• Transform magazine
  • July 19, 2025

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The judges

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The Transform Awards is judged by a broad range of in-house industry experts in branding, marketing, and corporate communications.

Each year we invite the previous year's winners of the 'Grand prix' and 'Best overall visual identity' awards to join the panel, and these judges fill two agency slots.

We will also welcome audio branding experts to join the panel to review our audio branding category alone and 4-5 leading agency figures to judge the special recognition section alone.

 

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Scoring is based on a points system and the judges submit these scores anonymously. The judges mark the entries against the criteria mentioned within the entry and information guide: challenge, strategy, creativity/innovation and results.

Our judging system is rigorous and fair. If a judge has entered a specific category they will be exempt from reviewing that category, to avoid a conflict of interest.

Winners are determined by the scores they receive and the entries that score high enough will be shortlisted, invited to attend the awards ceremony and awarded with a trophy. We also provide detailed feedback on agencies’ work after the awards evening, which proves useful for future entries.

 

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If you are interested in the opportunity to judge and believe you have the necessary background, please email Gemma at gcadden@transformmagazine.net with a short biography for consideration.

 

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Below you can see some of our wonderful judging panel for 2025. Learn more about the judges by clicking on the headshots to read their biographies.

Ivan Cayabyab
Senior vice president of brand
Moody's

Ivan recently joined Moody's as senior vice president of brand in 2023. Prior to Moody's, he was the head of global brand management for Morgan Stanley, where he led the firm’s brand strategy, engagement and visual identity initiatives. He was a Senior Global Brand Manager at Yahoo, leading the rollout of a new logo and identity system. Prior to Yahoo, Ivan spent six years at GE Corporate, helping to grow GE’s image as one of the world’s most innovative B2B brands, and two years at Sterling Brands, where he managed a number of strategic and design projects for iconic brands such as Target, Disney, IBM and Ben & Jerry’s.

Elaine C. Y. Chen
Senior Brand Strategy/Marketing Manager
Wiley

Elaine C. Y. Chen is an accomplished marketing executive with deep expertise in brand and marketing strategy, thought leadership, and growth marketing. She is the founder and president of consultancy firm Excogita, where she has helped clients including Wiley, Kantar Media, Ex Judicata and The Attention Council with branding, demand generation, digital and social marketing, and sales enablement.

Elaine has over 15 years of experience leading marketing efforts for high-growth companies and industry leaders including Kantar, Nielsen, MarketOnce and Wunderman/Y&R. At Kantar, she served as the head of North American marketing, spearheading multiple rebranding efforts and serving as brand steward. Elaine holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and a B.A. from Harvard University.

Regina Davis
Senior Global Marketing Manager
Yum! Brands)—Pizza Hut

Regina is a seasoned marketing leader with over 16 years of experience driving brand growth and strategy. She currently serves as a senior marketing manager on the Global Marketing Team at Pizza Hut.

In addition to her core role, Regina was selected to serve on Pizza Hut’s Rapid Impact Team (RIT)—a cross-functional, leadership-sanctioned taskforce charged with cracking high-priority business challenges and developing test-and-learn strategies to unlock growth across the brand’s global footprint.  

Throughout her career, Regina has led impactful work across iconic brands including Dr Pepper Snapple (now Keurig Dr Pepper), PepsiCo/Frito-Lay, JCPenney, and Toyota. Her expertise spans brand management, shopper marketing, and customer strategy. She’s especially proud of work that involved repositioning legacy brands, launching new products, and shaping global marketing strategies.

Regina is known as a consumer-obsessed marketer with a passion for brand building and innovation. She holds a B.S.S. in Psychology from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from Texas A&M University – Commerce.

Marissa Freeman
Former Chief Brand Officer
Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Fetch Pet Insurance

Marissa Freeman’s career is divided into two equally loved halves: global agency leader and CMO/Chief Brand Officer. Not coincidentally, the transition to client-side was timed with the arrival of her now 16-year-old twins.

Marissa’s superpower is the ability to recognize and help craft a brilliant insight and strategy, then work with her teams and partners to turn those insights into work that moves people, profits and stock prices (and fills agencies’ shelves with lovely statues).

That creative comes in all forms, from branding, advertising and feature docs, to 12K-person live events. A sampling of her brands includes HP & HPE, Gillette (Right Guard, Venus), Union Square Hospitality Group (Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, Daily Provisions), Hasbro, DirecTV and Coty. Marissa is grateful to have worked with and learned from ad legends Jerry Della Femina, Cliff Freeman and David Lubars; and visionary CEOs Antonio Neri and Danny Meyer, among others.

Marissa credits her success to a mostly female personal board of directors made up of mentors, peers and mentees, and to a husband and family whose patience and support allow her to be fearless.

Ryan Frost
Executive creative director
Landor

Ryan is executive creative director at Landor’s New York studio. With 15 years of experience, he has worked on a diverse range of clients and projects including global identity programs, brand architecture, retail design, environmental design and digital design. Ryan's approach to branding is centered around a single belief, "that people will never forget the way you make them feel”.​

Ryan’s extensive experience covers both the consumer and corporate worlds across many markets and industries. Ryan leads creative teams, as well as the collaboration with the strategy team – bringing the brand strategy to life through strategic prototyping and exploring the creative implications of different strategic routes – ensuring that strategic decisions are not made in a vacuum.​

His previous clients include Etihad, Alitalia, Aurora, So Sri Lanka, F1-X, MAGRABi, M&S, Pick’n’Pay, P&G, Nestle, SAB Miller, Molson Coors, Smirnoff, Nescafe, RBS and NETS FlashPay.

Patrick Gray
Head of global brand and creative
State Street

Patrick is an award-winning executive creative director and head of Global Brand and Creative for State Street, leading the firm’s brand research, strategy, creative expression, design systems and campaigns across physical and digital spaces. Most recently, he led State Street’s first global rebrand in over 50 years.

Patrick joined State Street in 2003 as a senior designer and later as design director and creative director before taking on leadership of Global Brand and Creative in 2014. Prior to joining State Street, he worked at Selbert Perkins Design building brands, identities, experiences and landmarks for clients in virtually every industry including automotive, arts, education, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, real estate, software, sports, technology, telecoms, toys and more.

Kelley Grover
Global brand marketing leader
PwC

Kelley is a highly experienced brand and marketing professional with 20 years of experience in the industry. She is currently the global brand strategy Leader at PwC.  Additionally, she is a part time faculty member at the Rutgers’s School of Communication and Information where she both teaches and has authored a new course on Creative Operations for Everyday Workflow in Digital Asset Management. 

Steve Keller
Sonic Strategy Director
Studio Resonate | SiriusXM Media

Steve Keller is the sonic strategy director for Studio Resonate, SiriusXM Media’s in-house audio-first creative consultancy, offering support to brands that advertise on the Pandora, SiriusXM, and Soundcloud platforms. He is recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on sonic strategy and identity, blending art and science into award winning creative content and sonic experiences for a variety of global agencies and brands.

Victoria Kurzweg
Brand Strategist
Microsoft

Victoria Kurzweg is a brand strategist at Microsoft with an eye towards how branding integrates with emerging technology. Her work focuses on cybersecurity, cloud computing and mixed reality, partnering with other disciplines to build multidimensional product brands as the role of immersive technology expands in our everyday lives.

Victoria came to Microsoft with wide-ranging expertise, including a number of companies that are pushing today’s technology forward. While at the brand consulting firm Siegel+Gale, she developed positioning and brand architecture strategies for Fortune 500 companies including Google, Visa, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and semiconductor producer Global Foundries.

A hands-on builder and creator, Victoria’s multi-disciplinary approach has also been influenced by her experience in web development, public affairs and journalism. She earned her master's in history of international relations from the London School of Economics and currently resides in Los Angeles.

Margaret Lee
Head of brand and marketing
Toronto International Film Festival

Margaret is an award-winning creative leader with over 25 years of experience leading brand strategy, design, digital innovation, and omnichannel marketing for globally recognized brands. As head of brand & marketing at the Toronto International Film Festival, she leads creative, content, digital, marketing, and retail teams, driving audience engagement and growth.  Previously, she was director of creative at Rogers Sports & Media and has collaborated with iconic brands like HBO and The New Yorker. Margaret is known for her bold vision and ability to transform brands through design, creativity, and strategy. 

Oliver Maltby
Executive creative director
Interbrand

Oliver is an executive creative director and managing director at Interbrand, New York. He co-leads a portfolio of 30+ amazing individuals who all work across categories including technology, finance, retail, gaming, and sports. Daily, he straddles the intersection of strategy and design to create experiences that move people and companies. 

Career highlights include rebranding his favorite toy, LEGO, rebranding the iconic Sydney Opera House, the creation of ‘Matter’ – the new standard for IoT (The next Bluetooth, Wi-Fi), refreshing Casey’s (America's 4th largest pizza chain), and repositioning the world’s largest energy company, GE Vernova. He has also created the brand strategy – and poem – for Manchester City football team.

Jesse Menza
Creative Manager
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Jesse Menza is a creative manager and marketing professional with experience building brands and crafting campaigns that drive results. At Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Jesse has contributed to award-winning brand campaigns such as Greetings from the Edge and, most recently, co-led the Unlock Ambition campaign, which launched at Sphere Las Vegas.

Born and raised in Manhattan, Jesse brings the energy and creativity of a true New Yorker to her work, specializing in translating complex ideas into compelling narratives that resonate with audiences. With expertise in branding, creative strategy, and project management, Jesse is passionate about delivering impactful work that connects with people around the world.

Ricardo Munoz
Executive Creative Director
Comcast

Ricardo Muñoz is a globally-minded creative director with over 15 years of experience shaping campaigns across tech, media, food & beverage, automotive, financial services, and consumer goods. At Comcast, he leads a multidisciplinary team, infusing storytelling, design, and innovation into high-impact campaigns for one of the world’s largest media and technology companies.

Born in Ecuador, shaped in Japan, and sharpened in New York, Ricardo brings a cross-cultural spark to everything he touches. He’s passionate about mentoring talent, building creative cultures, and crafting work that resonates across industries and borders.

Noah Nathan
Head of global brand design
Netflix

Noah is a Los Angeles–based design executive with over a decade of experience building global brand identities and design systems. Most recently, he served as head of global brand design at Netflix, where he led initiatives across brand architecture, marketing, product, and experiential—shaping the creative direction behind efforts like the Roald Dahl Story Company identity, the “Next on Netflix” brand campaign, and the visual system for Netflix House. His work has been recognized by the Clio Awards and featured in publications including Creative ReviewIt’s Nice That, and The Brand Identity.

Brian Rapp
Creative Director/Brand Manager
CountryMax Stores

Brian heads up an “in-house powerhouse” creative team at CountryMax Stores, a regional retailer specializing in pet supplies, wild bird, and lawn and garden segments. At CountryMax, Brian has guided brand positioning, including development of new audio and video assets, plus several private label product lines. They’re also evolving the company’s email and content marketing efforts and growing its social media following. Before joining CountryMax, Brian was a lifelong agency copywriter and creative director working on B2B accounts, including Xerox, Kodak, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, and Mastercard. He says the pivot to retail has been a blast. Simpler value propositions. Faster sell cycles and genuine customer for the brand, the products, and the in-store experience.

Madison Raisch
Creative director
National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)

Madison is a CLIO award-winning sports creative director and illustrator with a focus in the pro sports industry. Currently she is the creative director at the National Women’s Soccer League. Most recently her creative team designed the NWSL Championship identity hosted at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, the first women’s dedicated sports arena in the United States. 

For 20 seasons Madison has developed and designed team and event identities for the NFL, Major League Baseball, and the NHL. These projects ranged from the Super Bowl LVI cinematic identity and primary logo to the World Series, NHL Winter Classic and to the MLB All-Star Game. Beyond league operations, her rebrands include the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and the Miami Marlins under Derek Jeter’s ownership. In 2023 she collaborated with Tiffany’s & Co to design the NWSL Championship and MVP trophies.

Gerard Rizzo
Global design director
Colgate Palmolive

As director of global oral care design at Colgate since 2019, Gerard leads brand identity and brand expression executed with meticulous design implementation. With an extensive foundation of over 25 years as a creative director and designer on the agency side, he brings a wealth of expertise to shaping brand narratives that resonate powerfully across all consumer touchpoints. Gerard is passionate about creating compelling stories that not only define brands but also deeply engage and inspire audiences worldwide. His portfolio contains some of the world's most well-known brands such as Colgate, Coca-Cola, Kraft Heinz, Nestle, Pfizer and Kimberly-Clark.

Keum Roling
Director, Global Employer Brand & Communications
PVH Corp.

Keum has held various roles across a number of companies including senior advisor and spokesperson at the Dutch Embassy, and has experience leading global PR and communications functions, managing corporate brand and employer brand teams, and producing large scale events and theatre productions.

Olufemi Small-Casey
Senior graphic designer
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Olufemi is a Brooklyn-based creative with a BFA in Communications Design from Pratt Institute and over a decade of experience shaping bold, strategic design solutions for B2B and global brands. She has led and mentored teams at top firms including WeWork, Arnold Worldwide, Cushman & Wakefield, and Newmark, building cohesive visual identities, high-impact campaigns, and executive presentations. Known for her collaborative spirit and sharp eye for detail, Olufemi fuses innovation with purpose, crafting brand experiences that resonate across digital, print, and experiential platforms.

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