2013 Cannes Lions: Creativity Meets Global Health Impact

18 June 2013 – Cannes, France

This year at the Cannes Lions Creative Festival, one of the world’s most influential gatherings of creative minds, something powerful happened — the intersection of global health advocacy and the creativity of the communications industry. I was honoured to join dignitaries from the United Nations Secretary-General’s Every Woman Every Child initiative alongside top leaders from the global creative community in a series of discussions hosted by McCann Health during the Festival.

The objective of these meetings was purposeful: to demonstrate how creative ideas and solutions can be harnessed to improve the health, wellbeing, and survival of millions of women and children across the developing world. By bringing together expertise from both public health and creative communications, we explored innovative ways to drive demand for essential health products and services — especially in regions where preventable maternal and child deaths remain far too common.

At the event, I spoke about the importance of integrating private sector approaches into public health strategies. Using commercial and creative tools — from branding and communications to strategic engagement — can help deliver life-saving information and services more effectively to the communities that need them most.

I underscored that organisations like McCann Health play a critical role in this journey. Their ability to mobilise creative thinking and marketing expertise brings fresh energy to age-old challenges such as maternal and childhood mortality, and helps bridge the gap between awareness and action.

As we look toward the future, the potential of public-private collaboration — informed by creativity, compassion, and shared responsibility — will continue to be essential in realising the goals of Every Woman Every Child and ensuring that no woman or child dies needlessly from preventable causes.

This moment at Cannes was more than a gathering of professionals; it was a powerful reminder that creativity can be a force for global good, and that when diverse sectors work together, real change can happen.