MUMBAI: News Corp Deputy COO Lachlan Murdoch will receive the media person of the year award at this year's Cannes International Advertising Festival on 22 June 2005.

The award, which honours a leading personality from the worldwide media industry, is given in recognition of Lachlan's leadership and skill in managing and developing News Corporation's internationally diverse media sectors, which include print and television.

Festival CEO Terry Savage said, "Lachlan Murdoch clearly stands at the forefront of a new generation of media entrepreneurs who have the vision, drive and commitment to lead and shape the future of media".

Murdoch said, "I am very honoured to have been recognised by the Festival, whose prestige and position within the industry are well known. I, of course, share the award with my colleagues at News Corp, whose energy and creativity are the true strength of our company. It is extremely gratifying that our efforts are appreciated by those in the worldwide advertising community, whose support is so central to our success."

Lachlan directly manages subsidiary business units that generate more than two-thirds of the global media company's revenue. He oversees publishing company HarperCollins and News America Marketing, News Corp's freestanding inserts business and is News Limited chairman which is the parent company of News Corp's Australian operations. In addition, he is of News Corp US television station group chairman, which is among the largest in America and is the publisher of the New York Post.

At the New York Post, Lachlan has aggressively pursued the paper's focus on boosting circulation, overhauling the tabloid and solidifying its position as America's fastest growing newspaper. During his tenure, daily circulation has increased by over 40 percent and the paper has become the seventh largest in the US.