Future 100 Club on their favourite Media Leader coverage from 2025
From hard-hitting investigations of social media safety to thought-provoking op-eds on sustainability and the industry’s flagship events, The Media Leader’s coverage in 2025 sparked important conversations across the industry.
We asked Future 100 Club members to share which pieces resonated most with them and why they made an impact. Their responses reveal the topics that mattered most this year: online safety, responsible media buying, the future of UK broadcasting, and the power of bringing diverse voices together for meaningful debate.
Progress often comes from those working quietly, across disciplines, to move things in a better direction
Matt Wilké, head of commercial partnerships, Media Plus
Sarah Pettitt, senior group business director, UK & INTL, Seedtag
“As a parent, I really appreciate the work journalists, platforms, and charities are doing to apply pressure to tech & social media platforms to improve their design & protect our children from harmful algorithms. Given the pressure and scrutiny applied to Open Web inventory, specifically news, it’s important to highlight the difference in scrutiny applied to social media with such huge investment into these platforms despite issues with targeting & brand safety.
“Jack Benjamin’s article is a stand-out piece that explores the ongoing challenges surrounding online safety, and where brands should be mindful of when investing so much of their spend into social platforms.
His coverage of Channel 4’s Rak Patel’s criticism of social media platforms is another great article highlighting the brand safety challenges and the onus on the advertising industry to enact the change needed. We as brands, agencies and consumers can drive the change needed to safeguard and improve these spaces.”
Molly Russell charity CEO: Social media’s user safety efforts have been ‘performative’
Colin Horan, strategic partner, FMCG, Bauer Media Outdoor
“It has to be the provocative article from Omar Oakes – ‘The Zuck stops nowhere: Why Meta will never be held accountable’. Daring to call out something many in our industry discuss privately but seldom confront publicly.
“Our industry has a responsibility to drive the change we want to see. If we believe in trusted, inclusive and sustainable advertising, then we should be pushing for these standards.”
Mitchell Cocker, founding partner, Piqniq
“Who doesn’t love the annual Future of Media London event.
“A fantastic networking opportunity to catch up with old and new faces, always with a jam packed speaker line up. Highlight for me this year was seeing Rak Patel & Kelly Williams talk up the future for UK streamers alongside some well deserved criticism of the US tech behemoths.
“This year’s event was made even better for me having been gifted tickets as a Media Leader Future 100 winner.”
Channel 4, ITV and Sky commercial chiefs ask advertisers to ‘turn down the toxic’
Lisa Boyles, head of go to market and media, giffgaff
“I was a big fan of ‘The future of media belongs to those who buy responsibly’ by Charlotte Liddell. The title immediately called to me and I was excited that someone else was loudly championing this. Reading it and seeing a reference to my work on the giffgaff Responsible Marketing Manifesto was a delightful surprise as well.”
Natalie Fox, head of client sales and new business, Guardian News & Media
“It would have to be the podcast with our very own Imogen Fox talking about the Guardian’s Shift Happens research – which we are super proud of.
“This state of the nation research project gives our clients and agencies deep insights into how our daily and weekly rhythms are changing – and how we should adapt to reflect this.
My personal favourite: ‘WTF has happened to Fridays?'”
Adam Scantlebury, head of technology, Media Hub
“This year’s Future of Media event was a standout: bigger, bolder and refreshingly not overloaded with AI.
The session that stayed with me most was the ‘it’s not too late to make a difference’ talk with Esther Ghey and Bauer Media, which challenged the whole Advertising industry to think harder about the money we pour into social platforms that still lack proper safeguards against harmful content. It felt urgent, human and exactly the kind of conversation the industry needs more of.”
Tim Bond, associate director, media, Ipsos
“I was invited to take part in one of the Future 100 Club roundtables at the start of the year to discuss innovation in the media and tech industry. I thought it was a fantastic session, very ably run by the Media Leader team of course, but mostly because the diversity of voices in the room and willingness to engage in a discussion (and disagree!).
“These types of conversations can’t happen enough, in my mind, and the willingness to be challenged is important for how we think about the future.”
Future 100: ‘Chaos provides opportunity’ in era of omnichannel planning and AI
Matt Wilké, head of commercial partnerships, Media Plus
“My favourite piece of coverage was the Future 100 Club announcement itself. Not because of the recognition but because it shines a light on the breadth of talent driving the industry forward.
“The write-ups, interviews, and follow-on discussions captured something rare, a sense of optimism rooted not in hype, but in the creativity, competence, and character of people who genuinely care about the future of media. It felt like a reminder that progress often comes from those working quietly, across disciplines, to move things in a better direction.”