SY Lau of Tencent Accepts Cannes Lions Media Person of the Year Award, Envisioning a World of Oneness through Connectivity

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Jun 26, 2015, 09:38 ET

BEIJING, June 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- "The spirit of Cannes Lions is about innovation and the celebration of creative excellence," said SY Lau, Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent and President of its Online Media Group (OMG) as he accepted the prestigious Media Person of the Year award on June 24 at the 62nd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. This spirit, he noted, is really about harnessing the potential of human capital by creating a meaningful impact on mankind and humanity, beyond any boundaries and nations.

Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent and President of its Online Media Group (OMG) SY Lau (left), Terry Savage, Chairman of Cannes Lions (right)

Terry Savage, Chairman of Cannes Lions, presented the award on-stage at the festival, and said to the audience, "SY Lau is an influential figure in today's global media landscape. Over the past few years, his leadership has transformed Tencent Online Media Group into one of the largest and most successful integrated Internet media platforms in the world."

Click the link to watch SY Lau accept the Media Person of the Year Award at Cannes Lions: http://v.qq.com/page/o/0/5/o0157h67205.html

As the first executive of a Chinese company to receive this recognition, SY Lau told the audience, "I accept this award humbly, not for myself, but on behalf of all the Dream Makers at Tencent. When we look at the world, we don't look at how it is today, but instead, we dream of how it ought to be tomorrow. This is the spirit of Tencent."

"Let this night be remembered as the beginning of a noble commitment towards a world that one day shall finally be connected as one. And there shall be no distance too far, for any heart that so desires, to beat with the rhythm of oneness with humanity," added SY Lau at the conclusion of his speech.

Mr. Hongfeng Yang, secretary-general and Chairman of the China Advertising Association, also congratulated SY Lau at the awards ceremony. He said he believes SY Lau and Tencent OMG were worthy winners across the global market, and commented, "As the first Chinese winner of the Media Person of the Year Award, this honor contributes significantly to showcasing the development of China's media industry to a global audience. It represents a huge confidence boost to all of us within the industry in China."

Cannes Lions' Media Person of the Year Award recognises one important figure who is considered influential in today's media landscape every year. Past recipients include Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google; Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook; Richard Plepler, CEO of HBO; and Salar Kamangar, CEO of YouTube.

The Cannes Lions Awards are an international benchmark for creative excellence, recognizing the best work and the most original thinking. Known as the world's largest celebration of advertising and communications, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is held yearly in Cannes and draws thousands of participants from around the globe.

About Tencent OMG:

Tencent Online Media Group (OMG) operates all of Tencent's online media services and platforms including; the video-streaming service Tencent Video v.qq.com; the online news port Tencent News qq.com; Tencent's microblogging platform Tencent Weibo; and other related services. This diverse range of services are all available via PC and mobile devices. The mission of OMG is to become a world-leading media group delivering rich and valuable content to its ever-broadening user base.

Since its launch in 2011, Tencent Video has offered enriched content to Chinese audiences. In 2014 it became the platform offering the largest number of British and American dramas in China. In December 2014, an average of 50 million users accessed Tencent Video daily on their mobile devices, while the business group also has a 3,000-square-meter broadcasting complex to produce high-quality original programs. It is one of the most sophisticated complexes in Asia owned by a new media company. In January 2015, an average of 250 million users read Tencent news via mobile daily. Tencent will continue to enrich its app to bring latest news to its users at their fingertips.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150626/225918

SOURCE Tencent