Industry veteran to represent agency’s 20-year history of creating digital innovation for clients globally  

Razorfish, the world leader in helping global brands drive customer obsessed business transformation and part of the Publicis.Sapient platform, today announced that Ray Velez, global chief technology officer, has been selected to serve on the 2016 Cannes Lions Innovation Jury.

Lions Innovation, part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, is a two-day event that explores data and technology as creative catalysts. Velez joins a prestigious panel of international judges that includes data specialists, creative technologists and innovation experts. Lions Innovation will take place on June 21-22 during the eight-day festival.

On being selected to serve on the jury board, Velez said: “Since our creation, Razorfish has pioneered the digital age by forging the intersection of creativity and technology, beginning with the first animated website in 1995 and later developing the first patent for online segment targeting. Innovation is deeply rooted in our DNA, proven again and again in the creative work and intellectual property we deliver on behalf of our clients, and I applaud the Cannes organization for its continued investment in this category. It’s an honor to sit alongside a distinguished group of industry experts at this year’s event.”

Velez is one of the most respected technology leaders in the industry, known widely for his ability to rethink and shape business organizations in a new age of customer empowerment. Since joining Razorfish in 1998, Velez has built a strong track record in software technology architecture and engineering, working with and deploying a wide spectrum of intelligent platforms. Velez is the co-author of the best-seller CONVERGE: Transforming Business at the Intersection of Marketing and Technology, which explains how to transform an organization’s business model around the consumer by breaking down silos and applying principles of software-enabled agile approaches.

Razorfish, in partnership with Contagious, will take center stage at the festival again this year, with an innovative main stage presentation titled “Cracking the Code of Creativity.” In the presentation, which is scheduled to take place on June 20 at 3 p.m. local time, Razorfish and Contagious will use data science to analyze the past 25 years of award-winning creativity at Cannes Lions. By overlaying key social, economic and industry data sets, they will attempt to prove, or disprove, some of the most contentious assumptions that our industry makes about creativity – pinning it down for agencies and clients alike.

“Creativity today requires a deep understanding of the audience, derived from rich data matched with human insight. With these core assets, we can develop innovative experiences that provide indispensable utility and drive engagement in a crowded marketplace,” added Daniel Bonner, global chief creative officer, Razorfish. “We are honoured to participate in this year’s festival and look forward to celebrating the organisations that are pioneering beyond what was believed to be possible.”

Velez will be joined by fellow jurors from across the Publicis.Sapient platform, including: Carlos Ricque, senior vice president of creative at DigitasLBi, serving on the Cannes Health & Wellness Jury; Jason Kodish, global chief data scientist at DigitasLBi, judging the Cannes Creative Data Lions; DigitasLBi U.K. Executive Creative Director Helen Fuchs, serving on the Digital Craft Jury; Keri Elmsly, executive creative director of SapientNitro’s Second Story, who will judge the Design category; and Fernando Sosa of SapientNitro’s La Comunidad, on the Press Lions panel.