Exposing Anti-White Harassment + Discrimination in US Media Companies
FAQs
Cannes Lions
FAIL
canneslions.com
TYPE: Advertising & Communications Awards Event
INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS:
OWNER: Informa plc
SUBSIDIARIES:
2023 REVENUE: $206 million
HEADCOUNT: 51-200
Contact Link
Informa plc
605 3rd Avenue, Floor 20-22
New York, NY 10158
Cannes Lions, now operating under Informa plc, demonstrates a robust commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, evidenced by programs like the Equity, Representation and Accessibility (ERA) Programme, which in 2025 allocates €2 million in complimentary passes with a focus on "underrepresented and underserved communities" including Black people, Indigenous peoples, and “marginalized” ethnic groups, and specifically allows for "discretion" to "overrule our own rules" in selection, and the "See It Be It" accelerator for "women and non-binary people." Frank Starling (“He/Him”, a Black man) is the Cannes Lions Chief Diversity Officer. His work heavily focuses on racial equity. Simon Cook is the CEO.
These targeted initiatives, including partnerships providing free access to resources for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), directly allocate resources and opportunities based on race which, if not meticulously structured to avoid explicit exclusion or disparate impact on other groups, could present concerns regarding preferential treatment and potential reverse discrimination under federal laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the NYSHRL. It Takes A Village Collective (ITAV) partners with Cannes Lions for the "In My Element Gala Dinner," an event designed to celebrate Black women in advertising, media, marketing, and communications. ITAV's mission is to amplify the voices and presence of Black women, with a stated goal for them to constitute 1 in 5 professionals in the industry by 2028. The Black Network collaborates with Cannes Lions to elevate Black talent at the festival. LIONS has committed to ensuring that its pool of educators across all programs is "appropriately diverse." In other words, appropriately non-White. The Geena Davis Institute, an official partner, is fighting against "insufficient representation of racial minorities" in ads. In other words, the institute wants to see less White people.
Adrianne C. Smith, the founder of the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective (CC:DC), a Black woman, is also the Senior Vice President and Chief Equity and Impact Officer at FleishmanHillard, and was previously the first Global Director of Inclusion and Diversity at WPP. Her work focuses on providing access and opportunities for people of color (aka non-White people) in the advertising and creative industries.
Additionally, mandatory "compulsory bias awareness training modules" for judges, developed with The Unmistakables, lack publicly detailed content; if these trainings, overseen by individuals like Chief DEI Officer Starling and Cook, or supported by partners like Smith, were to frame White individuals as inherently privileged or implicitly target them racially, they could risk being perceived as harassment of White employees under EEOC and NYSHRL standards, potentially fostering a hostile environment. The Unmistakables, a strategic inclusion consultancy, is collaborating with LIONS to embed equality, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) into the core of the creative industry. Their work includes conducting independent reviews, providing "Inside Out Inclusion" diagnostics, and developing compulsory bias awareness training for Cannes Lions judges.
BlackRock, Inc. and The Vanguard Group provide significant institutional investment in Informa plc, and the festival's robust financial health with 22% revenue growth in its Marketing segment in 2023 provide ample capacity for DEI investments.
Summary: The business’ policies, thoughts, and beliefs are centered on promoting DE&I to address historical underrepresentation and enhance business impact, carrying a moderate to high level of risk of violating federal and state human rights laws and/or the EEOC due to explicit identity-based resource allocation and opaque mandatory bias training content.
This information is based on publicly available information, including websites, case studies, and news articles from a recent period. To ensure you have the most accurate and current information, please refer to the company’s official announcements. The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice; consult a licensed attorney for specific legal guidance.
DieDEI.co is waiting on internal materials for a fuller picture of Cannes Lions’ DEI program. Follow us on social and subscribe to our newsletter for updates.
PROFESSIONAL PARTNERS INCLUDE: It Takes A Village Collective (ITAV), The Unmistakables (ED&I), Cannes Can: Diversity Collective (CC:DC), Creative Equals (DE&I), People Like Us (diversity), The Black Network, WARC, etc.
EXPERIENCE PARTNERS INCLUDE: Amazon, CC:DC (Cannes Can: Diversity Collective), LinkedIn, Microsoft, Stagwell, Autodesk, Netflix, Uber, and The BCMA (The Branded Content Marketing Association), etc.
NOTE: Client lists are subject to change. This information is based on publicly available information, including websites, case studies, and news articles from a recent period. To ensure you have the most accurate and current information, please refer to the company's official announcements.