The newly-launched Spikes Asia Festival will feature a design category to honour creative and innovative use of design as a lever to influence consumers and its use as an aid to the communication of brand and product messages.
Rodney Fitch CBE, Chairman and CEO of Fitch Worldwide, has been unveiled as the chairman of the inaugural Design Jury.
"Design is at the very heart of all creative work; from ads to film, from digital to shops, design is the glue that holds the creative industries together," Rodney explained. "Asian designers have a growing worldwide reputation for great work, so I'm naturally delighted that their efforts will be showcased at Spikes and honoured to be inaugural president."
Rodney founded the Fitch agency in 1972 and now has 19 studios in 12 countries around the globe. His work embraces brand development, packaging design and corporate branding and specialises in delivering "consumer experience" in the retail environment. Clients worldwide include Amazon, Bentley Motors, BP, Dunlop, DHL, Hewlett-Packard, IKEA, L'Orèal, Lego, Marks & Spencer, Nokia, Microsoft, P&G, Starbucks, Toys 'R' Us and Unilever.
In a distinguished career in design that has spanned nearly 40 years, Rodney has served as a member of the Design Council and as a past president of the Chartered Society of Designers, D&AD and Cannes Lions. In 2005 he was inducted into the Legion of Honour and Hall of Fame of the American Institute of Store Planners - the most prestigious award in retail design for an individual. He was awarded a CBE in 1990 for services to the British design industry.
Rodney has also been actively involved in the development of design education and is currently a senior governor of the University of the Arts, London, - the largest collegiate institution of its kind in Europe. He also supervises an MA course in Retail Design at the Hoegeschool Academy in Rotterdam, Holland.
Terry Savage, Chairman of Cannes Lions, who with Haymarket are joint organisers of the Spikes Asia Festival, commented: "Highly respected by his peers and a source of great knowledge, we are privileged to have Rodney chair the first Design Lions jury - a truly great start for this new category."
The new design competition will reward creativity, originality, execution and consumer engagement and the first ever Design Spike will be awarded in Singapore on 18 September.
Delegate registration for Spikes 2009 opens on 23 April and entries into the Awards open on 21 May.