PREVIEWING:
THE LEADERS LAB
MAD//FEST 2026
In partnership with:
24 June 2026
The Leaders Lab is MAD//Fest's premium executive lounge - an intimate environment designed specifically for senior marketing, retail media, and business leaders.
Away from the busy festival floor, the Leaders Lab offers a comfortable space to network, hold meetings, recharge between sessions, and engage in conversations with some of the industry's most influential decision-makers.
It's a comfy lounge space to meet old friends, make new ones or just take some time to pause.
Access is strictly by invitation only. Attendees with access to the Leaders Lab will be notified prior to MAD//Fest and will have a confirmation on their MAD//Fest App homepage.
After the watershed: rebuilding trust in a post‐truth Britain
A fireside chat between two of ITV’s most senior journalists on the state of public trust, the fight against disinformation, and what brands stand to lose when independent news goes. Chatham House rules.
Featuring Charlene White, Presenter, ITV News and Laura Wilshaw, Editor, ITV News, ITN.
From Established Brand To Fast Moving Scale Up
How are CMOs are taking their traditional experience and applying it to new a different scale up businesses. Hear their experience and perspective of the switch up
With Gill Huber, Managing Director, Ingenuity+, Emma Colquhoun, Chief Growth Officer, Wingstop, Kate Davies, Marketing Director, Wildfarmed, and Richard Bowden, Chief Marketing Officer, Hostelworld Group.
After a full day at MAD//Fest, join us in the Leaders Lab for an exclusive, invite-only World Cup viewing experience.
Watch the match with fellow marketing and business leaders, enjoy an open bar, game-day snacks, and great company in a relaxed, intimate setting away from the festival crowds.
Expect an open bar, snacks, exclusive Leaders Lab access + a great time!
To find out more and RSVP click here.
Is Your Brand Machine Readable? A CMO Briefing
The success of multi-million dollar GTM plans now depends on whether machines evaluate your brand as accurately as humans do.
1. The CMO blind spot
How confident are you that AI systems understand what makes you different, and can articulate it to buyers on your behalf? Why AI discoverability is a board-level issue, not a digital team one. Data from the Semrush study.
2. Where your brand stands
A confidential look at the 4-Lever Audit. Attendees can benchmark their own brand in the room.
3. The strategic question
Facilitated: how are the leaders in this room thinking about AI in their brand strategy?
4. The new operating model
Neil and Naomi walk through the 21CB Go-to-Market Model built for the AI era.
5. What good looks like
Case examples from brands getting this right and the early-mover advantage on offer.
With Naomi Walkland, Chief Marketing Officer, Motorway and Neil Barrie, Co-Founder & Global CEO, TwentyFirstCenturyBrand
The Hidden Forces That Move Your Customers: Behavioural Science in the Real World
If you work in marketing, then you’re in the business of influencing decisions. And to influence effectively, you need to understand what truly drives behaviour. Behavioural science is one of the best ways to gain that insight. It’s the study of how people actually behave, rather than how they claim to.
In this session, Richard Shotton, author of The Choice Factory, will explore the behavioural science principles used by one of the country’s most successful brands – Dyson. He’ll dissect those techniques and reveal how you can emulate them at your business.
BRAND
SPEAKERS INCLUDING:
Ritual in an Age of Distraction
How ritual can restore presence, resilience and human connection in an increasingly distracted world.
With Loui Blake, Ultra Athlete, Serial Entrepreneur, Speaker & Co-Founder, Long Lane.
Cancer Research UK: Building Belief in an Age of Skepticism
As consumers become more discerning and attention harder to earn, trust has emerged as one of the most valuable assets a brand can build. This session will explore how organisations can create meaningful connections through transparency, authenticity and consistent experiences. Discover what it takes to earn trust and why it is increasingly the foundation of growth
With Claudia Nicholls, Executive Director of Marketing, Fundraising and Engagement, Cancer Research UK.
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