PayPal’s Iskra Velichkova Appointed Co-Chair of Customer Jury

Iskra Velichkova, Senior Director of Marketing for the DACH region at PayPal, is now the co-chair of the client jury for the second Agency of the Year (AOY) Germany Awards. According to Campaign Germany, Velichkova leads the jury alongside Campaign representatives to evaluate agency performance and effectiveness in the German market.

The appointment establishes the leadership for the client-side evaluation process of the AOY Germany Awards. The competition identifies top-performing agencies based on a mix of creative output and business results.

Who is leading the AOY Germany Awards client jury?

Iskra Velichkova holds the co-chair position for the client jury. She manages marketing operations for PayPal across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Velichkova shares the leadership role with the editorial team at Campaign Germany.

The client jury’s primary function is to provide a brand-side perspective on agency submissions. This ensures that the winners are judged not only on creative merit but also on their ability to meet commercial objectives and maintain client relationships.

Which other executives are serving on the jury?

The jury includes high-level executives from major German corporations to ensure a broad industry perspective. According to reports from kress, the panel features representation from Deutsche Telekom.

Confirmed jury members from Deutsche Telekom include:

• Bärbel Egli-Unckrich
• Ulrich Klenke

The inclusion of Telekom executives suggests a focus on large-scale corporate accounts and integrated marketing strategies within the jury’s evaluation criteria.

What are the AOY Germany Awards?

The Agency of the Year (AOY) Germany Awards are organized by Campaign Germany. The competition evaluates agencies across several categories to determine which firms have demonstrated the most growth, innovation, and success over the previous cycle.

The awards process typically involves a submission phase where agencies provide evidence of their work and its impact. These entries are then vetted by a combination of industry experts and the client jury to avoid bias and ensure the results reflect real-world business utility.

By utilizing a client jury, Campaign Germany differentiates the AOY awards from purely creative competitions. The focus remains on the partnership between the agency and the brand, rather than the aesthetic quality of a single campaign.

How does the jury process work?

The jury reviews submissions based on specific KPIs and creative benchmarks. The co-chairs, including Velichkova, oversee the scoring process to ensure consistency across different agency types, from boutique creative shops to global networks.

The final results are traditionally announced during the Campaign Germany Festival. This event serves as the primary gathering for the German advertising and marketing industry to recognize leadership in the sector.