Advertising Association to mark centenary at Lead 2026

More than 450 senior leaders from across the political, media and advertising landscape have signed up for the next ad industry annual summit, Lead, which will mark the Advertising Association’s centenary while setting the agenda for the year ahead.

The event, which is being hosted by the AA, together with its founders IPA and ISBA, will run under the theme “Leadership through trust” and take place on February 5 2026 at the QEII Centre in Westminster.

The half-day summit will examine the political outlook, the latest research into consumer trust in advertising, and how the industry can unlock future growth through creativity, AI, and responsible leadership.

Early confirmed speakers include Allwyn UK chief executive and AA president Andria Vidler, ISBA incoming director general Simon Michaelides BBH London chief executive and IPA president Karen Martin, CAP and Credos chair James Best and Google UK managing director Kate Alessi.

The event will be hosted by journalist and broadcaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy, while partner include Ozone and Google.

Advertising Association chief executive Stephen Woodford said: “Lead 2026 promises to be a particularly special event as we mark our centenary. Over the last 100 years, the UK ad industry has become a key part of the economy, recognised in the Government’s Industrial Strategy as a key driver of growth, exports and the wider creative industries.

“Our agenda of ‘Leadership Through Trust’ captures both our legacy and our future – underscoring how our industry must be trusted and trustworthy to help the UK to grow responsibly in the 21^st century.”

Since its launch in 2012, Lead has welcomed leading voices from politics, media and advertising to its stage, including former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Dame Carolyn McCall, Sir Chris Bryant, Lord Grade, Evan Davis and Nina Hossain, along with many Governmeninmt ministers, including DCMS Secretaries of State.

The full agenda will be published in the coming weeks.