The Internet is changing–and we’re changing with it. We work with the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) each year to recognise digital excellence across culture, technology and business. To make the 13th Annual Lovie Awards the best season yet, we’re kicking it off by celebrating the global impact that European digital has undoubtedly made. We’re honoured to welcome a new cohort of experts who have shaped the Internet on a global scale. With top expertise across technology, digital media, and Internet culture, we’re excited to introduce the newest Lovie Awards Judges.
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Meet the Latest Judges
Jon Ronson, Author, Podcaster & Journalist
Jon Ronson’s nonfiction books include So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, The Psychopath Test, Them: Adventures with Extremists, and The Men Who Stare At Goats. They have all been international and New York Times bestsellers and have been translated into more than 30 languages. His most recent work is Things Fell Apart, which won the Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Podcast of the Year. His two TED talks have been watched more than 30 million times. One of them–Strange Answers to The Psychopath Test–is among the 25 most-watched TED talks of all time. Jon’s original screenplays include the acclaimed Netflix original Okja, which he co-wrote with Bong-Joon Ho, and Frank, which he co-wrote with Peter Straughan. In the US, Jon is a contributor to This American Life, the New York Times Magazine, and GQ magazine. In the UK, Jon has written regularly for The Guardian as a columnist and feature writer.
Kemi Fatoba, Founder, DADDY Berlin
Kemi Fatoba is a writer and content strategist from Vienna, Austria. She is also the founder and editor of DADDY, an award-winning culture magazine and consultancy with a focus on diversifying the media landscape. Kemi consults individuals, institutions and brands on how to effectively communicate with their diverse audiences. She is a contributing editor at VOGUE Germany and a member of the Fashion Minority Alliance, Neue deutsche Medienmacher*innen, and Soho House’s Inclusivity Board. Her written work has been published in ZEIT Online, Document Journal, The Face, i-D, VICE, Highsnobiety, Refinery29, C/O Berlin, taz and various art and culture publications. She has appeared in media outlets, including ARD, ARTE, Deutschlandfunk, WDR, 1Live, and RTL and worked with clients like Hamburg Media School, Nike, Adidas, Mykita, Bumble, Spotify, Zalando, Fashion Council Germany, Studio Olafur Eliasson and Soho House.
Jaap Haartsen, Creator of Bluetooth
Jaap C. Haartsen has been active in wireless communications for over 35 years. Jaap started his industrial career in the US in early 1991 when he joined Ericsson-GE, working in the research department on advanced cellular phone systems. In 1993, he moved to Lund, Sweden and started working on wireless indoor communication systems. Summer of 1994, he laid the foundations for the system that later became known as the Bluetooth® Wireless Technology. Dr Haartsen has been published in major journals and magazines and is named inventor in over 200 mobile and local radio communications patents. In 2015, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was inducted into the CTA Hall of Fame, and in 2022, he received the Lovie Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th annual ceremony.
Munise Can, SVP & General Manager, Highsnobiety+ Europe
Munise Can has worked in the creative industry for over ten years, strategising on everything from hotel lounges to sneaker releases. Munise is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Highsnobiety Europe. Her experience has enabled her to develop a deep understanding of the industry and the strategies that work best for brands and the universes they wish to create.
Holly Fraser, Editor-in-Chief & Senior Director of Content at WeTransfer and WePresent
Holly Fraser is Editor-in-Chief of WePresent, the arts arm of WeTransfer, based in London. Since taking the helm of WePresent in mid-2019, Holly has increased the digital platform’s monthly audience from 2 million to 3 million in 190 countries. She’s built WePresent into one of the go-to platforms for experiencing culture and creativity from around the world. Holly has steered projects spanning film, music, photography and literature with ground-breaking creatives from artist Marina Abramovic, actor and musician Riz Ahmed, and author Lisa Taddeo to cultural institutions, including the Royal Academy of Arts to Serpentine Galleries. In 2020, Holly collaborated as Executive Producer on The Long Goodbye, a short film that was created by Riz Ahmed and film director Aneil Karia. With over a decade of experience in media and publishing, Holly was previously an editor at HUNGER magazine, a style and culture biannual founded by renowned photographer Rankin.
Ousman Sahko, Co-Founder, Blacktag
Ousman Sahko has earned a formidable reputation as a forward-thinking serial entrepreneur and media executive who connects mission-driven brands with the heartbeat of popular urban culture to reach the next generation of consumers. Ousman co-founded Blacktag, where he led the company’s efforts to connect its mission to empower Black creators to create, execute and distribute content to alternative audiences. It’s a modern, unified platform that brings brands and audiences together to consume and connect with artists worldwide, with partners in venture capital and media such as NEA, CAA, and Issa Rae. Ousman also led global marketing and content for mobile hardware at Google. Ousman’s mission is to “bridge the gap between creators and consumers” with the driving vehicle of media and technology, building a connected utility to the future of creativity, ownership, web3 and content at the intersection of commerce and culture.
Anne Kim, Partner and Senior Executive Director, IDEO
Anne Kim helps companies accelerate their journey toward the inclusive, equitable, and responsible future they want to inhabit. She helps establish strategic and operational conditions for creative people and organisations to thrive. IDEO Europe’s strategic operations rest within Anne Kim’s hands–from the development of the strategy for the region to how IDEO operationalises to accelerate the ability to achieve it. As a Partner and Senior Executive Director, that approach is mirrored in her work with some of IDEO’s largest transformative client partnerships, for whom she leads the commercial and operational strategy. In lockstep, Anne enables IDEO and client teams to co-design resilient and inclusive futures in which people, the planet, and businesses thrive. She has helped companies like Ford, Intercorp, and H&M operationalise for the future, by helping them embed human-centred design capabilities and ways of working into their organisations.
Jenny Gyllander, Founder & CEO, Thingtesting
Jenny Gyllander is the founder and CEO of Thingtesting, a review and discovery platform for online brands. Initially started with an Instagram account where Jenny personally reviewed brands, Thingtesting has grown into a venture capital-backed company with a global community of reviewers. Prior to founding Thingtesting, Jenny worked at Backed VC, a London-based seed fund, and was the CMO of Slush, Europe’s leading startup conference. Jenny made Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2019 and has been recognised as one of the top 100 Nordic leading figures in tech by The Nordic Web.
Wilson Oryema, Artist, Writer, Researcher & Entrepreneur
Wilson Oryema is an artist, writer, researcher, and entrepreneur. His work primarily focuses on the theme of human consumption and the different ways it impacts human behaviour and the environment.
Michelle Kennedy, Founder, Peanut
Michelle Kennedy is the founder and CEO of Peanut, one of the fastest-growing social networking apps for women focusing on fertility, pregnancy, motherhood and menopause, which has raised $23m. Michelle was formerly Deputy CEO of dating behemoth Badoo and, during her tenure, was integral to and was an inaugural board member of Bumble. Having worked in social discovery for ten years, Michelle has unprecedented experience and understanding of the safety and growth components of building a social network for women. She continues to execute her mission to make Peanut the leading network to connect women when they need each other most. She is also a strategic investor in several early and late-stage startups and institutional venture capital funds.
Alexander El-Meligi, Co-Founder & CEO, Demodern GmbH
Alex is the co-founder of Demodern, an award-winning creative technology agency. Founded in 2009, Demodern has been spearheading innovative work for international brands. Since then, its projects have put clients at the forefront of digital transformation. From immersive AR and VR experiences to cutting-edge websites and apps to entire virtual events and interactive installations. Clients range from Daimler, IKEA, and Nike, to name a few. He’s also a member of the Digital Board for FC. St. Pauli, a 12-person digital board founded to take the football club to the next level in its digital transformation journey. He is also on a number of creative juries, from Art Director’s Club (ADC) to the German Digital Awards and more. Alex is a recognized thought leader, just as comfortable leading with his vision as he is diving into the details of software development or product design.
Ariel Wengroff, Global Marketing & Comms, Ledger
Ariel is an Executive Producer and VP, Communications at LEDGER, running all global marketing, communications and education for the world leader in securing critical digital assets. Wengroff was an Executive-In-Residence with LionTree, and her most recent film Sitara: Let Girls Dream, premiered on Netflix in 2020. At VICE Media, she was an Executive Producer of the Emmy-nominated VICELAND show WOMAN with Gloria Steinem and served as Publisher of Broadly, VICE’s women and LGBTQ+ identity channel. As Chief of Staff at VICE, Ariel worked on interviews with President Obama, President George W. Bush, President Biden, Malala, and many more. She is on the 2020 Crain’s Notable LGBTQ Leaders and Executives List and the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 Media list. She currently serves on the board of Lesbians Who Tech.
Alex Bennett-Grant, CEO, We Are PI
Alex Bennett Grant is a UK-born CEO who founded the award-winning Amsterdam-based creative innovation consultancy group We Are Pi in 2011. He has created ground-breaking international work for brands like Heineken, Lego, Nike, TED Conferences and entertainment for Channel 4, Guardian, and the BBC. As a leading voice for creative diversity, Alex works with the likes of Cannes Lions, Plus Plus One and Creative Jam Sessions to champion industry inclusivity. We Are Pi has been named Small Agency of the Year three years in a row, and Alex is an Ad Age 40 Under 40 honored.
Lydia Pang, CEO and Co-founder, MØRNING
Lydia is a Frankenstein, misfit creative with a decade of experience in mission-driven marketing. Lydia is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of MØRNING, a creative strategy and conscious storytelling studio. Previous creative leadership roles include her most recent at Nike HQ, where she led the creative and narrative team for Nike Sportswear, ACG, and the Women’s category. Prior to that, she was the Group Creative Director of Refinery29 in New York. She’s judged the Clio Awards, D&AD and was a Cannes Lions delegate. She’s worked at advertising agencies in New York (Anomaly) and London (M&CSAATCHI), always in hybrid creative roles honing her passion for digital storytelling. She has given talks on ethical commissioning at Instagram and NYTimes, and written articles on style and feminism for Refinery29, Riposte, Vogue, Elle, and Dazed. She recently self-published a food zine about her Hakka Chinese heritage to support Welcome To Chinatown.
Charlotte Pudlowski, President and Co-Founder, Louie Media
Charlotte Pudlowski is Louie Media’s President and Co-Founder. She is one of the podcast pioneers in France, notably with the creation of Transfert, Entre, and Ou peut-être une nuit. The latter, a documentary series about intra-family sexual violence, was listened to by more than one million people and adapted into a book in 2021. It won the Chaffanjon Prize for French reporting and the MediaClub’Elles Prize for audacity the same year. The book also earned a nomination for the Albert Londres Prize 2022.
The Lovie Awards recognises work across Apps, Platforms & Software, Film & Video, Podcasts, Social, Marketing, Advertising & PR, Websites & Mobile Sites and Web3 & Metaverse. This year, we are also thrilled to introduce the Lovie ‘Beyond’ Category, to recognise outstanding European digital projects with the potential to positively impact global society.