Pooja Manek is a creative leader, a Cannes Lion Winner, and a change maker in one. In 2021, she was the only Indian on the Next Creative Leaders list, awarded by The One Club and 3% movement. Over the years her campaigns for Swiggy, Cleartrip, Tinder, among other brands, have done a haul at Cannes, Spikes and Kyoorius. Her campaign for Cleartrip became the first and only silver lion for Talented agency in the founding year. She is known for her pivotal role in helping both local and global iconic brands find their voice in the modern world. She moonlights as a change maker through initiatives such as The 7PM Club–a mentorship matchmaking event in collaboration with Indian Creative Women, that make the industry a better place for women and for underrepresented voices. She’s also a part of the adjunct faculty at MICA and Miami Ad School, helping shape the creativity and voices of the next generation of stellar creatives. As the founding member of talented, one of the very few employee-owned agencies in the world, Pooja is trying to reimagine the agency experience by changing everything that she has been angry about–in her previous stint and with the industry at large, such as pay disparity, credit hogging, no work-life balance, lack of representation, to name a few. She is 1 of the 19 women leaders from across the globe, chosen to be a Cannes Lions See It Be It delegate for their 2024 cohort.