The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has unveiled the 2026 cohort of its See It Be It talent programme, an initiative designed to accelerate the careers of women and non-binary creatives across the global industry.
This year’s programme gathers 20 participants from 15 markets, with Serbia and South Korea represented for the first time. The selection reflects a growing diversity of backgrounds, disciplines and perspectives, further strengthening the programme’s position as one of the industry’s key platforms for developing underrepresented talent.
Taking place between 22 and 26 June 2026 during the Festival in Cannes, the programme offers a combination of mentorship, private masterclasses with industry leaders, and curated sessions tailored to individual career goals. Participants will also gain backstage access to the Festival, enabling direct exposure to some of the industry’s most influential voices and conversations.
The 2026 cohort will be guided by Alumni Tutors Leena Gupta, Creative & Founding Member at Talented Agency, and Natasha Lashly, Founder & ECD at Piña Colada.
Commenting on her appointment, Natasha Lashly reflected on her personal experience of the programme and its impact beyond professional development, emphasising a sense of belonging and the long-term value See It Be It brings to participants: “You arrive for the professional growth, but you leave with something deeper: confidence, clarity, and a global sisterhood.”
Leena Gupta highlighted how the right environment can have a decisive impact on career development, especially when it encourages participants to think bigger and act more boldly: “If SIBI 2025 taught me anything, it’s that when women see what’s possible, they don’t just rise; they smash the ceiling.”
A global cohort across disciplines
The selected creatives for 2026 are:
- Aidovhioghie Anani | Deputy Creative Director, X3M Ideas, Nigeria
- Alba Abelló Balmes | Senior Creative, Twitch, UK
- Beatriz Fiori | Senior Copywriter, GUT São Paulo, Brazil
- Dana Buckhorn | Creative Director, Copywriter, Mischief @ No Fixed Address, USA
- Eugene Park | Creative Excellence Lead, CJ CheilJedang, South Korea
- Farah El Beaini | Group Account Director, Burson, Lebanon / UAE
- Haylie Craig | Global Associate Creative Director, LEGO Group, Denmark (they/them)
- Hilary Ngan Kee | Head of Strategy, Motion Sickness, Aotearoa New Zealand
- Holly Attrill | Senior Creative, Wieden+Kennedy London, UK
- Kristen Gaerlan | Creative Director, Weber Shandwick, USA
- Liesl Lategan – Kyriakou | Founder/Executive Producer, Spitfire Films, South Africa
- Liyana Hidhir | Copywriter, Independent, Singapore
- Micaelle Lages | Creative Director & Co-Founder, thecode, Brazil
- Natalie Narh | Co-Founder & CEO, NewComma, Ghana
- Padcha Tanviruch | Independent Creative Director, Thailand
- Priscila Ramos de Sousa | Associate Creative Director, Area 23, USA
- Shreya Arora | Creative Strategy, Ultrahuman, India
- Shyaire Ganglani | Associate Creative Director (Copywriter), Leo Australia, Australia
- Svetlana Ćopić | Founder & Creative Director, No Agency, Serbia
- Valentina Bezzolo Briceño | Senior Creative Copywriter, DDB Chile, Chile
Strengthening the industry pipeline
Frank Starling, Chief DEI Officer at LIONS, emphasised the programme’s continued importance within the Festival ecosystem: “The See It Be It programme is a cornerstone initiative at Cannes Lions, embodying our unwavering commitment to elevating underrepresented talent in the creative industry. This year, the programme welcomes a dynamic cohort representing a broad range of creative disciplines and global markets.”
Since its launch in 2014, more than 150 women and non-binary creatives from 44 markets have taken part in the programme. Originally created to address the gender imbalance at creative director level, See It Be It has evolved beyond the Festival itself through the introduction of regional See It Be It Connect events.
From Kenya to India, these initiatives extend the programme’s impact throughout the year, building a global network focused on long-term change. In 2026, the programme further expanded its presence in APAC with See It Be It Connects: Spikes Asia, held in Singapore earlier this month.
The programme remains open to all women and non-binary people, including both cis and trans women and all non-binary individuals regardless of presentation or sex assigned at birth.
