Adfest Unveils Its 2025 Program Tools That Power Success For Creators Come To The Fore
Knowledge that inspires, encourages and advances understanding. This is the hallmark of ADFEST’s speaker sessions. The first sessions to be announced during COLLiDE at ADFEST 2025 include a probing exploration of the industry’s female creative retention issue; two striking views of the real bond between technology and creativity and how to use it to create work that makes an impact; and the powers and implications of rapidly evolving AI technology that are reshaping content creation.
THURSDAY 20 MARCH | 15.05-15.40
What Happens When Generational and Cultural Norms Collide?
Moderator: Valerie Madon, Chief Creative Officer APAC
McCann Worldgroup, Singapore.
Panellist: Siddhi Yadav Machado, Executive Creative Director
McCann Worldgroup, Mumbai
There is no question that the industry has a problem with retaining great female creative talent. Just 24% of creative directors globally are female. This discussion investigates solutions to that problem. It provides an understanding of how to unlock the potential of young female creative talent across Asia.
The panel discussion will explore the impact of generational and cultural norms on young female creative talent across Asia. It responds to a growing need to understand the challenges and opportunities faced by young women in their professional journeys as societies evolve and workplaces become more diverse. Moderated by Valerie Madon, the session will feature three female creatives from McCann Worldgroup’s Ambition Collective, representing key markets from across the region.
The conversation will cover: Understanding Cultural Nuances – that is how various cultural norms influence the perception of female leadership and success in different Asian markets; Generational Perspectives – presenting insights on how the values and experiences of millennials and Gen Z women are reshaping workplace dynamics and expectations; and Overcoming Barriers – discussing how to navigate workplace challenges and biases, and tips for success.
Valerie Madon is known as one of APAC’s top creatives, she joined McCann Worldgroup as Chief Creative Officer, Southeast Asia, in May 2023 and expanded her role to cover Asia Pacific in August 2023. Previously the Director of Creative Shop, SEA & Emerging Markets at Meta, Valerie is responsible for creative product across the region, as the network continues in its mission to be the irrefutable leader in the business of creativity. She also Chairs McCann Worldgroup’s APAC Creative Leadership Community.
Siddhi Yadav Machado’s impressive career spans over 19 years, including two stints at McCann Paris through network exchanges and being honoured by the Ad Club of Bombay as Young Achiever 2009 in two categories. Throughout her career, she has been a key force in building and revitalising prominent brands, ensuring they remain relevant in a fast-evolving market. Currently, Siddhi leads the Art Teams for the Mumbai office, overseeing prestigious brands such as L’Oréal Paris, Maybelline New Yorkand Asian Paints.
THURSDAY 20 MARCH | 15.40-16.15
Logic to Magic: The Alchemy of Technology and Creativity
Thomas Hongtack Kim, CCO & Partner
Paulus, Seoul
We live in the age of AI, but what truly matters for creators is how they integrate creativity with technology to create functional solutions. Technology is the tool that powers solutions; it cannot be the communicator itself. The meeting between technology and creativity is not a physical bonding right now. Rather, it is a chemical transformation – just like how ancient alchemists tried to turn different substances into gold. The mission of creators is to produce gold by fusing technology and creativity to create those wow moments that feel like magic.
Thomas Hongtack Kim is a creative solutionist, founder of 2kg Creative Solution Lab, as well as CCO and Partner at creative agency, Paulus. He also serves on the Collective Advisory Board of ADFEST. Previously, he was ECD of Creative Innovation Group at Cheil Worldwide and has worked in Seoul, New York, Beijing, and Shanghai, with a wide array of clients and markets.
Thomas specialises in designing digital, social, and CSR platforms that deliver practical solutions to pressing challenges, focusing on tackling environmental and social issues and collaborating with UN organisations, NGOs, corporations, and academic institutions. His expertise has earned him roles as a judge and mentor for Cannes Chimera, a joint initiative by Bill Gates, and as the inaugural judge of the SDG Pencil in 2020, created by the UN and The One Show. He has been named Campaign Asia-Pacific Creator of the Year and was ranked in the Top 10 ECD worldwide in the Directory Big Won Rankings.
FRIDAY 21 MARCH | 10.05 – 10.40
The Alchemy of Immersion: Blending Technology to Create Magic with Meaning
Ty Curtis, Managing Director
Activate Studios, Melbourne
Immersion is an alchemical process. It combines elements such as design, hardware, software, storytelling, and world-building to create something far greater than the sum of its parts. More than technology, immersion is the art of blending diverse elements to evoke wonder and connection.
This session will uncover how to transform the way we tell stories, build worlds, and engage with audiences. It will explore how these components come together to craft moments of surprise, deliver entertainment in unexpected ways, and drive meaningful change. It delves into the levels of immersion, each an essential ingredient in creating experiences that captivate and resonate. That creation process starts with ever-evolving hardware devices and software systems that expand the boundaries of storytelling, unlocking entirely new realms of engagement. Next are the tactile and physical layers, interactive objects and sensory connections that ground digital narratives in the real world. Together, these elements lay the foundation for world-building and theming, where immersive ecosystems invite audiences to step inside and become active participants in the story.
Ty Curtis has been designing and producing extended reality (XR) experiences since 2013. His ability to forecast future trends, combined with a bold approach to risk-taking and commercial execution, has led him to collaborate with global brands such as BMW, Free Fire, Suzuki, Lendlease, and Jimmy Choo. Under his leadership, Activate Studios has excelled in crafting gamified adventures, immersive experiences, and interactive moments, shaping the future of entertainment and advertising. A pioneer in immersive technology, Ty continues to push the boundaries of XR, AR, and MR, creating transformative experiences that captivate audiences and deliver meaningful engagement across entertainment and advertising.
FRIDAY 21 MARCH | 15.40-16.15
The Missing Link: How GenA.I. Augments Creativity and Impactful Advertising.
Max Lederer, Chief Innovation Officer
Jung von Matt, Hamburg
This session will explore AI’s transformative potential in marketing, focusing on APAC. Max will draw from Jung von Matt’s work with Hyundai, to show how generative AI revolutionises creative excellence and marketing efficiency. His case studies will illustrate how #genAI tools enable brands to create resonant campaigns, using AI for ideation, personalisation, and execution and show how these tools accelerate and redefine content production, raising quality standards. He will also explore how AI-powered tools reshape content creation, particularly in a culturally diverse region like APAC and discuss AI’s broader implications on the marketing industry, examining agency evolution and emerging trends such as hyper-personalisation. Importantly, Max will underline the value of a balanced perspective, combining optimism with humility, essential for sustainable growth and innovation like #GenAI.
Max Lederer is responsible for organising change at Jung von Matt, the independent global creative company with offices in Beijing, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Prague, Seoul, Shanghai, Stuttgart, Vienna, Warsaw, and Zurich. He is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of technology to help brands succeed in the attention economy. This dedication is driven by his passion for learning new things and building new skills, that drives him to dive continually into emerging technologies, whether it’s building games in the metaverse or training a brand AI for Hyundai. Over the years, he has focused on tech, luxury, and automotive brands, and helped create successful campaigns for global clients such as BMW, Hyundai, Bosch, and Montblanc.
As these sessions show, there is no experience better than being there. Planning is well underway to make COLLiDE at ADFEST 2025 its best ever.
COLLiDE at ADFEST 2025, Thursday 20 to Saturday 22 March 2025 at PEACH, Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand is open for delegate registrations.
As well as star-studded speaker sessions, ADFEST 2025 offers workshops, mentoring programs, screenings and networking events, and is the region’s only original and most celebrated creative festival. The three-day event brings together the industry’s top minds, rising stars and most innovative ideas.
Find more information on all delegate fees and packages, here.
ADFEST, Asia’s only international creative festival, invites you to COLLiDE at ADFEST 2025, which takes place Thursday 20 – Saturday 22 March 2025 at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand. Collide with over 1,000 leading industry players, network with peers and celebrate the region’s culture and branded marketing creative excellence.
ADFEST is a not-for profit entity that believes passionately in its role to nurture and support the creative industry in the Asia Pacific and MENA region. It is 1 of only 7 regional creative festivals included in the WARC Creative 100 Rankings, and 1 of 12 awards included in the Campaign Brief Asia Rankings.
