The Golden Drum creativity festival has inducted Mihnea Gheorghiu, Global Chief Creative Officer of LePub, into its Hall of Fame, an honour awarded to creatives whose work, influence and professional contribution have shaped the development of the communications industry.
Established in 2010, the Hall of Fame recognises individuals who have shaped the creative industry throughout their careers, inspired new generations and pushed the boundaries of advertising on both a regional and global level.
“I come from Romania and Golden Drum has always been a big deal for us. Back in 2005, when I was still a junior, I would have given maybe not an entire leg, but at least a femur to win one award. It never happened. I wasn’t even close. In fact, it took me ten years to win my first one, which was probably for the best because I was far too young at the time and probably would have become a complete dick. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame feels like coming full circle for me. I’m deeply honoured to be part of such company and endlessly grateful to everyone who nominated me and voted for me. If I could go back in time, I’d tell my nineteen-year-old self: ‘Calm down, be patient, go out more and keep your femur. You’ll be just fine.’”, said Mihnea Gheorghiu.
His career began in Bucharest, where he started working as a junior copywriter at the age of 19, before leaving business school and continuing his career across creative hubs including Hamburg, Paris, London, Madrid, Toronto, New York and Amsterdam.
Throughout his career, he has won 152 Cannes Lions awards, including two Grand Prix and one Titanium Lion, alongside numerous accolades from D&AD, Clio, The One Show, LIAA, Eurobest, Golden Drum, ANDY and the New York Festivals.
Since 2017, he has led the global creative direction of Publicis Milan, working on projects for brands such as Diesel and Heineken. After serving as Global Creative Director and Global Executive Creative Director, he became Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Italy in 2021, before taking on the role of Global Chief Creative Officer of the LePub network a year later.
One of the Most Important Creative Leaders to Emerge from the Region
In recent years, Mihnea Gheorghiu’s career has increasingly become associated with the global success of LePub and the positioning of creative work from Central and Eastern Europe among the most relevant projects in the global communications industry. In 2023, he was ranked the 10th most awarded CCO in the world, 8th in 2024 and 6th in 2026, while LePub Milan was ranked the world’s number one creative agency by WARC in 2022, 2023 and 2026.
At Golden Drum, Mihnea Gheorghiu and LePub have in recent years become one of the festival’s most dominant creative combinations.
“Mihnea Gheorghiu has won almost every major creative award and set new creative benchmarks for the region and beyond. His bold ideas, fearless storytelling and uncompromising vision have proven that talent from Central and Eastern Europe can not only compete globally, but lead the industry. As a creative leader at Publicis Italy and later LePub, he did not simply lead his teams – he inspired them to achieve something extraordinary: six consecutive Agency of the Year titles at Golden Drum. It is an unprecedented streak built on passion, precision and belief in what great creativity can achieve. Year after year, he ranked among the festival’s top five creative directors, confirming both his vision and consistency.”, said Mojca Briščik, President of the Golden Drum festival.
The festival stated that Mihnea Gheorghiu has become one of the defining voices of the region’s creative identity, a creative leader who opened doors for new generations and demonstrated that ideas from Central and Eastern Europe can stand alongside and shape the global communications industry.
