Ten of the industry’s leading strategists are set to gather together in Las Vegas for the LIA 2026 Creative Strategy judging session. Monica Radulescu, sr. strategy manager, Our LEGO® Agency (OLA) in Billund, Denmark, has agreed to lead the room as jury president.
“Great strategy makes ideas feel obvious. Not because they’re predictable, but because they reveal something that was true all along and hiding in plain sight. The best strategic thinking doesn’t shout about how clever it is. It creates the conditions for an idea to land so naturally that people wonder why no one thought of it sooner. When strategy is doing its job, the work feels inevitable in hindsight-and that’s usually the highest compliment,” said Radulescu.
With 20 years of experience and having lived and worked across five countries, Radulescu is a culture-led creative strategist who believes the best brands create conversations and actions–not just ads. She has helped shape work for brands including Diesel, Coca-Cola and Heineken, across leading global agencies.
She brings her experience to LEGO, helping shape how one of the world’s most beloved brands stays relevant through creativity, culture and play.
Christina Shaw, VP-awards director, LIA, said that the Creative Strategy category is “all about approaching the brand problem differently from competitors. And all our jury members excel in that. They will be able to see the unseen strategy through the seen work and award the executions that should be recognized and be held up as the gold standard for 2026.”
LIA judging 2026 runs from September 25 through October 3. All rounds of judging are held onsite in Las Vegas with all members of the jury present. All jury members have an equal voice in the room. To ensure absolute impartiality and transparency, the judging rooms are open to press, creative excellence members and Creative LIAisons attendees.
