Beyond Cannes Lions: Technology Is Used in Solving Meaningful Problems that Improve People’s Lives, Says Innovation Juror, Dr. Juliet Ehimuan

A month after serving on the Cannes Lions Innovation Jury, Dr. Juliet Ehimuan reflects on what separates true innovation from technological novelty; why Africa must have a stronger voice on the global stage, and the lessons business leaders should take from the world’s biggest celebration of creativity.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity may have concluded, but its biggest conversations are far from over.

As businesses race to embrace artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, one question has become increasingly important: What truly qualifies as innovation?

Ehimuan, who served on the 2025 Cannes Lions Innovation Jury, emphasizes that the answer became clearer after evaluating 160 shortlisted entries alongside some of the world’s leading innovators and experts.

Representing Nigeria on a diverse jury spanning Japan, Brazil, Colombia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States, she helped identify the projects that would ultimately define this year’s global benchmark for innovation.

In this interview, Dr. Ehimuan reflects on the ideas that stood out; the framework the jury used to evaluate innovation, why Africa deserves a much stronger presence on the global stage, and what innovators everywhere should learn from Cannes. Sunday Okobi brings the excerpt.

Looking back a few weeks after Cannes Lions, what stands out most from your experience serving on the Innovation Jury?

Serving on the Innovation Jury was both an honour and an education. Over several weeks, we reviewed 160 shortlisted entries from around the world. What struck me most wasn’t simply the brilliance of the technology, but the creativity with which people were solving real human problems.

Innovation showed up across healthcare, sustainability, mobility, renewable energy, accessibility and financial inclusion. The strongest entries all had one thing in common: they weren’t creating technology for its own sake. They were solving meaningful problems that improve people’s lives.

Another highlight was the jury itself. It brought together experts from Japan, Colombia, Brazil, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States and Nigeria. Despite our diverse backgrounds and experiences, everyone approached the discussions with humility, curiosity and respect for different perspectives.

Those conversations were incredibly enriching. The diversity of thought ultimately made our decisions stronger.

Was the experience aligned with your definition of innovation?

Absolutely! One of the biggest lessons from Cannes is that innovation is about far more than breakthrough technology.

Innovation is not just about generating bold ideas for the sake of novelty. I have always said that true innovation creates real change, transforms society, and serves humanity. It requires the discipline and empathy to translate complex challenges into practical solutions that make a measurable difference in people’s everyday lives.

That philosophy shaped every discussion we had throughout the judging process.

Only five projects received awards in your category. What distinguished them from the rest. 

This year, the Innovation Lions jury (led by Jury President Kazuhiro Shimura) shifted focus from “proof of concept” to “proof of change”. Each winning project demonstrated what I would describe as human-centred innovation.

The Grand Prix winner, Supernova Adaptive by Adidas and TBWA\Canada, perfectly captured this idea. It is the world’s first performance running shoe designed specifically for people with Down syndrome, addressing a challenge many in that community face: finding properly fitting footwear.

It wasn’t simply an impressive product. It solved a real problem through thoughtful design innovation and is already available in 29 countries.

The Gold-winning project Utrecht Energized explored how electric vehicles could support renewable energy by enabling bi-directional charging between vehicles and the power grid. It involved collaboration with Renault, a ride-sharing service, the municipality of Utrecht, and MySolar (the provider of solar-powered vehicle charging infrastructure). Five hundred Renault Electric Vehicles were deployed in this Vehicle-to-Grid implementation and were able to stabilisethe grid and power 190,000 households.  

The Silver winner, Radio Time Machine, used artificial intelligence to help people living with dementia reconnect with cherished memories by recreating news broadcasts and music from earlier decades through an interface designed to resemble a vintage radio. AI was used to create radio scripts from news headlines from the past to generate programming that also included hit songs from the times to create nostalgia. The pilot already showed some positive results in elderly people with dementia. One Bronze winner, SOS POS, repurposed everyday point-of-sale terminals so victims of phone theft could immediately block access to their bank accounts without needing to call their banks.

The second bronze winner, T-Rex Leather, demonstrated how biotechnology could produce sustainable leather using fossilised Tyrannosaurus rex DNA, potentially reducing reliance on animal leather.

Each project addressed a very different challenge, but they all shared one characteristic: using innovation to improve human lives and the environment.

How did the jury distinguish between clever ideas and truly transformative innovation?

One of the most valuable aspects of the judging process was that we deliberately moved beyond evaluating ideas based solely on technical brilliance or proof of concept. We evaluated every entry through three lenses.

The first was proof of change: Has this innovation already demonstrated measurable positive impact?

The second was the possibility of change: If the solution is still emerging, does it have genuine potential to create meaningful impact?

The third was the power of change: How transformational can this become? Can it scale? Can it reshape industries or improve society at a significant level?

Those three questions helped us to distinguish innovation that simply works from innovation that truly matters.

Was there anything that surprised you during the judging process?

Yes! Many of the most impactful innovations weren’t necessarily the most technologically sophisticated.

Some of the strongest entries were remarkably simple. They started with a deep understanding of a human challenge and applied technology thoughtfully rather than excessively. That reinforced the important lesson that innovation is ultimately about solving problems, not just showcasing technology.

This is your first Cannes Lions. What did the experience reveal about Africa’s place in the global innovation ecosystem?

One reflection has stayed with me. Although Kenyan agency The Partnership Africa gave our continent its first ever Grand Prix, there were relatively few submissions from Africa in the Innovation category, and even across all categories.

That certainly doesn’t reflect a lack of innovation on the continent.

Across Africa, entrepreneurs are developing remarkable solutions in financial inclusion, healthcare, agriculture, logistics, education and artificial intelligence. Many of these innovations are solving problems with global relevance.

The opportunity now is ensuring these are well represented on international platforms like Cannes Lions.

I would love to see significantly more African submissions in the years ahead, and I’ll be happy to work with Cannes Lions and innovation ecosystems across the continent to help make that happen.

What message would you leave with innovators after this experience?

Don’t build technology simply because you can. Start with a meaningful problem.

The most memorable projects we evaluated weren’t defined by how advanced the technology was. They were defined by empathy, intentionality, and measurable impact.

When innovation improves lives and creates lasting positive change, that’s when it truly earns its place.

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries and societies, the real challenge for innovators is not simply to invent what is possible, but to build what is meaningful.

For Africa, the opportunity is equally significant. The continent is already producing world-class solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The next step is ensuring those innovations are seen, celebrated and recognised on the global stage.

The future of purposeful innovation is bright. I hope that we’ll see many more African innovators contributing to that future, and being recognised for it.