Thank you for celebrating COMvergence’s 10th anniversary with us.
Together with clients, partners and industry leaders from media, marketing and technology, we explored the trends reshaping the media ecosystem under the theme ‘Shaping Today’s Media Ecosystem, Building Momentum for Tomorrow.’
From AI and agency transformation to retail media and the future of pitching, here are some of the key insights from an inspiring afternoon of discussion and debate.
We are indeed humbled by the immense support from the industry and our client for making our milestone celebration a roaring success.
The Media Landscape in Transition
Olivier Gauthier, CEO & Founder, COMvergence
Olivier opened the conference with COMvergence’s latest analysis of the global agency landscape, highlighting the evolution of the Big 5 agencies, the continued rise of independent agencies, new business performance, the world’s largest advertisers and a decade of MarCom acquisitions. To mark COMvergence’s 10th anniversary, co-founders Anne Spassky and David Lerault also reflected on the company’s journey to becoming a trusted global source of market intelligence.
AI Value Starts with People, Not Technology
Amy Armstrong, Global Chief Revenue Officer, Publicis Connected Media
Amy Armstrong challenged the audience to rethink AI adoption, arguing that technology itself is rarely the biggest obstacle. Instead, organisations must address culture, processes and change management to unlock AI’s full business value.
Global Media Outlook: What’s Next?
Kate Scott-Dawkins, Global President, Business Intelligence, WPP Media
Kate shared highlights from WPP Media’s latest This Year Next Year outlook, providing a forward-looking perspective on macroeconomic trends, media investment and the forces shaping the industry’s future.
The Future of Agency Operating Models
HoldCo Leaders Panel
Amy Armstrong challenged the audience to rethink AI adoption, arguing that technology itself is rarely the biggest obstacle. Instead, organisations must address culture, processes and change management to unlock AI’s full business value.
Moderated by Steve King, Former Global CEO Publicis Media
Panelists: Hamish Davies, Global Chief Growth Officer WPP Media, Shenda Loughnane, Global Brand President dentsu X, Jodie Stranger, Global Business Dev. Practice Lead Publicis Groupe, Neith Jauregui Morete, Chief Intl. Client Officer Omnicom Media
Retail Media Is Entering Its Next Phase
Lawrence Taylor, Founder, Retail 4 Brands
Lawrence shared his outlook for retail media in 2026, highlighting continued market growth alongside increasing investment concentration among a smaller number of scaled players, signalling a more mature and competitive landscape.
What Advertisers Expect from Tomorrow’s Media Partners
Advertiser Panel
Global advertisers discussed how agencies can deliver consistency, accountability and local relevance while navigating increasingly fragmented markets. The conversation reinforced the growing importance of partnership, transparency and measurable business outcomes.
Moderator: Scott Grenz, US Head of Operations COMvergence
Panelists: Jérôme Beniere, Global Media & Digital Mktg. Director Groupe SEB, Sébastien Meihaud, Global Media Director Danone,
The New Rules of Media Pitching
Media Pitch Management Panel
The panel agreed that pitches are becoming increasingly business-outcome focused, with greater emphasis on measurable ROI, transformation capabilities and integrated marketing solutions. AI, technology, governance and more sophisticated commercial models are now central to agency selection.
Moderator: Nick Manning, Media Agency co-founder, Founder Encyclomedia International
Panelists: Tatjana Slykova, COO & Co-Founder Abintus, Marino Vukovic, Director Advise Media, Nicola Chatterton-Sievers, Managing Director France & Belgium Ebiquity, Li-Da Fu, Senior Manager, PwC France
Why Independent Agencies Continue to Gain Momentum
Independent Agencies Panel
Independent agencies discussed how agility, entrepreneurial thinking and closer client relationships continue to differentiate them in a rapidly evolving marketplace, enabling them to compete successfully against larger holding companies.
Moderator: Marcus Brown, Founder & CEO The Great Pitch Company
Panelists: Thomas Jamet, CEO 7KIDS Cosmo5 Group, Thomas Le Thierry, Global Chief Growth Officer Mediaplus, Ali Reed, Chief Growth Officer Brainlabs, Gene Turner, CCO & President Agencies Horizon Media
Where Ad Tech, Media and Commerce Converge
Ad Tech Platforms Panel
The closing discussion explored how ad tech platforms are increasingly bringing together media, commerce and AI-driven capabilities, enabling more direct buying models, deeper publisher integration and greater automation across the advertising ecosystem.
Moderator: Brian Wieser, Founder, Madison and Wall
Panelists: Richard O’Sullivan, VP, Head of EMEA Revenue InMobi Group, Chris Keenan, Head of Agency Dev., EMEA & APAC StackAdapt, Niklas Hedberg, VP of Growth Camphouse
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating COMvergence’s 10th anniversary. We look forward to continuing the conversations shaping the future of media and strengthening our partnerships.
