Islam ElDessouky
Global Creative Excellence Senior Director, The Coca-Cola Company - Jury President
Islam ElDessouky is a global creative and marketing leader at The Coca-Cola Company, where he plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s modern creative transformation. As Global lead of Creative Excellence, he has helped redefine how Coca-Cola builds ideas that travel the world — platforms that are born global, amplified locally, and increasingly personalized through new creative technologies.
Islam’s work sits at the intersection of culture, craft, and capability-building. He has stewarded some of Coca-Cola’s most culturally resonant programs, from Share a Coke, Christmas, Coca-Cola Foodmarks, to the company’s expansive entertainment and sports partnerships — including Coca-Cola × Star Wars, Coca-Cola × Marvel, FIFA World Cup platforms, EPL 2026 ecosystem, and region-led launches like Made By, Shades of Red, Halftime and Coke Time. His leadership anchors these initiatives in a clear global creative strategy while empowering markets to express them through local experiences, creators, and storytelling that build true brand love.
Recognized for driving creative excellence at scale, Islam champions the evolution of Coca-Cola’s operating model — integrating agencies, in-house talent, creators, and emerging AI production partners. He has been instrumental in developing new frameworks for idea development, open-source collaboration, and AI-enabled content systems that allow Coca-Cola to move at the speed of culture while protecting the brand’s iconic voice.
At his core, Islam believes that creativity is a force for both business growth and human connection. He brings a relentless passion for elevating craft, nurturing talent, and building the capabilities that unlock world-class work — work that earns attention, shapes culture, and delivers experiences that people genuinely love.
An Address from the Jury President:
"Most companies still treat creativity as a cost. The jury I have the honour of presiding over treats it as an asset and proves, every year, that no other line on the balance sheet quietly appreciates the way a great idea does.
Creative Business Excellence is where the work with soul also moved a market, opened a category, or made the boardroom look up from the spreadsheet. It's where Jure Apih's wish for advertising that changes the world for the better gets a P&L attached to it without losing the pulse nor the soul.
I'm honoured by Golden Drum's invitation, and even more grateful that this festival, more than most, still believes a great idea is a living thing not a deck. I'm looking forward to the cases, the debates, and the salty air."
