Sanjiv Mistry

Sanjiv fled a background in law to work in advertising, first in South Africa, and then in London.

His time leading McCann London’s dedicated Microsoft/Xbox unit transformed it from a localisation hub into the network’s creative force, winning 45 Cannes Lions and numerous effectiveness awards in five years, contributing to a turnaround in McCann’s creative reputation, and culminating in the rare triple achievements of Cannes Marketer of the Year, D&AD Collaborative Pencil, and One Show Penta Pencil (all awarded for a body of work on a brand).

In a career spanning dozens of global brands and, like all creatives, hundreds of projects that never saw the light of day, many wonderful ones did. From “Survival Billboard” to “The Fanchise Model” to “The Birth of Gaming Tourism”, his Xbox projects have sought to reimagine the depth, scope and scale of what gaming can achieve in the modern world.

Sanjiv’s work has been recognised with over 65 Cannes Lions and over 200 international awards from the likes of D&AD, One Show, Clio and LIA.

Away from advertising, his creative outlet is food writing. In 2022 he was awarded the Sunday Times AA Gill prize for food writers.

His mum wishes he’d stuck with law.