Cannes Lions launches Young Account Executive Academy

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced the launch of the Young Account Executive Academy, a new program aimed at grooming client-service novices in the ad industry. It will be held June 16-22 during this year’s festival. The academy will provide the tools for agencies to attain the most innovative creativity by focusing on the need to forge strong relationships with clients so that both understand the vital importance of going all-out to get the best creative work.Guiding the academy will be Kevin Allen, widely respected in the industry after serving more than 20 years with such advertising powerhouses as Interpublic Group, McCann-Erickson and Lowe Worldwide. Allen said “it’s nothing short of a thrill to be part of the Cannes Lions experience and to play a part in inspiring, encouraging and equipping our young account people to be champions of creative bravery. As an ex-account man myself, it’s an honor for me to bring the well-deserved recognition at the festival to this vital, and indeed, resurgent role the account person plays in their position between agency and client, in galvanizing creative brilliance”.About the new academy at Cannes Lions, the festival’s director of talent and training, Steve Latham, said that “aside from a fantastic tutor and inspiring program, the huge benefit of this academy is the environment that it takes place in”.During the festival, members of the academy will have the chance to learn from, and trade ideas with, global legends of the advertising industry.