UM CEO: Agencies must get better at collaborating in 2024

The Year Ahead 2024

For too long, media agencies that buy advertising for brands have been operating in silos and must collaborate with other companies to deliver value — even within their own holding groups.

That’s the view of UM’s UK CEO, Kara Osborne, who spoke to The Media Leader at The Year Ahead event this month.

Osborne, who took up the role in November, also highlighted “trust and belonging” as key issues for the industry this year, given that there are so many elections happening in democratic countries and the rise of generative AI threatens to worsen the spread of misinformation.

The agency boss also debated what will (and what should be) the most important themes in advertising and media for the year ahead, alongside Thinkbox CEO Lindsey Clay, former Procter & Gamble media lead Gerry D’Angelo and TikTok UK and Ireland general manager Kris Boger.

The Year Ahead, hosted by The Media Leader and Adwanted Events, is an annual get-together for UK media and advertising’s most influential people.

Videos of the major panels and debates from The Year Ahead 2024 are now available on Adwanted UK’s YouTube channel.