Global Marketer Week kicks off in Stockholm

Welcome to Stockholm and Global Marketer Week. We hope you get lots of insight and inspiration from your stay in one of Europe’s most beautiful and dynamic cities.

We’ve got a packed programme and wanted to share a day-by-day summary of what’s happening to ensure you get the most out of your visit to WFA’s flagship annual event in the Swedish capital.

Tuesday April 21

Our programme starts with the first of our WFA member-only meetings, the AI Community. Delegates will address 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).

This will be followed by Welcome Cocktails at the Operaterasen for WFA members and invitees.

Wednesday April 22

The Forum programme accelerates on Wednesday April 22 with dedicated meetings for each of our peer-to-peer communities.

The CMO Forum at the Hotel Skeppsholmen 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. Speakers include Rafael Narvaez (Mutti), Cecilia Weckstrom (Lego), as well as Kenneth Lim (Singapore Tourism Board). 

The Media Forum at the Grand Hotel Stockholm 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 media priorities such as effectiveness, measurement and AI.  

The Sourcing Forum, also at the Grand Hotel, will 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.  

The same venue will be used for the Insight Forum, which will look at how to strengthen the strategic influence of insights. Speakers include IKEA's Joel Renkema, Alexander Shmelkov and Sylvia van der Waal, as well as Gareth Townsend (Mars) and Rory McDonnell (Glanbia).  

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

The day will end with the Better Marketing event, open to all WFA members and taking place at the same hotel in the famous Spegelsalen where the first Nobel Prizes were awarded back in 1901. Delegates will be hear from three industry experts 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.

On Wednesday evening a number of dinners will be held around the city bringing peers together.

Thursday April 23

Our flagship Global Marketer Conference takes place at the The House of the People. Organised in partnership with the Swedish Advertisers Association, Sveriges Annonsörer. 

Speakers include:

• Gülen Bengi, the Lead Global Chief Marketing Officer at Mars Inc. and Global Chief Growth Officer at Mars Snacking;
• Patrik Hansson, Global Chief Marketing Officer at one of the world’s biggest dairy companies Arla Foods;
• Alberto Hernandez, Chief Growth Officer at consumer healthcare company brand Opella;
• Taide Guajardo, Chief Brand Officer Europe, P&G;
• Preeti Srivastav, Group Head of Sustainability, Asahi;
• Rob Mayhew, adland’s favourite social media star and award-winning content creator;
• Isabel Perry, Global EVP of Strategy at DEPT;
• Andrew Tindall, Chief Growth Officer at System1; and
• Professor Andrew Stephen AM, L’Oréal Professor of Marketing, Deputy Dean for Faculty and Research, Head of the Oxford Future of Marketing Initiative, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

The day will end with the WFA Gala dinner, this year taking place at the Vasa Museum, with a spectacular view of the 17th-century warship, Vasa. Open to WFA members and invited guests, the event will take place in a temperature-controlled venue, maintained at 18°C to preserve the timbers of the vessel.

WFA President David Wheldon OBE will present the President’s Awards at the event, recognising a number of national advertiser associations that have helped deliver better marketing for people, planet and business in 2025.

Friday April 24

The week ends with the WFA Natioal Associations Council, the global forum for heads and representatives of national advertiser associations in WFA membership. Each year the NAC offers a unique opportunity to learn from each other, collaborate, share ideas, insights and success stories.