Three top flight Nigerian creatives including by Steve Babaeko, Chief Creativity Officer/CEO, X3M Ideas, Bolaji Alausa, Executive Creative, Noah’s Ark and Adaora Adheke, Managing Director, Peacock Media are among 11 regional judges annnounced for Loeries 2017 by the organizers of the awards.

The Loeries 2017 regional which focuses on Africa Middle East has entries from over 20 countries, and 11 judges from across the region on the panels. The regional judges include a Cannes 2017 jury president, a professional in the production industry, and the founder of a music record label. Kenya led with 4 judges; Nigeria has three slots; Dubai follows with 2 seats while Zambia has one. The profiles of the Jury members for the Loeries 2017 are as follow:

1. Nigeria: Steve Babaeko, CEO and CCO at X3M Ideas

Babaeko is the founder of X3M Music, a record label focused primarily on developing young talent and nurturing young talent in the art of self-reliance. Babaeko is a writer, consumer behaviour analyst, and brand builder. With 20 years of industry experience (MC&A Saatchi & Saatchi, Prima Garnet Ogilvy, and 141 Worldwide) he founded X3M Ideas in 2012.

2. Nigeria: Bolaji Alausa, executive creative director at Noah’s Ark

Noah’s Ark is an agency outside South Africa in sub-Saharan Africa. Bolaji won a Loerie and a Young Lion in 2009, leading to him representing Nigeria in Cannes.

3. Nigeria: Adaora Adheke, managing director at Peacock Media

Adheke is Cannes jury president/chairperson for the 2017 Young Lions Media Award, having been a Cannes jurist from 2010 to 2016. Adheke was named Excellent Personality in Nigeria’s Women in Media in 2012. In 2015, she was nominated for several roles for Nigeria’s Media Independent Practitioners Association, including chairperson of the technical committee.

4. Dubai: Aimen Alwan, freelance designer

Abolaji Alausa, Executive Creative Director, Noah’s Ark

Alwan has worked in the design field for more than 17 years and has been involved in branding projects for many international branding agencies where he specialises in brand identities and the Arabisation of English wordmarks.

5. Dubai: Alok Mohan, creative director at Impact BBDO

Mohan has a host of awards across D&AD, One Show, LIA, Clio, New York Festivals, and Dubai Lynx. He’s done it all in nine years, which explains why he is considered one of the Middle East’s most awarded creatives.

6. Kenya: Jason Nartey, creative head at Sanad, Africa

Nartey is an African creative, having worked and led projects in over 10 African countries (including Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Senegal, Cameroun, and South Africa) over the span of his 15-year career – including leading his team to the status of Most Awarded Agency in Ghana during his time at Origin8 Saatchi & Saatchi, and as the Most Awarded Agency in the country (seventh and eighth Local Advertising Awards) as creative head of SCANAD Ghana.

7. Kenya: Martin Karanja Kiare, CEO at Blutooth Enabled Advertising Networks (Bean)

Karanja founded Bean in 2009 and is one of Kenya’s largest independent digital agencies, proving the success of the disruption ethos and family culture he has built. Named among Kenya’s Top 40 Men Under 40, Karanja knew his disruption strategy was working when Bean Interactive won Platinum at the AVA Digital Awards.

8. Kenya: Mathieu Plassard, regional managing director at Ogilvy Africa

A 20-year plus veteran, Plassard started as a strategic planner with Y&R in Paris. He joined Ogilvy & Mather in 2000, and in 2014, Mathieu joined Ogilvy Africa as regional managing director to accelerate the growth of the Group in sub-Saharan Africa.

9. Kenya: Waithera Kabiru, digital marketing manager, Coca-Cola Central East and West Africa

For the past five years, Kabiru has led digital content and connections for Coca-Cola in sub-Saharan Africa, taking the digital lead on marketing campaigns that include ‘A Billion Reasons to Believe in Africa’, ‘2014 FIFA World Cup’, ‘Coke Studio Africa’, ‘Share a Coke’, and ‘Taste the Feeling’. Before this, she headed the digital media unit of 98.4 Capital FM Kenya, where she established the radio station’s mobile and social platforms.

10. Namibia: Chrisna Basson, head of strategy at Weathermen & Co

Basson is judging the Loeries for the second consecutive year. A native Namibian, she has worked on a range of big and small brands for JWT in South Africa and Germany, and for King James in Cape Town. It was there that she was a member of the team that helped create a strategy for the Johnnie Walker brand, which saw it end a challenging period with the award-winning ‘Meet Your Match’ and ‘Johnnie Walker Wager’ campaigns.

11. Zambia: Fred Mathuandeni Phiri, managing director at Vertical Limit Productions

Phiri is a multiple award-winning professional of the entertainment production industry, as well as a filmmaker who is at home in music, print, radio, TV, live events, marketing, and communication. Aside from a list of TV and music productions and collaborations, Phiri’s body of work includes co-production of the Zambian Music Awards (2013, 2014, and 2016), co-founding the Hip Hop Foundation of Zambia, and a member of the Parents Partnership for Children with Special Needs.

Loeries 2017 judging will be held at the Durban ICC during Creative Week (Monday, 14 August to Thursday, 17 August) preceding the awards ceremonies.