2025 saw an incredible amount of change and pressure for the industry and its agencies – steering the ship through heavy storms has become even tougher.

At Campaign's Year Ahead Breakfast Briefing in The National Gallery, editor Maisie McCabe led a discussion on leadership in a time of change, interviewing Dan Clays, CEO of Omnicom Media Group EMEA, Katie Mackay Sinclair global chief brand officer at Mother, and Magnus Djaba, chief client officer and Publicis Groupe.

The panel discusses the impact of AI, structural shifts within agencies and how people should care for each other during timed of change.

The Year Ahead Breakfast Briefing featured adland leaders talking about the trends and strategies for 2026, across creativity, technology, leadership, brands and media.

Further reading:

Agencies need to be AI literate to keep up with clients, Gravity Road global ECD warns

Creativity will see a return to ‘raw human honesty’ in 2026, Kyle Harman-Turner says

'Isn't it boring spending in the same place?': the case for a diverse media diet

Global sentiment towards sustainability has 'fallen off a cliff', Trainline marketer says

The Year Ahead 2026: Ad agencies

The Year Ahead 2026: Creativity

The Year Ahead 2026: Social

The Year Ahead 2026: Cultural trends

The Year Ahead 2026: Media owners

The Year Ahead 2026: Brands

The Year Ahead 2026: Technology

The Year Ahead 2026: Media agencies

Coming up in the Campaign Calendar:

Brand Film Awards: deadline on 29 January

Audio Advertising Awards: second entry deadline on 29th January, with multi-entry discounts

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