The Media Leader Awards 2025: Winners announced
JCDecaux UK’s Dallas Wiles and Chris Collins have scooped the Grand Prix accolade at this year’s The Media Leader Awards.
Medialab, Ozone, Havas Media, Just Eat Takeaway, giffgaff and MG OMD also featured on The Media Leader Awards 2025 winners podium.
The winners were announced during an awards ceremony earlier today at The Future of Media London 2025, held at Kings Place in Kings Cross.
Now in their fifth year, The Media Leader Awards remain the ultimate accolade celebrating media leadership in the UK, recognising those who are not only shaping the present but also building the future of media.
The Media Leader powers these awards as part of its mission to champion best-in-class thinking and execution in UK advertising and media today. This year, the awards continue to champion the industry’s most pressing challenges with ‘Excellence’ categories for Sustainability, Trust, and Talent, alongside a new category for 2025, recognising Best Use of AI.
The 2025 awards were judged by a panel of senior figures who run industry trade bodies and groups that push for positive change in the industry. You can see our full list of judges here.
The winners: The Media Leader Awards 2025
Media Leader of the Year: Brand
The winner is Lisa Walker — head of media and sponsorship, Vodafone UK.
The judges commented: “Lisa Walker is a defining voice in the UK media landscape.
“As Chair of the ISBA Media Leaders Steering Group, she has been instrumental in the progress of the advertiser-led Origin initiative, establishing unprecedented cross-media accountability, and pioneering new ethical standards through the Responsible Media Guide.”
Media Leader of the Year: Media Agency
The winner is Suzy Ryder — CEO, OMD UK.
The judges commented: “Outstanding work in the DE&I space and demonstrates real courage through application, a smart strategic thinker.”
Media Leader of the Year: Media Owner
The winners are Dallas Wiles and Chris Collins — Co-CEOs, JCDecaux UK.
The judges said: “Hard to find flaws in this submission. Impressive five-year transformation.
“Also impressed by the inclusion work – 60 colleagues as mental health first aiders, particularly impressive.
“Excellence against all judging categories.”
Media Leader of the Year: Technology
The winner is Marko Johns — UK managing director and head of agency, international, Seedtag.
The judges said: “Judges were impressed that Marko has doubled the number of clients using Seedtag as contextual solution of choice and launched the Manchester team.”
Media Leadership: Team of the Year
The winner is Havas Media Network UK leadership team.
The judges commented: “Good four-year story with a clear focus. Paddy’s strong leadership shines through.
“A strong entry packed with examples of what organisations can achieve across the judging criteria.”
Company of the Year: Technology
The winner is Displayce.
The judges said: “An innovative product showing good growth and expansion.”
Company of the Year: Media Owner
The winner is JCDecaux UK.
The judges commented: “JCDecaux UK’s 2024 performance is stellar, proving the enduring power of Out-of-Home media.
“The company achieved stellar revenue growth.
“This market is underpinned by a commitment to innovation, exemplified by the launch of their industry-first DMP and Optix creative pre-testing tools.
“Crucially, this success is balanced by a strong values-led approach, demonstrating that financial excellence and community impact can powerfully align.”
Company of the Year: Media Agency
The winner is MG OMD.
The judges said: “MG OMD have so many strengths in terms of client retention, innovation and culture, but for me their total commitment to sustainability sets a very high bar that makes them stand out even more.”
Company of the Year: Brand
The winner is Specsavers.
The judges said: “This entry showcases exceptional mastery in balancing brand iconography with granular performance media.
“Specsavers not only sustained its classic, highly-loved “Should’ve” advertising—successfully driving a viral media moment that lifted brand likeability and also simultaneously achieved a step change in direct business impact.
“Specsavers exemplifies truly effective, full-funnel media orchestration.”
Excellence: Best Use of AI (NEW FOR 2025)
The winner is News UK.
The judges said: “News UK’s entry represents a groundbreaking leap in applying AI to contextual advertising.
“This platform skillfully blends cutting-edge machine learning with essential human editorial insight.
“News has set a definitive new benchmark for intelligent, brand-safe targeting.”
Excellence: Sustainability
The winner is giffgaff and MG OMD.
The judges said: “A wonderful demonstration of the fact that sustainable practices in media planning and buying not only reduce emissions, but also lead to better business results.”
Excellence: Talent
The winner is Medialab.
The judges commented: “Medialab stands out as an agency where people-first culture is a genuine competitive advantage.
“Its comprehensive approach to talent development, underpinned by significant investment and inclusive initiatives like the ‘Bootcamp’ program, delivers clear business impact.
“Medialab proves that deeply investing in employee wellbeing and inclusive pathways is the definitive route to sustained excellence and growth.”
Excellence: Trust in Media
The winner is Ozone.
The judges said: “Ozone’s commitment to trust and transparency goes far beyond compliance, as demonstrated by the voluntary, six-month independent audit conducted by PwC.
“Ozone is proving that a collective, transparent approach is the foundation of a highly effective and sustainable digital advertising future.”
Future Media Leader of the Year
The winner is Lee Isaacs, senior media manager, Just Eat Takeaway.
The judges said: “Lee Isaacs embodies the future of media leadership by demonstrating that today’s most influential leaders don’t just shape campaigns, they shape culture.
“His ability to drive business-wide change and elevate underrepresented voices makes him a standout leader for the future.”
Grand Prix Judge’s Special Choice Award
The winner is Ravleen Beeston, regional vice president, Microsoft Advertising UK.
The judges commented: “Ravleen is an industry leader who is at the forefront of AI innovation and has been vocal in calling for collaboration to help shape how we in the ad industry use this era-defining technology.
“At the same time, she has long been a trailblazer for diversity and inclusion – sitting on the Board of Media for All – championing why inclusion is a strategic business imperative.”
Grand Prix Media Leader Award
The winners are Dallas Wiles and Chris Collins, JCDecaux UK.
The judges said: “In a fiendishly tough field of exemplary media leaders, the judges decided the leaders of the year Grand Prix Award should go to the co-leaders Dallas and Chris of JC Decaux UK.
“Proving two heads can be better than one.”