Senior marketers from Specsavers, Unilever and Crocs are among the latest industry leaders confirmed to speak at MAD//Fest London on 5-7 July at The Old Truman Brewery. 

MAD//Fest London will see 175 global brands, challengers and agency heavyweights tackle a ‘ No Guts, No Glory’ theme. They include Kathryn Swallow, Global VP - Rexona at Unilever; Nicola Wardell, Managing Director of Specsavers’ The Agency; and Yann Le Bozec, Senior Marketing Director EMEA & LATAM at Crocs.

Swallow leads Unilever’s inclusive design and innovation drive across the Rexona brand. Unilever and Wunderman Thompson won the Innovation Grand Prix award at Cannes Lions last year for their revolutionary approach to meeting the needs of people with physical and visual impairments.

Recognising that most products and brand experiences are not designed with people who have disabilities in mind, Rexona re-engineered the product to include a hook design, allowing people with upper limb disabilities to apply Rexona (also known as Sure and Degree) with one hand. Swallow has also overseen Unilever’s drive to ensure that the firm’s marketing and advertising activities support people with disabilities and advance inclusivity. The session at MAD//Fest will be hosted by Creative Equal’s Ali Hanan.

Wardell heads up Specsavers’ in-house agency, The Agency. Specsavers is a pioneer of the in-housing trend and The Agency employs 90 staff across functions including creative, digital, CRM and UX. This week Specsavers celebrated 20 years of its iconic ‘Should have gone to Specsavers’ slogan with the release of a series of attention-grabbing askew billboards in London and Leeds.

Meanwhile, Le Bozec has led one of the most remarkable brand transformations in recent years, helping to shift Crocs’ reputation as guilty of crimes against fashion to Gen Z’s footwear of choice. Mocked by many, Crocs has doubled its sales to £2bn in just 6 years and established itself as a firm favourite of celebrities and young fashion-conscious consumers.

“As you’d expect of MAD//Fest, this year’s line-up features the exciting brands and talented people who have dared to think big, break with convention and execute campaigns that push the boundaries of creativity, innovation and cultural relevance,” said Dan Brain, MAD//Fest London’s Co-founder. 

“MAD//Fest attendees can expect to take away new creative ideas, fresh approaches that reflect what’s hot in 2022 and under-the-skin insight on the most distinctive and effective brand campaigns. And if this alone isn’t enough to put on your the office and get down to The Old Truman Brewery, you can also sample some of MAD//Fest’s famous hospitality as the likes of Dishoom, Campari and DJ Norman Jay MBE contribute to the Good Times!”

Over 7,000 brands and agencies are expected to attend MAD//Fest London 2022, 3,000 more than 2021 when MAD//Fest was the only UK industry festival to take place in physical form.  Other speakers for the 2022 edition include Rachel Waller, Global VP Innovation, Burberry; Cristina Diezhandino, Global CMO, Diageo; Tina Koehler, Global VP Marketing, Deliveroo; James Brown, MD, BrewDog; and Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder & CEO, S4 Capital.

Earlybird tickets are available here.