Cannes Lions Honours Adobe Chair and CEO Shantanu Narayen as Inaugural Creative Champion of the Year

May. 13, 2025

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced that Shantanu Narayen, Chair and CEO, Adobe, will be honoured as its inaugural Creative Champion of the Year. The new honouree Award is given to individuals and organisations in recognition of their long-term and meaningful contribution to providing creative people with the tools they need to truly express themselves.

About the accolade, Philip Thomas, Chair, LIONS, said: 

"While human imagination is almost boundless, turning visionary ideas into reality depends on partners who provide innovative tools, cutting-edge technologies, and bold collaborations. This new honour is dedicated to individuals or organisations that have not only innovated but have profoundly understood and supported the needs of creative people, driving the creative agenda across industries and around the globe."

 

Under Narayen’s leadership, Adobe has continually democratised creativity across categories, enabling more creators to advance their craft and accelerate their success through technology. He has been instrumental in creating the digital experience category, combining the art and science of marketing. Today, he’s driving the company’s AI agenda, delivering transformative innovations across creativity, productivity and customer experience.

Thomas continued: 

“As we reflected on who should receive this inaugural Award, Adobe and Shantanu’s leadership stood out. Adobe has redefined how the world approaches creative expression, and Shantanu’s vision and dedication to enabling creativity in its many forms have empowered millions of people to imagine, create and achieve more than they ever thought possible. We’re delighted to be honouring Shantanu as our inaugural Creative Champion.”

 

Shantanu Narayen has been recognised by several publications as one of the world’s leading executives, including Barron’s World’s Best CEOs and Fortune Businessperson of the Year lists, and named a Top CEO by Glassdoor based on employee feedback. He is a recipient of India’s civilian honour Padma Shri and The Economic Times Global Indian of the Year award.

About receiving the Award, Narayen said: 

“It is truly an honour to be acknowledged by an organisation that has been instrumental in fostering creative excellence in advertising and marketing for over seven decades. This award is a celebration of the incredible team at Adobe whose passion, ingenuity and dedication have enabled us to deliver ground-breaking technology that expands opportunities for more people everywhere to bring their creativity to life.”

 

Narayen will be presented with The Creative Champion of the Year Award during the Awards Show on the evening of Tuesday 17 June. Following this, he will give a keynote on the Lumière Theatre stage during the day on Wednesday 18 June.