Phil Thomas
CEO of AscentialPhilip Thomas is Chief Executive of Ascential (part of Informa Group), which is home to LIONS, WARC, Contagious, Money20/20, Acuity Pricing and WGSN. He is also Chairman of Cannes Lions, having been CEO of Lions Festivals for ten years, between 2006-2016.
He began his career as a journalist, working on national and international magazines and newspapers, and editing Empire, the UK’s biggest-selling movie magazine, before moving into publishing and becoming Managing Director of FHM worldwide, launching the iconic men’s magazine in more than 30 countries.
He was appointed Managing Director of Emap’s Australian and South East Asian division, based in Sydney for three years, before returning to the UK and being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Lions Festivals.
Philip is a Non-Executive Trustee of the Media Trust and Malaria No More charities, and was cited as one of the Agents of Change for Gender Equality by the UK's Management Today magazine.
Mark Brennan
Marketing Lead at Allianz IrelandMark Brennan has had an exceptional career successfully building brands and driving commercial success for multiple brands across multiple industry sectors and geographies including Allianz, AIB, EBS, Guinness, Volkswagen and L’Oreal.
His career began, agency side, in London where he worked in some of the biggest global advertising agencies including DDB & Adam&Eve, honing his marketing craft for 10 years.
Mark joined AIB bank in Ireland in 2013 as Head of Digital Marketing & Innovation, when AIB faced one of the biggest marketing challenges ever confronted in Ireland – the rehabilitation of AIB in the aftermath of the financial crisis and the Government bailout. Mark was a key leadership figure in AIB Group Marketing, instrumental in turning the brand around and being recognised twice in a row as Ireland’s Marketing Team of the Year.
In 2021, Mark took on a new challenge, becoming the Head of Marketing for one of Ireland’s longest established insurance companies, Allianz Ireland. Already in his 3 years at Allianz, Mark has deployed his marketing acumen and leadership experience and together with his team, transitioned Allianz into the second most reputable insurance brand in Ireland, delivering exceptional business results.
Creatively and commercially, Mark has been central to driving the Allianz brand to great heights. Allianz made history in 2023 by being the first brand in Ireland to be awarded a Grand Effie for its powerful ‘The World’s Strongest Women’ campaign, relating to its charity partnership with Women’s Aid and developed with Forsman and Bodenfors Dublin. Allianz was also awarded two Golds in the Effies in the Finance & Insurance Services Category and Gold in the Media Content & Partnership/Sponsorship Effectiveness Category.
Karen Owen
CMO at LIPTON Teas & InfusionsKaren Owen is the Chief Marketing Officer for LIPTON Teas & Infusions, home to the some of the most loved tea brands in the world including Lipton, Pukka and PG Tips to name a few.
Karen is a distinguished marketing professional with extensive experience in leading major global brands to new heights. A FMCG veteran, her career, spans some of the most recognized names in the industry.
She started her career at Procter & Gamble in sales leading the UK & Irish Sales organisation in Healthcare before moving to marketing in Beauty. She grew Max Factor brand globally to beyond one billion dollars. She then moved to Coty leading brand building and innovation for the mass beauty brand portfolio, first across Asia and then globally.
She then transitioned from beauty to beverages, joining Diageo, where she drove transformation across the Luxury brand portfolio before moving to her current role at LIPTON Teas & Infusions.
Vera Sidlova
Global Creative Thought Leadership Director of KantarVera’s passion for art and psychology seamlessly aligns with her professional focus on creative effectiveness. She is a seasoned professional specializing in shaping a broad range of global brands by helping them connect with their audiences in ways that deliver business results.
At present, Vera works as the Global Creative Thought Leadership Director at Kantar. Together with a great team of thought leaders, she crafts point of views not only on creative effectiveness and enjoys sharing those in discussions, podcasts, articles and the like.
