Home - Brands and Culture

Brands & Culture

The event and knowledge series for marketing leaders building meaningful brands which make, shape and define culture to drive business growth.

2026 Speakers

Nick Tran

President & CMO, First Round (Diageo x Main Street Advisors, Cîroc & Lobos 1707)

Jay Curley

Chief Marketing Officer, Ben & Jerry's

Marcus Collins

Professor & Author, University of Michigan

Laurie Lam

Chief Brand Officer, E.l.f. Cosmetics

Jessica Padula

Vice President of Marketing & Head of Sustainability, Nespresso US

Carey Kyler

Senior Director of Insights & Research, AARP Services

Gaurav Raisinghani

Chief Marketing Officer, Unilever Wellbeing International

Jim Keller

Senior Vice President and General Manager of Media Sales & Revenue Strategy, AARP Services

Tara DeVeaux

CEO, BCG Worldwide & Burrell Communications Group

Edmond Handwerker

Global Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer, APR

Lotte Jones

Chief Commercial Officer, Caliber

Holly Harnisch

Executive Director, Enterprise Brand Marketing, The New York Times

Meredith Diehn

SVP of Marketing, goodwipes

Les Green

Head of Partnership Marketing, Levi Strauss & Co.

Rachel Hardy

Director, Head of Consumer Product Marketing, Pinterest

Julie Scelzo

Chief Creative Officer, Comcast/Xfinity

Chandler Carter

Senior Context Planner, Translation and UnitedMasters

Bassam Tariq

Documentary & Narrative Filmmaker

Kelsey Newberry

Vice President of Brand Marketing, eos Products

Mary Johnson

Head of NA Creative Intelligence, Spotify’s Creative Lab

Laura Dyer

SVP of Global Marketing, SharkNinja

Matt Sutton

Sr. Vice President, Head of Marketing, Columbia Sportswear

Oyin Akiniyi

Global Brand Director, Chivas Regal

Nora Princiotti

Author & Staff Writer, The Ringer

Ahmed Iqbal

Chief Marketing Officer, Cadillac Formula 1® Team

Seth Matlins

Founder, The Wisdomous Company

Gabe Cohen

CMO, Monigle

Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel

Cultural Theorist, Author, and Social Critic

Chris Epple

Head of Marketing, Americas, HARMAN International

Jackie Widmann

SVP, Marketing & Commercial, BERO

Kerry Flynn

Media Reporter, Axios

Sly Peoples

Head of U.S. Sports & Entertainment, Burson

Alex Manderstam

Brand Strategist, Writer, Creator, On Brand

Clyde McKendrick

President, Nuevo

Kris DiMaggio

Managing Director, Annex88/Havas New York

Daniel Schloss

VP, Brand & Design, Propeller Group

Sara Rezaee

Head of Creator for North America, Edelman

Nadja Bellan-White

CEO, M+C Saatchi North America

Rene Federico

Head of Marketing, Primark US

Gareth Kay

Vice President, Brand, Coinbase

Laura Petro

VP of Brand & Fan Experience, Gotham FC

Lola Bakare

Inclusive Marketing Strategist, be/co

Joe Staples

VP Creative, Coinbase

Sona Iliffe-Moon

Chief Communications Officer, Yahoo

Jameka S. Pankey

Head of Events and Experiential for Artist, Amazon Music

Chris Danton

Co-Founder, IN GOOD CO

Cheryl Miller Houser

Award-winning Documentary Filmmaker, Creative Breed

Brandon Lentino

Chief Creative Officer, Viral Nation

Guilherme de Marchi Retz

Marketing VP, Heineken USA

Yasmin O’Neal

Global Brand & Impact Senior Director, DECIEM

Rob Markman

VP, Music & Content, Genius

Kirsten Ludwig

Co-Founder, IN GOOD CO

Charlotte Williams

Co-Founder & Chief Content Officer, Brands&Culture

Gstaad Guy

Creator & Founder, Poubel

Ali Payne

CMO, Heineken USA

Ekta Chopra

Chief Technology & AI Officer, e.l.f. Beauty

Keisha Buchanan

British Singer-Songwriter & Founding Member of Sugababes

Avner Ronen

Vice President of Product Development, Samsung

Michael Nyman

Founder & CEO, Acceleration Community of Companies (ACC)

Ariel Suffern

Chief Marketing Officer for North & Latin America, The Magnum Ice Cream Company

Charles Besson

Global Entertainment & Content Creative Acceleration Director, L’Oréal

Sam Anderson

Intelligence Editor, The Drum

Cheryl Guerin

EVP Global Brand Strategy, Mastercard

Barbara Asin

Chief Marketing & Digital Officer LATAM, McDonald’s

Tristan Pineiro

CMO, Grindr

Massimo Marioni

Executive Moderator

Nina Walsh

Business Development Leader for Media & Entertainment, Games & Sport, AWS

Ricardo Aspiazu

SVP - Creative & Brand Design, Verizon

Joshua Nino De Guzman

CEO, Dexerto

Mario Dughi

Head of Marketing Transformation, Home Care, Unilever

Christine Cruz-Clarke

General Manager, Beauty & Wellbeing, Unilever

Matt Watson

Chief Creative Officer, Sips & Bites & PepsiCo

Alejandro Chavetta

Executive Creative Director of Brand Expression, Adobe

Suhayl Limbada

CMO, KFC India

Alex Weller

Vice President of Creative, Patagonia

Ryan Aspell

VP of Brand Strategy, Morning Brew Inc.

Andrea Garabedian

Global Director for Twitch Ads Go-To-Market and Brand Safety, Twitch

Shannon Womack

Head of Global Brand & Creative, Delta Air Lines

Judy Lee

Sr. Managing Director, House of Creative, Pinterest

Bonnie Preece

EVP, Group Account Director, Monks

Heidi Ware

Executive Creative Director, North America Stores, Amazon

Jasmine Dawson

Senior Vice President, Digital, BBC Studios

Jim Mollica

President, Luxury Audio & Chief Marketing Officer, Bose

Phil Cook

CMO, WNBA

Paul Wachter

Founder & CEO, Main Street Advisors

Xavier Pérez Farrerons

European Head of Marketing Consumer Experience & Media, Nestlé Purina

Anna Engel

Director of Brand Relevance: Happy Meal/Family & Adult (US Campaigns), McDonald’s

Louisa Wee

CMO, Strava

Danielle Jin

SVP, Chief Marketing Officer, Asia Pacific, Visa

Oren John

The internet’s Creative Director

Saul Lopes

Head of Customer Marketing & Engagement, Compare the Market

Elizabeth Preis

Chief Marketing & Customer Officer, Victoria’s Secret & Co.

Candace Payne

Vice President, Brand & Seasonal, Sephora

Steve Martell

Chief Innovation Officer, DE-YAN

Andrew Dawson

Vice President, Edelman

Jess Vultaggio

VP, Creative, Capabilities & Innovation, Kraft Heinz

Allison Cirullo

Global Chair, Consumer & Brand, Burson Group

Stevie Archer

Regional Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi North America

Spencer Fox

Founder, FOX. Creative Excellence Advisory

Małgorzata Lubelska

Category & Global Brands CMO, Asahi Europe & International

Lia Haberman

Founder, ICYMI

Monica Caponigro

Managing Director, Bobbie

Rashad Little

Creator & Creative Director

Gigi García Russo

President, HUNTER

Sally Barton

Director, Marketing Growth Strategy, US, Mondelēz International

Sarah Jane Benjamin

Vice President of Global Brand Partnerships, ESL FACEIT Group

Joel Marlinarson

Founder, Creator & Social Strategist, Coldest Creative

E.J. Schultz

News Editor, Ad Age

Charlie Smith

Chief Brand Officer, NOTHING

Michael Williamson

CEO, Wrexham AFC

Simon Jenkins

Global Head of Creative Intelligence, Spotify Advertising

Ashley Goldie

Senior Media & Content Lead, Personal Care UK&I, Unilever

Ben Foster

Former Footballer, YouTuber and wannabe Pro Cyclist (& Ryan Reynolds BFF)

Georgie Fox

Head of Brand, LOOKFANTASTIC

Carly Telford

Former England Goalkeeper, Commercial Manager, Chelsea FC Women

Selina Sykes

VP Marketing Transformation & Social-First, Beauty & Wellbeing, Unilever

Keely Gough

Managing Director, LOOKFANTASTIC

Peter Gregson

Cellist & Composer

Elizabeth Chew

Senior Director of International Marketing & Promotions, Universal Music Group

Rebecca Jolly

Senior Vice President, Universal Music Group

Ndubuisi Uchea

CEO, Word on the Curb

Cobbie Yates

Costume Designer, Dench Arnold Agency

Perla Bloom

Partnerships & Sponsorships Strategy Lead, Expedia

Nick Morris

Founder & Managing Director,, Canvas8

Bernard Garby

Fashion Broadcaster, Public Speaker, and Media Consultant

Zoë Phenix McCandless

Head of Partner Impact, United Repair Centre

Maisie McCabe

UK Editor, Campaign

Phil Garnham

Executive Creative Director, MONOTYPE

Tim Škrlec

Creative Experience Lead, Sportradar

Sophie Jones

Photographer & Director, Kintzing (photo) / Somesuch (film)

Lianre Robinson

CEO, The Marketing Academy Foundation

Paige Grossman

VP of Global Brand & Creative, Ancestry

Burçak Simsek

Global Marketing Lead, Women's Health, Bayer

Karen Correia Da Silva

Head of Creative Intelligence, Nuevo

Charlie Copsey

Founder, Underground Fan Club

Tunde Babalola

Record Producer, Future Cut

Darren Lewis

Record Producer, Future Cut

Amerie Tagle

Social Media Freelancer & Aspiring Marketer, The Marketing Academy Foundation

Max Fosh

Creator

Pablo Dopico

Director ad:s Growth, Sportradar ad:s

Ashley Wray

Leadership + Performance Coach, ashleywray.co

Garreth Hayes

Senior Marketing Director for UK, Benelux & Ireland, Indeed

Matt Bolton

Co-founder & ECD, MOX

Yraiz Lougheide-Camejo

Senior Creative Strategist, MOX

Sam Williams

Head of Culture & Partnerships, EMEA, JBL

Chris Njoroge

UEA MSc Brand Leadership graduate

Aaron Wallace

Account Executive, AKA UK

Catherine Ferdon

Chief Marketing Officer, Coinbase

Chanté Joseph

Writer, Presenter and Content Creator

David Maclean

Account Director, Edelman

Jo Burford

Head of Creator Marketing for EMEA, Edelman

Will Poskett

Founder, Defiant

Mia Powell

Founder, MAMAMIA

Ali Hanan

Founder, Creative Equals

Zoe Clapp

Founder, Above the Clouds Studio

Victor Bengtsson

CEO, Sidemen Entertainment

Daniel Green

VP International Marketing, Activision Publishing

Destiny Harold

Content Creator, Chip Shop Diva

Emma Franklin-Wright

Senior Director, Entertainment, Burson

Fabian Buggel

Creator, fabiansbeauty

Julia Elsner

Creator, Giulinka

Nick Parnell

Senior Director, Brand, Edelman

Patricia McDonald

Global Chief Strategy Officer, Dentsu Creative

Suzy Socker

Managing Director of Brand, Edelman

Tom Rainsford

Founder, giffgaff, and former Marketing Director, Beavertown

Joy Campbell

VP of Sponsorships, Partnerships & Experiences, Mastercard UKI

Lizi Hamer

Executive Global Creative Director, Octagon

Jaime Bivona

Vice President, Octagon

William van Rest

Managing Director, JEM Media Ventures

Mia Balogun

Global Brand Marketing Coordinator, The Walt Disney Company

Danielle Lee

Director of Brand and Marketing, Metro Bank

Annika Spitz

Team Lead Community Experience, cosnova

Charlotte Kernohan

Director of Brand, Jet2

Dr Varaidzo (Vee) Kativhu

Girls’ Education Activist & Founder, Empowered By Vee & UN Young Leader

Gracie Schram

Head of Strategic Creator Initiatives, Epidemic Sound

Ibrahim Kamara

CEO & Co-founder, GUAP

Mark Murray Jones

Chief Strategy Officer, OMD EMEA

Paolo Lorenzoni

VP of EMEA Marketing, Tinder

Nick Wright

CEO, Havas Play

Zara McIntosh

Cultural Commentator & Creator, “Taboo on the Bus”

Sean Tindale

Head of Brand, LEGO Education

Andre Bogues

Acting Global Head of Luxury Culture, Diageo Luxury Group

Joe Bellman

Spoken Word Artist & Storyteller

Gastón Tourn

Chief Growth Officer, Oddbox

Manon Dave

Creative Technologist, AI Futurist & Advisor on Transformational Innovation, BBC R&D

Gareth Morgan

Head of Global Brand, Revolut

James Pearson

Senior Digital Marketing Strategist, Arla Foods

Patrick Boyce-Apps

Head Of Marketing, Ladbrokes

Laura Ranzato

Executive Director, Clean Creatives

Jelle Mul

Senior Marketing Manager, EMEA, Patagonia

James Kirkham

Founder, ICONIC

Katie Jackson

CMO, Channel 4

Steve Dool

Senior Director, Brand & Creative, Depop

Kerttu Inkeroinen

CMO, Lucky Saint

Ruth Hooper

CMO, WSL Football

Naomi Walkland

CMO, Motorway

Joanna Delaney

Head of Strategy, Pepsico

Izzy Macdonald

Global Cultural Insights Capability Leads, Pepsico

David Edwards

Clash of Clans Marketing, Supercell

Katherine Melchior Ray

UC Berkeley Marketing Faculty / Author

Sandie Dilger

CMO, Proper Snacks

Raf McDonnell

Agent & Founder, Talent & Brands

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Testimonials

“How can we get our brand into culture?”

(Said by every marketer, ever, since c. 2015)

It’s become clear that brands and businesses can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines when it comes to what is making and shaping culture. But hijacking and jumping on every meme and trend is not the answer. Consumer expectations mean that brands can’t just respond and react (that’s table stakes, and often dangerous) to what is happening in culture.

What brands do must be enduring, meaningful and sustainable.

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Brands&Culture provided a relaxing environment for lively discussion at Cannes. I had a blast talking to brand leaders and PR pros about how Gen Z receives sports marketing differently – and what to do about it.

E.J. Schultz, News Editor, Ad Age

It was a great experience to be part of Brands&Culture at Cannes. I really enjoyed the quality of the conversations and the different perspectives on how to build global brands with local and cultural relevance.

Xavier Pérez Farrerons, European Head of Marketing Consumer Experience & Media, Nestlé Purina

I think the highlight of the event was it’s intimate nature of the conversation, talking amongst peers in the industry and learning about different points of views on key marketing subjects across the industry.

Saul Lopes, Head of Customer Marketing & Engagement, Compare the Market

Brands and Culture provided an inspiring atmosphere to share thoughts around the WNBA and its unique connection to the cultural landscape. The audiences were very engaged, making the sessions seem conversational versus a presentation.
I was thrilled to be alongside marketing greatness – I’d love to come back next year!

Phil Cook, CMO, WNBA

The Brands&Culture team were incredible and it felt like each session had a consistent through-line around culture. Special thanks to the tech team who pulled through, our moderator, Spencer, who allowed our diverse perspectives to shine through. I loved that the space felt quite intimate which allowed for bigger conversations. Piotr and Michelle, thanks for your impeccable organisation and hosting.

Joel Marlinarson, Founder, Creator & Social Strategist, Coldest Creative

Brands&Culture put on a great program with diverse perspectives that all were equally relevant to the topic of evolving fandom. The audience was curated, the conversation was insightful and the setting was classic Cannes.

Ahmed Iqbal, Chief Marketing Officer, Cadillac Formula 1® Team

Every brand wants to contribute meaningfully to culture, but doing so requires a deep understanding of what the brand stands for and the discipline to deliver against that ambition consistently. Brands & Culture is a dedicated event for marketers designed to explore from all angles the impact that can be made from culture‑led marketing. It’s a valuable and inspiring forum for anyone seeking to create sustained, meaningful impact with their brand.

Izzie Macdonald, Global Cultural Insights & Capability Lead, Pepsico