The IAA Medal for Merit is granted to IAA members in recognition of outstanding service to the Association or to international advertising. The following Lebanese IAA members (by alphabetic order) received this distinctive honor:
In 2013, the International Advertising Association marked its 75th Anniversary with a Global
Leadership Forum held in London. As a tribute to this significant milestone, the IAA introduced
the IAA Champion Awards. These awards aimed to honor esteemed members from earlier eras whose
dedication, vision, and impactful contributions had greatly propelled the IAA's progress, both
on a local and global scale.
2013
The IAA Medal of Merit were re-branded in 2015 to become the IAA Champion Award.
2015
Four Lebanese were granted the honorary life membership by the IAA Global:
From 1951 to 2014, the IAA Award was granted to professionals in recognition for
their distinguished services in the field of international advertising and
marketing. The prize was the highest Award accorded by the IAA and was given
every year from 1951 to 1984. In 1985, the Executive Committee decided that the
Association's Annual Award would be given biannually and presented every two
years at IAA World Congresses. The list includes prestigious names from the
advertising field David Ogilvy, Sir Martin Sorell of WPP, Maurice Levy of
Publicis Group, media moguls like Rupert Murdoch and Ted Turner of Turner
Broadcasting System, or advertisers like Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group to
name but a few.
In March 2002, in San Francisco, the board of directors of the IAA decided, based
on the recommendation of IAA President Jean Claude Boulos to award the prize to
Carlos Ghosn President and CEO of Nissan Motor Co Ltd. Ghosn is the only Lebanese
to receive the IAA Award. He received his prize during the 38th World Congress in
Beirut.
“A man larger than life, a father who set the example in love and sacrifice, a
self-made man who was one of the pioneers in the industry, he fought for his
beliefs and even though London was his residence, Lebanon was always his home.”
This epitaph published in Arab Ad in June 2001 after Elie Kai passed away resumes
perfectly the life and spirit of a man who dedicated his life to his family, the
advertising and Lebanon. Born in 1924, Elie Kai started his career at Ousbou' Al
Arabi where he became commercial director. In 1970, he joined Salim Al Lawzi,
handling the advertising sales of the Pan Arab magazine Al-Hawadeth. Soon after
the war started he moved to London in 1978 continuing to promote the publication
until he decided in 1982 to found MIS (Media International Services) a media
representation company that handled in addition to Al-Hawadeth, Zeina (monthly
woman's magazine), Al Video Al Arabi, Alam Assyarat (monthly car magazine), Al
Ousbouh Al Riyadi (sports weekly), Arab Food magazine…
Elie Kai is considered as one of the pioneers of the IAA, being one of the
signatories of the petition and elected member of the first executive board in
1961. His dedication to the IAA was without limit; not only did he attend almost
all the World Congresses during the 60s-90s, but he also encouraged all the
Lebanese to participate in these congresses. He died in 2001.
The IAA Elie Kai scholarship was created in partnership with Kai's family and the
Choueiri Group. Every year the association donates six scholarships of $2,500
each, to students in need from the following universities: ALBA, AUB, LAU, NDU,
USEK and USJ.
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