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The Year Ahead 2026: Advice for future media leaders

The Year Ahead 2026: Advice for future media leaders

Steve King, chair of Croud, non executive director and investor and ex-CEO of Publicis Media joined The Media Leader to offer advice to people entering the industry.

King underlines that, despite significant changes in media, this is not novel.

He says: “There’s never been a static time, there’s always been change.”

To succeed in the industry now, King recommends diversifying your experience and gaining skills in many different areas.

According to King this is “the best way to grow,” and will result in being a “t-shaped” talent which agencies will be increasingly seeking.

Speaking on AI, King is positive about its prospects, describing it as “an exciting time” and an “accelerant” to learning.

Watch the full video below:

Nicola, Founder, Media Recruit , on 22 Jan 2026
“Great advice grads and early careers talent. Get exposed to as much as possible. However, at the other end of the spectrum, the current employer driven market, is looking for niche expertise and it's about honing in on that specialism. It goes without saying we should never stop learning and the one thing that everyone's dabbling in is AI. But AI is huge and my pro tip here is to look at what you can upskill in around data and AI”

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