative LIAisons and jury lunch, with three senior leaders serving on LIA juries and 10 emerging creatives joining its development programs.
For the second year, dentsu will return as a supporter for the 2026 London International Awards (LIA) Creative LIAisons program, sponsoring a lunch that brings together emerging talent, jurors and industry leaders during LIA judging in Las Vegas. The continued partnership reflects dentsu’s focus on developing creative talent at every level. Three senior leaders from across the network will serve on the 2026 LIA juries, while 10 emerging creatives from six markets will participate in the onsite and virtual Creative LIAisons development programs.
Yoshihiro Yagi, Executive Creative Director and Growth Officer at dentsu Japan, will serve as Jury President for Design and Package Design. John Mescall, Global Chief Creative Partner at Dentsu Creative, will serve on the Direct jury, while Aurelia Noel, Head of Innovation and Transformation at dentsu X, will join the Creativity in Media jury,
The Creative LIAisons onsite program will take place at Encore at Wynn in Las Vegas from
27 September to 1 October 2026, running alongside the LIA judging sessions. Approximately 130 emerging creatives from around the world will take part in five days of talks, panel discussions, workshops and networking, including the opportunity to observe live jury discussions.
The virtual program runs from April to November and gives participants one-to-one coaching sessions with established industry leaders from across the global creative community.
John Mescall, Global Chief Creative Partner at Dentsu Creative, said: “Everyone talks about supporting the next generation of creative talent. Creative LIAisons turns that intention into something practical, giving emerging creatives access to honest conversations, different perspectives and the rooms where creative standards are set. At a time when our industry is changing quickly, that exchange matters more than ever.”
The 10 dentsu participants represent Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines and Spain:
Karl Malik Bernardo, Associate Creative Director, Dentsu Creative Philippines
Yiu Hei (Cyrus) Chung, Senior Copywriter, Dentsu Creative Hong Kong
Teresa Faus Roche, Creative Art Director, Dentsu Creative, Madrid
Kayla Marcelo, Associate Creative Director, Dentsu Creative Philippines
Michelle Meng, Art Director, Dentsu Creative Canada
Aika Miyashiro, Creative Planner and Copywriter, Dentsu Digital
Ibuki Nishino, Communication Creator and Copywriter, Dentsu Inc.
Ilu Shilpakar, Art Director, Dentsu Creative France
Vince Villena, Art Director, Dentsu Creative Philippines
Yilin Zhang, Integrated Creative, Copywriting and Design, Dentsu Inc.
Laurissa Levy, Creative LIAisons and Global Initiatives Director at LIA, said: “Dentsu’s support goes beyond sponsorship. Its leaders are contributing their experience as jurors, while emerging talent from across its global network will learn alongside their peers. That participation at every level is exactly what Creative LIAisons is designed to create.”
