NEW YORK Lars Bastholm, co-CCO at AKQA, has been named chairman of the Cannes 2009 Cyber Lions jury, and Sylvia Vitale Rotta, CEO of Team Creatif, has been appointed president of the Design Lions jury.
 
Philip Thomas, chief executive of the Cannes Lions Ad Festival, said: "As Design enters its second year at Cannes and winning a Cyber Lion has become quite simply the most desired award in Digital advertising, we are delighted to entrust Sylvia and Lars, two highly respected and internationally experienced professionals, with these two important competitions."
 
Bastholm oversees the creative output at AKQA's North American offices with his partner, Rei Inamoto. He has almost 15 years of interactive experience and is one of the most awarded creatives in the digital marketing industry, winning three Cyber Lion Grand Prixes at Cannes. He was a Cyber Lions judge in 2001.
 
Of his selection as chair, Bastholm said: "This gig is the only thing I can think of that would make me look forward with bated breath to being locked up in a room staring at a computer screen for a week.
 
Vitale Rotta co-founded Team Creatif in 1986, and it has grown into one of the largest independent global brand design consultancies in Europe. Headquartered in Paris with an office in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the agency specializes in everything from identity and packaging to retail and Web presence. She was a member of the first Cannes Design jury in 2008.

The 56th Cannes Lions Ad Festival will be held June 21-27, 2009 in Cannes, France.