Wayne is a globally recognised creative leader with over 25 years of experience shaping brands and driving design innovation across Asia, Europe, and the US. His path into the industry has been anything but conventional. Following a professional surfing career, he found his way into advertising via AWARD School in Oz - an unexpected pivot that launched a career across some of the world’s most respected agencies and brands. Deakin has held senior creative and design leadership roles at Jung von Matt, Jam, Engine Group, AKQA, and Huge. Most recently, he served as Global Principal, Creative and Global Executive Creative Director at branding consultancy Wolff Olins, where he led global design and experience initiatives. In this role, he partnered directly with C-suite leaders to break down silos and reimagine what modern brands and experiences can achieve. Throughout his career, he has delivered transformative work for Google, Nike, Nothing, On Running, Selfridges, Apple, Chanel, LVMH, Uber, Mercedes and the Mercedes F1 team, LG, Lloyds, Rolls Royce, Ubisoft, BBC, and Warner Bros - even the Olympics and the United Nations, to name a few. As well as DTC, B2B and B2C brands, Wayne has worked with cultural institutions and helped create installations for galleries and museums - including work for BAFTA and the Serpentine. His output blends storytelling, technology, and design to deliver both cultural relevance and commercial impact. Recognised by major global award shows, he has judged and chaired prestigious juries, received numerous individual honours, and led agencies to win multiple industry titles. He has collaborated with icons such as Virgil Abloh and Milton Glaser, with his work featured in leading publications and design museums worldwide. A passionate advocate for Neurodiversity and emerging creative talent, Wayne regularly contributes to media and publications. He is also a sought-after speaker at conferences around the world, sharing insights on creativity, innovation, and the future of design - with his trademark optimism and energy in the power of ideas to create change

Katy is the Executive Creative Director with extensive experience leading creative campaigns for a diverse range of brands, including Royal Navy, B&Q, Green Flag, Sky, Southwestern Railway, the ECB, and WWF. She has also worked on pro-bono projects for organizations such as the Born Free Foundation, PETA, and Missing People. With a passion for blending creativity with strategic insight, Katy has earned recognition at major advertising award shows, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, British Arrows, Creative Circle, and Kinsale Sharks. Katy’s leadership and creative vision continue to set the bar in the advertising industry, as she consistently delivers impactful, engaging campaigns that resonate with audiences and drive meaningful results.

Marc is the Dean of the School of Communication Arts, widely recognised as the world’s most awarded ad school. He has spent over a decade helping emerging talent break into the creative industries and shaping future leaders in advertising and beyond. He’s also a transformational coach, speaker, and occasional troublemaker.

Rasmus Smith Bech is the Executive Creative Director at BBC Creative, the BBC’s in-house creative agency.

Viv Greywoode is the Head of Design at Stink Studios, where he oversees all aspects of design for a studio that has been awarded over 40 D&AD Awards. In his role, Viv holds sway over all design endeavours at Stink Studios, both within Europe and on the global stage. His close collaborations with Google, Peloton, LOEWE, and Channel 4 are emblematic of his commitment to craft and his comprehension of design across all aspects of branding, campaigns and digital experiences. Viv's journey into design started 15+ years ago within the Nike team at AKQA, where he spearheaded the design of campaigns and digital experiences for a range of categories, including Football, Basketball, Running, Innovation, and Nike Women's initiatives. Beyond his daily responsibilities, Viv contributes to the industry by nurturing budding talents through his partnership with Creative Lives in Progress. He is also a passionate public speaker, having delivered speeches at events such as the 2023 D&AD Festival, where he addressed the topic of Diversity in the Creative Industries and a presentation in 2022 at OFFF Festival about Creative Craft.

Hayley is a Creative Director and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Lead at Leo UK. Hayley has been a copywriter for over twenty years. In this time she has worked on numerous award-winning campaigns including ’The Meal’ for McDonald’s, removing the iconic smile from children’s Happy Meal boxes to help start conversations around children's emotions during Mental Health Awareness Week. Hayley loves ‘big ideas. The ones that give you goosebump's and says 'Winning awards is great, but I'd rather win the nation over with an ad that gets everyone talking.'

Originally hailing from Sweden where he studied and started his advertising career, John has spent the last 18 years he spent in London, at both small independent and big network agencies. He currently works as a Creative Director at Grey London. He has picked up awards in both major international and local shows like Cannes Lions, One Show, British Arrows, Creative Circle and Big Awards among others.

Ann’s career in applying creativity to persuade and move people began as a professional principle ballet dancer, pivoted to consumer PR, and led on to founding the ideas division for a media strategy hot shop. Arriving in London she pioneered the role of Creative Director in media in three different agencies and as Executive Creative Director founded an in-house Studio set up for a solution-first approach. She’s worked across almost every category from Government, FMCG to Healthcare, won multiple Awards with a diverse range of work including an IPA Grand Prix for Effectiveness, and served twice on the Jury for Cannes Lions alongside many other Awards. Her drive to diversify opportunities for creative talent and enable creativity in everyone with custom programmes made her a 2025 Campaign 40 over 40 winner. Ann currently consults for media owners and businesses to elevate and integrate their in-house creative teams and their output to drive business growth.

Ken is a social-first Group Creative Director helping brands build culture at the speed of the feed. From big, global and carefully orchestrated social-first campaigns to crafting deceptively simple but highly original viral content. 12+ years of leading teams to shepard non-traditional ideas into reality for brands like adidas, Activision, Pepsi, Guinness, Meta, Carlsberg and Starbucks. Always rooted in understanding what actually makes people stop, share or save on social.

As Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy UK and joint creative lead for Ogilvy One, Angus and his partner Johnny, have redefined brand engagement for nearly 20 years. They've shaped global brands like Coca-Cola, Unilever, Samsung and Formula 1. They also co-founded Ogilvy's progressive internship program "The Pipe", fostering diverse talent which previously had few paths into the industry. Their award-winning work has been recognized from the Oscars to Cannes to Sundance, and their leadership led to Ogilvy One being named Campaign's Agency of the Year in 2025.

Jon is ECD, Global Brands at McCann London. He’s been with McCann for 10 years, growing offices and winning shiny things. He started out as a copywriter on the Watford ad course under the legend that was Tony Cullingham, cut his teeth under Tim Mellors at Mellors Reay then spent 12 years at DLKW where he helped grow the agency to 450 people. Jon is also a creativity teacher for ELVTR, inspiring the next generation of Creative Directors.