Today the industry, and those that knew him, mourn the loss of a true great. In 1982, Dan Wieden and his partner founded Wieden + Kennedy with $500. Three decades later, the agency that started with five employees expanded to Portland, New York, London, Amsterdam, Delhi, Shanghai, Tokyo with nearly 1,000 employees around the world. The vision was to create an independent, creatively led agency that made meaningful, progressive and challenging work for its clients – and that he did. 30 years later, when presented with the Lion of St. Mark, Cannes Lions’ lifetime achievement award for his outstanding contribution to creativity in communications, Dan remarked: “This is a pretty big honour. To be honest, I’ve always identified with that renowned military leader, of whom it was said, his men would follow him anywhere. Mainly, out of curiosity.” There are few people in the industry whose opinions commanded as much respect. His integrity and brilliance inspired a generation, and his vision reverberated across the global industry, changing the course of brand marketing today. It is thanks to Dan that the Titanium Lions launched in 2003, honouring ground-breaking ideas that are provocative and point to a new direction; work that, according to Dan “causes the industry to stop in its tracks and reconsider the way forward”. The criteria still stands – and 2022’s jury was briefed with these exact words. It remains the most prestigious and coveted Lion today. In celebration of his remarkable legacy, we share both his rousing acceptance speech for the Lion of St. Mark award, below, as well as one of the most popular sessions from the Cannes Lions stage. Watch Dan Wieden in conversation with Sir John Hegarty via the link in our bio. #DanWieden