Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft Corporation will be honoured with the Media Person of the Year Award at the 56th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.
The Media Person the Year award pays tribute to a prominent personality who is an influential figure in the development of today's media landscape, which ultimately plays an integral part in shaping the future of the advertising industry.
This year, the organisers of the Cannes Lions Festival are proud to present this prestigious honour to Steve Ballmer in recognition of his leadership and Microsoft's continued commitment to digital advertising. In less than a generation, the worlds of publishing and advertising have been transformed by a tidal wave of paradigm-busting digital technologies. Microsoft has been at the heart of these changes for over 30 years, bringing digital within reach of mainstream audiences and driving both consumer and advertiser innovation.
Ballmer's passion for empowering consumers in their daily lives results today in Microsoft media assets playing a major role in more than 642 million people's lives worldwide, whilst 13% of all time spent online is spent on Microsoft's digital properties¹. Simultaneously, Microsoft has innovated in a wide range of digital media assets across PC software (Microsoft Office), online media (MSN, Windows Live), digital games (Xbox LIVE, Xbox.com, Massive) and mobile devices, empowering brands to extend the boundaries of their creativity and consumer connections to delight and engage the consumer.
"We are delighted to honour Steve Ballmer, a passionate and dynamic personality whose energetic leadership and vision over the years has made Microsoft into the global leading brand that has touched the lives of millions, and changed the face of worldwide communication," said Philip Thomas, Festival CEO.
On receiving the award, Steve Ballmer said, "I'm honoured to accept this prestigious award on behalf of all the people at Microsoft who are working to redefine media and advertising in the digital era. This is a time of sweeping innovation and transformation in advertising and publishing, and there are incredible opportunities to use technology to deliver more value to both advertisers and consumers. We look forward to working closely with our media and advertising partners to continue to push the boundaries of what is possible."
Steve Ballmer is Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Corporation, the world's leading creator of software for personal and business computing. Ballmer was hired by Bill Gates in 1980 to be Microsoft's first business manager - at the time, the company had 24 employees. Today, Microsoft has 90,000 employees in more than 100 countries and Ballmer has played a critical role in the company's success at every step of the way. He has served as head of operations, operating system development, and sales and support. In 1998, he was named president of Microsoft. In 2000, he became Microsoft's CEO.
Throughout his career, Ballmer has been a tireless advocate for the importance of innovation and he has been a pioneer in the development of new business models that have helped transform the software industry into one of the most vibrant and important drivers of progress and economic opportunity. Under Ballmer's leadership, Microsoft continues to focus on delivering software and services that enable people and businesses around the world to achieve their potential.
Ballmer was born in March 1956, and grew up near Detroit, where his father worked as a manager at Ford Motor Co. He attended Harvard University, where he met Bill Gates and graduated with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics. After college, Ballmer worked for two years at Procter & Gamble as an assistant product manager and, before joining Microsoft, attended Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Steve Ballmer will be honoured during the Press, Cyber and Design Lions Awards Ceremony on the evening of Wednesday 24 June, in the Palais des Festivals, Cannes.
Cannes Lions delegates will have the opportunity to listen to Steve Ballmer when he presents the Microsoft Advertising Seminar on Wednesday 24 June.
Previous recipients of the Media Person of the Year Award include: Sir Anthony O'Reilly, Chief Executive of Independent News & Media, Tsuneo Watanabe, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings; Gunter Thielen, Chairman & CEO of Bertelsmann; Lachlan Murdoch, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of News Corporation; Arnaud Lagardere, Chairman and CEO of Lagardere Group; Sumner Redstone, Chairman and CEO of Viacom; Gerald Levin, CEO of AOL Time Warner; Jean-Claude Decaux, President of JCDecaux Group; and Silvio Berlusconi, media magnate and Prime Minister.
¹ComScore Media Metrix Worldwide Monthly Average, November 2008
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The 56th International Advertising Festival will be held 21-27 June 2009 in Cannes, France.
The International Advertising Festival - Cannes Lions - is the largest gathering of worldwide advertising professionals and advertisers as well as the most prestigious annual advertising awards. More than 10,000 registered delegates from 94 countries and around 12,000 total visitors from the advertising and allied industries attend this event to celebrate the best of creativity across all media mix, discuss industry issues and network with one another. Over 28,000 ads from all over the world are showcased and judged at the Festival. Winning companies receive the highly coveted Lion trophy, honouring the most creative TV/cinema, print, outdoor, interactive, radio, design, sales promotion, integrated advertising, as well as the best media and direct marketing solutions. A unique programme of high-profile seminars, workshops and keynote speakers are also presented by some of the biggest names in the industry.
For further information, please visit
http://www.canneslions.com or contact:
Amanda Benfell, PR & Press Manager
Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival
Greater London House, Hampstead Road, London NW1 7EJ, United Kingdom
Tel: +44-20-7728 4040; Fax: +44-20-7728 4044;
E-mail:
amandab@canneslions.com 
