LIA and Campaign Brief announce four emerging stars for 2025 Creative LIAisons program

The London International Awards’ Creative LIAisons program in Las Vegas has made a profound impact on the global creative industry by nurturing and accelerating the careers of emerging talent. Launched in 2012 as a way for LIA to give back to the industry, the initiative stands out for its comprehensive approach to professional development – offering young creatives unparalleled access to top-tier mentorship, hands-on learning, and invaluable networking opportunities.

Each year, Campaign Brief selects one or two young creatives from the CB New Zealand and Australian Agencies of the Year to attend the all-expenses-paid, once-in-a-lifetime Creative LIAisons onsite program, alongside 130+ rising stars from around the world.

This year Rhiana Merota, Intermediate Art Director, Special New Zealand ~ current CB New Zealand 2024 Agency of the Year and Thomas Macphail, Senior Art Director, Howatson+Company ~ current CB Australian Agency of the Year, will be making their way to Las Vegas in the last week of September for the Creative LIAisons Global Coaching Academy.

Creative LIAisons runs concurrently with LIA judging in Las Vegas. The program features seminars, panel discussions, workshops and the rare and invaluable opportunity to observe statue discussions in the jury rooms.

Simon Watts, Intermediate Creative at Special New Zealand and Madeleine (Maddy) Semit, Copywriter, Howatson+Company will be joining the highly sought-after Creative LIAisons Virtual Coaching Program featuring one-to-one coaching sessions with some of the best ‘Creative Coaches’ from around the world.

Says Laurissa Levy, Creative LIAisons Director, London International Awards: “Youth is not wasted on the young. On the contrary, the young up-and-coming stars are the future of the industry. That’s why Creative LIAisons keeps doing what it does best – offering both onsite attendees and virtual mentees a bridge to make connections and develop their talent through our programs.

“We are delighted to welcome the attendees and mentees from Howatson+Company, Australia and Special Group New Zealand, the Campaign Brief Agency Winners of the Year, to LIAisons. This is a wonderful opportunity for these talented young creatives to accelerate their career trajectory.”

To learn more about LIA’s Creative LIAisons, click here.

To see the legacy of talent that has come through the Creative LIAisons program via Campaign Brief since 2012, click here.

Pictured (L-R): Thomas Macphail, Senior Art Director, Howatson+Company, Sydney; Rhiana Merota, Intermediate Art Director, Special New Zealand; Simon Watts, Intermediate Creative, Special New Zealand; Madeleine (Maddy) Semit, Copywriter, Howatson+Company, Sydney