The annual marketing and advertising competition BalticBest will take place on 15–16 September in an online format. We are delighted to introduce you the jury members.
Eha Talvist-Reinsalu, Baltic Brand Manager at SEB Bank (EST)
Eha has more than 20 years of solid experience in marketing, communications, and branding. Her strengths lie in her ability to see the “big picture” and develop business and brand strategies while staying hands-on with day-to-day tactical and creative work. Eha is a true ambassador of the SEB brand, but she has also gained valuable experience working on the agency side and in the media industry. As a volunteer, Eha served for two years as a Board Member of the Estonian Marketing Association. Eha was a member of SEB’s Estonian Marketing and Communications team, which won the Best Marketing Team of the Year 2025 award.
Pauline Marie Korp (EST)
Pauline Marie Korp is a human brain enthusiast. Currently working as an independent advertising and design expert. She has worked in creative teams in Finland (hasan & partners, Bob the Robot) and all over the world and won many renowned awards (Eurobest Young Creative Silver Award 2023, Estonian Best Young Designer of 2020, and many others)
Janis Verzemnieks, CEO at Corebook° (LAT)
Jānis Vērzemnieks is a creative industries entrepreneur and Co-founder of Corebook° – a brand management platform trusted by hundreds of global customers. Corebook° works with brands such as Virgin Atlantic, Crocs, Chelsea F.C., and Miro, as well as agencies including Landor, Dumbar, and McCann London. Alongside Corebook°, Jānis works as an indie designer and creative director building audio venture projects; his latest recognition is a Gold award in the Online Solutions category at ADwards 2026.
Viktorija Rumiancevaitė, Team Leader at Not Perfect Vilnius (LIT)
Viktorija is currently leading a multidisciplinary team of art directors and designers, producing award-winning work for the physical and digital worlds at Not Perfect Vilnius.
Kristaps Deics, Creative Director at McCann Riga (LAT)
Kristaps Deičs is a Creative Director at McCann Riga and one of the agency’s most accomplished and consistent creative leaders in the Baltics. He has helped lead numerous awarded and widely recognised Latvian and Baltic campaigns, helping McCann Riga earn strong festival results at Golden Drum, ADCE, Effie Europe, Adwards and BalticBest.
Kristaps is known for his strong visual thinking, strategic discipline and deep commitment to craft, detail and high-quality execution, producing work that is culturally relevant, precise and emotionally compelling
Urmas Villmann, Creative Director at Kontuur Leo Burnett (EST)
Urmas Villmann is an Estonian artist and marketing specialist. His career in advertising began as art editor of the magazine Spordiilm in 1991, followed by roles as art director at Karlson & Ko (1992–1994) and Brand Sellers DDB Needham Eesti (1994–1997), before becoming creative director at Idea AD in 1997. Since 2000, he has been creative director and board member at the agency Kontuur Leo Burnett.
Villmann is one of Estonia’s most awarded advertising creatives, holding a record 93 wins at the Kuldmuna advertising awards, with additional honors from ADC*Europe, Golden Hammer, the Kyiv International Advertising Festival, the Mobius Advertising Awards, and others. His TV commercial “Linnud” (Birds), made for Statoil, became the first Estonian ad to reach the Cannes Lions shortlist in 2006 and won the grand prix at the Central Europe Cristal Awards in 2007.
Mark Tungate, Editorial Director of the Epica Awards
Mark Tungate is a British journalist, author, and the editorial director of the Epica Awards, the only global creative prize judged by journalists. In that role he hosts the jury, emcees the awards show, and edits the annual Epica Book, as well as writing for Epica’s sister site Adforum.
Tungate is also a prolific author, with seven books about branding and marketing to his name, including Adland: A Global History of Advertising and The Escape Industry: How Iconic and Innovative Brands Built the Travel Business. His other titles include Luxury World and Branded Beauty, and Adland in particular remains a reference work in the advertising field. He has written for publications including The Times, The Financial Times, Advertising Age and Campaign.
Justas Nenėnas, Head of Strategy, Partner of Rud Pedersen, Lithuania
Specialising in strategic communication, brand positioning and campaign planning, Justas leads the strategy function at Rud Pedersen in Vilnius.
As Partner and Head of Strategy, Justas plays a key role in driving the agency’s strategic excellence and ensuring the delivery of effective, insight-based communication solutions. With more than two decades of experience in the communications industry, he advises clients on complex strategic challenges, from brand positioning and narrative development to integrated campaign strategies and performance measurement.
Justas is involved in nearly all major client engagements and new business initiatives, ensuring that every project is guided by a clear strategic direction and measurable outcomes. His expertise lies in connecting business objectives with creative and communication strategies that strengthen reputation, engagement and long-term impact.
Rimantas Stanevicius, Creative Director at Milk Vilnius, Lithuania
Rimantas is a creative director of Milk, an independent agency from Vilnius that is seven times Agency of the year in Lithuania, Number 1 agency in the Baltics for three consecutive years and a holder of the creative case at Golden Hammer. It’s awarded in Golden Drum, Epica and New York Festivals. The agency work is featured in Shots and Lürzer’s Archive, while Rimantas himself managed to get to Number 1 in the global rankings of the magazine as a copywriter.
Throughout his career Rimantas has worked with brands from every industry one can imagine. P&G, Philip Morris, Ikea, Eurosport and L’Oreal. Retail, politics and financial services. But his biggest expertise probably lies in Telco. Milk has been working with Telco brands throughout the Baltics and in most of CIS countries.
Having a psychology and communication science background Rimantas is currently pursuing his EMBA at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership, playing accordion and doing triathlons.
Mari Sukhishvili, Independent Creative Director, Georgia
Mari Sukhishvili is a Georgian Independent Creative Director with over 13 years of experience in the advertising industry. Former Executive Creative Director at Windfor’s Tbilisi, she has been recognized at leading international festivals including Cannes Lions, Eurobest, Golden Hammer, and ADC*E.
She currently works as a freelance Creative Director, Art Director, and Creative consultant for major brands and cultural platforms.
Mari has also served as a jury member at international competitions such as Baku Flames (2026), The Very Best of Ukrainian Design (2025), Golden Drum (2023), Ad Black Sea (2022), KIAF (2021), and ADC*E (2018).
Nela Fegić Moguljak, Executive Director & Head of Digital at Imago Ogilvy, Croatia
15 years in the marketing industry & still a believer — in creativity that works, teams that care, and ideas that make a difference. Looking forward to many more years ahead.
BalticBest 2026
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If you have any problems, please contact [email protected] / +372 502 8561 or [email protected] / +372 5144884
- Entry deadline: 31 August
- Shortlist announcement: 9 September
- International jury evaluates shortlisted entries via live stream: 15–16 September
- Awards ceremony: 25 September (Baltic Brand Forum in Riga)
