DDB’s Chaka Sobhani, tech futurist Nilesh Ashra + Contagious join speaker line-up for This Way Up

AWARD has today released the full program for This Way Up, Australia’s only pure-play festival of creativity, confirming three new distinguished speakers amid a jam-packed schedule at Sydney’s MCA from August 13-15.

Chaka Sobhani, president and global chief creative officer, DDB Worldwide; Nilesh Ashra, tech futurist and founder, OK Tomorrow; and Wade Kingsley, Australian lead, Contagious, will join the keynote lineup for the three-day extravaganza of talks, workshops, courses, award shows and more, all curated for Australia’s creative community.

Sobhani, a creative powerhouse, has led groundbreaking campaigns for global brands over the past two decades, earning numerous Cannes Lions, D&AD Pencils, and Clios along the way. Her innovative approach to blending creativity with strategic insight makes her a highly sought-after speaker and a pivotal addition to This Way Up.

Ashra, a futurist, will open festivalgoers’ eyes to entirely new creative collaborations grounded in creativity, serendipity, and generative AI as part of his lively keynote ‘Meeting the Machine Age with Creative Experimentation’, which has captivated audiences worldwide.

Finally, Wade Kingsley, head of Contagious Down Under, will host ‘Cannes Lions Deconstructed’, the definitive guide to award-winning advertising derived from a week at the international festival grilling jury presidents on strategies underpinning the smartest campaigns of the year.

Says Mandie van der Merwe, AWARD chair: “Three years in and This Way Up is proving its mettle as the place where globally renowned innovators, futurists, and trailblazers come to share their knowledge and insights with Australia’s creative community.

“Creativity comes first, second and third at this festival — no focus on programmatic or tech stacks here. We look forward to welcoming everyone again for two days filled with valuable perspectives and worthwhile opinions on the greatest business driver of them all.”

Unmissable panel events and speaker sessions at This Way Up include:

●      ‘What Would Taylor Do?: Renowned industry leader and Ogilvy Global Chief Creative Officer Liz Taylor will draw inspiration from another Taylor – Swift – alongside her own career experiences to share how great creative risks can reap even greater rewards, and illuminate career lessons that anyone can take forward to help chart their future and that of the industry.

●      What the F**k is Creativity Anyway?: What do people think creativity is and what can it actually do? In this unmissable session, Damon Stapleton, Co-Founder and CCO, The Monkey’s Aotearoa, showcases the gap between the definition and the underused superpowers creativity has.

●      ‘We’re together … but not together together’: The beautiful balance of creative client relationships: Some of Australia’s award-winning CMOs and ECDs including Brent Smart, Lucinda Barlow, Mim Haysom, Micah Walker and Andy Fergusson, reveal what makes their long-standing creative collaborations so powerful and productive in the pursuit of innovation and business growth.

●      The Work Behind The Work: AWARD hosts celebrated creatives and strategists from The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song,as they go unpack the process, creativity and inspiration behind 2024’s Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning campaign ‘Play it Safe’ for Sydney Opera House.

●      ‘Back to the future: Returning to Adland’: Join creative luminaries Dave Bowman (Publicis Groupe), Tara McKenty (BMF), Matty Burton (DDB Group Aotearoa), and Steve Coll (M&C Saatchi) as they share their experience of moving from top advertising roles to lead tech giants, and what brought them back. Hear their insights and advice for creatives considering a similar path.

Additional festival highlights include AWARD Uni – two instalments of a curated series of workshops for mid-weight creatives, the prestigious AWARD Hall of Fame black-tie gala dinner, and The Gold Pencil Award Party, giving the industry cause to celebrate outstanding creative talent past and present.

Individual and two-day speaker passes are on sale now. Check out the schedule, speakers, and get your tickets at thiswayup.com.au.

This Way Up is supported by Meta, LinkedIn, Google, OMA and the CRA.