Announcing the Roger Hatchuel Student Academy Class of 2025

Find out who made it this year.

After an intense selection process, this year’s Roger Hatchuel Student Academy cohort has been announced.

31 students from 31 different countries will be joining us at Cannes Lions 2025 to learn firsthand from the world’s greatest brands, creative minds and industry leaders. They’ll kick-start their creative careers by exploring different avenues of the industry, with topics including the value of diversity, building your personal brand and working with purpose.

This year’s cohort sees participants from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Venezuela for the very first time. Each student was nominated by our partner organisations in their respective countries, and then chosen by our global selection panel made up of industry experts from nine countries.

Take a look at the 2025 panelists below:

Lissy Calienes, Associate Instructional Professor, Advertising Department, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, United States (Academy Dean)

Claudia Matjushin Castro, Account Executive Trainee, VML, Spain (Academy Tutor)

Abnia Loriston, Program Director, The Creative Ladder, United States

Adrianne C. Smith, SVP/Senior Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, FleishmanHillard, United States

Andy Del Rosario, Associate Creative Director, McCann Worldgroup Philippines, Philippines

Anusheela Saha, National Creative Director, FCB India, India

Courtney Williams, Marketing Manager, Le Coq Sportif, South Africa

Gilda Valle, Strategy Director, BBDO Ecuador, Ecuador

Juan Carlos Ortiz, CEO, IdeasJCO, United States

Lex Bradshaw-Zanger, Chief Marketing & Digital Officer, South APAC & MENA, L'Oreal, Singapore

Maks Kallhed, Innovation Director, Amongst Friends, United Kingdom

Ndubuisi Uchea, CEO & Co-Founder, Word on the Curb, United Kingdom

Sandro Gelashvili, Head of Creative Works, MENA and Global Gaming and Tech Google, United Arab Emirates

The Roger Hatchuel Student Academy will be welcoming the following students in 2025, plus additional students from the Dominican Republic and Colombia who’ll be announced soon:

Name

Country

Institution

Partners

Xinyue Wang

China

Shanghai Normal University

China Advertising Association

Ana Laura Benavides

Costa Rica

Universidad de Costa Rica

Comunidad

Daniela Michnová

Czech Republic

Tomas Bata University in Zlín

Lionhearted

Yonis Abdirizak Mahamed

Denmark

UC Syd. School of Visual Communication

Creative Circle Denmark

Arianna Cárdenas

Ecuador

Universidad Casa Grande

El Universo

Rana Aksoy

Egypt

University of Ankara

The Worx 

Annaliisa Roots

Estonia

Estonian Academy Of Arts

Northern Lights Group

Jaani Piirainen

Finland

Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences

Marketing Finland

Tekle Gujabidze

Germany

Miami Ad School Europe

Weischer

Hoi Kiu Zoi Lau

Hong Kong Sar

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

The Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of Hong Kong

Bálint Szénási

Hungary

Corvinus University

MAKSZ

Hannah Murphy

Ireland

TU Dublin

IAPI

Giorgia Aiolfi

Italy

IED – Istituto Europeo di Design

ADCI

Ayazhan Maulitova

Kazakhstan

Turan University

A-3 School of Creative Bravery

Ephantus Kiige

Kenya

TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF KENYA

The Quollective

Mohammad AlSanee

Kuwait

American University of Kuwait

International Advertising Association 

Isabel van Munster

Netherlands

University of Amsterdam

Orange Lions

Emily Solem-Young

Norway

Kristiania Professional College

CAPA Kinoreklame AS

MIKHAIL CARLOS

Philippines

University of the Philippines – Diliman Quezon City

4AS Philippines

Beatriz Rações

Portugal

ETIC – Escola de Tecnologias, Inovação e Criação

MOP – Multimédia Outdoors Portugal

Diana Neagu

Romania

The Alternative School

The Alternative School for Creative Thinking

Florencia Molina

Spain

Universidad Complutense

SCOPEN

Vera Lin

Taiwan

Taipei Medical University

Kleinerfisch

Yalcin Inan

Türkiye

Ege University

Kapital Medya Hizmetleri A.S.

Asmaa Nowbandi

United Arab Emirates

American University in Dubai

Motivate Val Morgan Cinema Advertising

Imogen Sillitoe

United Kingdom

Manchester Metropolitan University

Manchester Metropolitan University

John Marenic

United States

VCU Brandcenter

VCU Brandcenter

Bahora Abdusaidova

Uzbekistan

Westminster International University in Tashkent

creativity.kz

Alessia Iachini

Venezuela

Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB)

FEVAP

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