The Media Leader has revealed its Future 100 Club’s Class of 2026.
Now in its fifth year, the annual programme celebrates the people helping move the media industry forward. Members of the judging panel met in person on 9 October to finalise the list, and the debate over the last places ran long.
The Class of 2026 spans the whole media ecosystem, with honourees from media agencies, media owners, advertisers and technology businesses.
You can see the full Class of 2026 here.
Future 100 Club was launched in 2022 by Steven Scaffardi, global CEO of Adwanted Content.
Unlike most rising-star lists, it does not consider age, length of service or job title. The only restriction is that C-suite executives cannot enter unless they are founders or CEOs of startups under 35 and with businesses no more than three years old.
Entrants were assessed against the Disruption, Inclusion, Courage and Excellence (DICE) framework, which asks them to show evidence of each quality in their work.
An industry that is in good hands
James Longhurst, content director at The Media Leader and chair of judges, said: “I want to thank our judges, who judged online and gave up a Friday morning to argue, carefully and generously, over who deserved a place.
“The conversation in the room was a reminder of how much talent sits below the job titles we usually celebrate.
“Reading the entries, what struck me was how many people are changing the way their businesses work without waiting for permission or a promotion.
“The Media Leader exists to help people in media do their jobs better, and the Class of 2026 will get a real editorial platform with us, not just a place on a list. Congratulations to everyone named today, and thank you to everyone who entered.”
The Class of 2026 will make its first official appearance at The Future of Media London on 3-4 November, with all members invited to attend. Readers will see members of the class across The Media Leader’s pages and stages over the next 12 months.
The Media Leader would like to thank this year’s judges: Aletha Adu (The Guardian), Ben Titchener (Vevo), Bill Dennett (Uber), Char Williams (Word on the Curb), Chris Dooley (JCDecaux UK), Chris Dunne (Thinkbox), Christelle Gental (independent consultant), Claire Gleeson-Landry (Good-Loop), Darren Thompson (Adlook), Davina Barker (Digital Cinema Media), Emily Hanson (Uber), Emily Roberts (Responsible Marketing Advisory), Emma Williams (Medialab Group), Francesca Coia (freelance consultant), Hamish Brown (Starcom), Jack Bellamy (VCCP Media), James Fleetham (The Guardian), Josh Chi (Omnicom Media Group), Lee Mabey (Global Street Art), Maria Rua Aguete (Omdia), Michelle Milner (the7stars), Michelle Sarpong (the7stars), Nikki Sehgal (Media For All), Rachel Compton (Tesco Media and Insight Platform), Sarah Salter (WPP), Shahkeh Petros (Qube OOH), Shelley Bishton (Think Twice House), Simon Akers (Archmon) and Tashan Nicholas (Relyte).
See the full Future 100 Club Class of 2026.
