First speakers revealed for WFA Global Marketer Week Istanbul 2023

The WFA has announced the first four speakers and has opened registrations for Global Marketer Week 2023 (#GMW2023), which will be held in Istanbul in partnership with RVD, the Turkish national advertiser association.

 The four-day event, which will take place from 25 to 28 April, and the flagship Global Marketer Conference on 27 April, will also mark the 70^th anniversary of the WFA itself.

 The first confirmed speakers for the Global Marketer Conference have been named as:

• Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer at AB InBev: Appointed in April 2022, Marcondes has been with the company since 2005, most recently as Global President, Beyond Beer Co. From 2017 to 2021, he was the Chief Marketing Officer at Anheuser-Busch, where he led marketing for a broad portfolio of some of the world’s largest beer brands;
• Raja Rajamannar, WFA President and Mastercard Chief Marketing & Communications Officer: In addition to having led Mastercard’s communications and marketing team since 2013, Raja is also the author of business bestseller Quantum Marketing: Mastering the New Marketing Mindset for Tomorrow’s Consumers;
• Naomi Walkland, Vice President Europe, Bumble: Naomi leads Bumble’s marketing across Europe and the Middle East, overseeing the brand’s strategy and campaigns in over 10 countries. The popular women-first app connects millions of people globally across dating, friendship and professional networking;
• Mark Adams, Senior Vice President and Head of Innovation, VICE Media Group: Mark is a serial entrepreneur, sitting at the intersection of technology, entertainment and brand building. He has worked directly with A-list celebs and C-suite to drive brand growth and transformation and now seeks to democratise his knowledge and “digitally upskill 10 million people by 2025”.

As with the 2022 event in Athens, GMW 2023 will feature a mix of peer-to-peer meetings and networking events for marketing, media, insights, marketing procurement and policy professionals, alongside the Global Marketer Conference. A WFA Executive Committee Meeting and WFA’s Annual General Meeting are also scheduled to take place that week.

 To find out more about other events at GMW 2023 and how to attend please visit https://wfanet.org/istanbul.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to see so many WFA members again, in what I am confident will be yet another very strong WFA global event. Global Marketer Week provides the perfect opportunity for brand-side marketers to reconnect with peers and discuss the pressing issues facing both brands and the society more broadly – from brand safety to sustainability and diversity and inclusion. Istanbul sits at the cross-roads of Asia and Europe and so represents an ideal venue to discuss these global challenges and learn from each other,” said Stephan Loerke, WFA CEO.