A Dubai-based Filipino academic has earned a seat among the region’s senior creative-education figures, joining the advisory body that guides one of MENA’s most closely watched advertising platforms.
Bethoven Filomeno, a lecturer and deputy program leader for Advertising and Marketing Communications at De Montfort University Dubai, has been appointed to the Lynx Academic Advisory Board. He also leads TRIBE Creatives and Communications, a Filipino-led collective, serving as its president.
The board draws together senior academic leaders from across the Middle East and North Africa, with a remit centered on tightening the links between universities and the creative sector. Its broader purpose is to push for collaboration, exchange expertise, and open pathways that give emerging creative professionals a stronger footing in the regional market.
For Filomeno, the appointment carries added significance. “I am also proud to be the only Filipino educator in the lineup alongside other great minds in academia from the MENA region,” he said.
He framed the role as an extension of what he sees as his core responsibility in the classroom. “It is such a great opportunity to take part in this amazing initiative by the Dubai Lynx. As an educator, it is my duty to bridge the gap between academia and the creative industry; it will help the next generation of leaders to be empowered and express their creativity in this part of the world,” he said.
The advisory board operates under the banner of Dubai Lynx, an annual program recognizing standout advertising and brand storytelling produced across the region. Its calendar pairs a competitive awards ceremony with Dubai Lynx Creativity Week, a stretch of sessions that gathers global jurors, brand executives, and working creatives to examine the ideas driving effective campaigns.
According to Dubai Lynx, the 2026 awards ceremony is set for 8 October, with live judging slated for that same week. Festival organizers have said the in-person format is meant to give the year’s strongest work a proper stage while convening international juries and regional creative leaders.
