Global Marketer Week 2026: Forum speakers and agendas

On Tuesday, 21 April, the AI Community will discuss agentic marketing and how AI is reshaping marketing end-to-end. Speakers include Leila Hamidou and Henry Leon, Managing Directors & Partners at BCG. This is followed by a cross-functional brand panel moderated by Deniz Can, Global Head – Digital & AI Acceleration (Bayer). The panel will include Nicolas Comestaz (Coty), Lauren Walker (Mars), and Lyndsay Weir (Barilla).

On Wednesday, 22 April, WFA will bring together its peer-to-peer communities for CMOs, Media, Sourcing, Insight, and Policy.

The CMO Forum will be focused on marketing transformation and change management. Members will hear the results of a new study on the topic of transformation by WFA and Ogilvy Consulting, followed by company case studies and workshops. Speakers include Rafael Narvaez (Mutti), Cecilia Weckstrom (Lego), as well as Kenneth Lim (Singapore Tourism Board). Other speakers include Jérôme Amouyal, Global Media and Marketing Effectiveness Director, AXA and Ekaterina Bueva, Marketing Operations & Inhousing, Marketing Excellence, The Kraft Heinz Company.

The Media Forum will hear from industry legend, Les Binet, Sorin Patilinet (PepsiCo), Jodie Bailey-Norris (The Coca-Cola Company), Jenn Grieger (Booking.com), Sergi Calvo Soler (Nomad Foods), Maggie Burke (Meta), Antonia Farquhar (Nestlé), Deniz Can (Bayer), Richard Brooke (Unilever) and Alison Keith, as they discuss key topics affecting media including effectiveness, measurement and AI.  

The Sourcing Forum will continue to focus on the evolution of marketing procurement, featuring Viki Orcsik and Ezgi Sahin (The Magnum Ice Cream Company), Krista Hill (Uber), Marco Dogliani (Beiersdorf) and Bruno Gralpois from WFA strategic partners, Agency Mania Solutions.  

At the Insight Forum, the focus will be on strengthening the strategic influence of insights, with speakers including IKEA's Joel Renkema, Alexander Shmelkov and Sylvia van der Waal, as well as Gareth Townsend (Mars) and Rory McDonnell (Glanbia).  

The Policy Forum will explore ways in which the public affairs role can become more strategic as well as the hot topics around AI and influencers. Speakers include Claire Thwaites (Reckitt), Phil Myers (Ferrero), Kat Robison (Nike), Jacqui Stephenson (Mars), as well as Marie Museux (Moët Hennessy) and Ludovic Basset (the European Advertising Standards Alliance). 

The day will end with the Better Marketing Plenary, which all WFA members can attend. The session will offer marketers the opportunity to listen to three industry experts share views on what will drive most brand growth in the future. Contagious’ Katrina Stirton Dodd, Brandtech Group’s Angela Tangas and Asad Dhunna from The Unmistakables will each make a pitch for why marketers should over-index in their areas of expertise: creativity, AI and tech, and inclusive marketing. 

“One of the highlights of WFA Global Marketer Week is the member forums. Members derive huge value from the more intimate peer-to-peer sessions which provide unparalleled opportunities for learning and knowledge exchange. These are member focused and member led and I'm incredibly grateful to all those senior professionals who contribute,” said Stephan Loerke, CEO at WFA. 

All Global Marketer Week events are at or nearing capacity. If you have not registered yet, please reach out to your main WFA point of contact for information on seat availability and waiting lists.