Brand Finance is pleased to be joining City Nation Place Global 2026, bringing together place branding, destination marketing, tourism and economic development leaders from around the world.
The conference provides a platform for senior professionals shaping the reputation and competitiveness of cities, regions and nations to exchange ideas, share best practices and explore innovative approaches to place branding, destination marketing and investment attraction.
Our Place Branding team will be contributing to the programme through two interactive sessions, drawing on Brand Finance's global research and expertise in measuring and managing place brand perceptions.
Wednesday, 4th November, 15:45–16:40
Effective place branding requires collaboration across government, tourism, investment, culture and the wider business community. This roundtable will explore how destinations can strengthen cross-sector collaboration, establish effective brand governance structures and align stakeholders around a shared vision to build stronger, more competitive place brands.
Thursday, 5th November, 12:30 - 13:05
Tourism is far more than a standalone industry. It is a powerful soft power asset that influences how places are perceived, trusted and chosen.
Drawing on findings from Brand Finance's Global Soft Power Index, this session will explore how tourism, culture and direct experiences shape familiarity and perceptions of place brands. Discover why tourism attractiveness remains one of the strongest drivers of place reputation, alongside economic strength and political stability, and how positive experiences can translate into greater demand for investment, trade, talent and education.
Register now to join Brand Finance and fellow place branding leaders for insightful discussions, fresh perspectives and valuable networking opportunities.
Attending the conference? Our Place Branding team would be delighted to connect. Contact us at enquiries@brandfinance.com to arrange a meeting with our team during the event.
David is the Chairman of Brand Finance Plc – the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. He has worked in the area of branded business, brand, and intangible asset valuation since 1991. He specialised entirely in the field after becoming the Director of Brand Valuation for Interbrand in 1995. He subsequently left Interbrand in 1996 to launch Brand Finance which is celebrating 25 years in business this year.
David represented the British Standards Institution in the working parties responsible for crafting international industry standards: ISO 10668 on Brand Valuation in 2010 and ISO 20671 on Brand Evaluation in 2019.
David is a passionate writer and has authored many articles on brand valuation, published in numerous marketing and finance newspapers and magazines, such as: Financial Times, Accountancy Age, and Marketing Week. He has also lectured on the topic of brand valuation for Harvard, Chicago, and London Business Schools.
David graduated from Bristol University with an English degree, qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in London, and obtained a postgraduate diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). He is a Fellow of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and has a practising certificate with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
Konrad leads Brand Finance’s place branding and soft power practice. He liaises with clients, directs consulting projects, and is responsible for the creation and promotion of the annual Global Soft Power Index, Nation Brands, and City Index studies.
Konrad has extensive experience in advising clients in the fields of place branding and public diplomacy. Before joining Brand Finance, he worked at the Polish Embassy in London where he developed and delivered successful marketing communications campaigns as well as media relations programmes of official engagements by the president, prime minister, government ministers, and the ambassador.
In his role at Brand Finance, Konrad has advised a variety of place branding organisations, including the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Campaign, New Zealand Story, and Cape Town Tourism.
Before moving on to grow the place branding practice, Konrad was the Communications Director of Brand Finance and Managing Director of Brand Finance’s PR agency – Brand Dialogue for 5 years. He has a proven track record in executing integrated communications strategies, having been responsible for publishing nearly 100 industry and country reports on the world’s most valuable brands on an annual basis.
Konrad has qualified with the Professional PR Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). He studied European Studies MA at King’s College London and the Humboldt University in Berlin, and International Relations with Political Science BA at the University of Birmingham.
Aglaë is a Place Branding Analyst based in London, where she supports the Place Branding team. She holds an MSc in International Relations of the Americas from UCL, graduating in September 2023 with first-class honours for her research on nation branding. Aglaë's interest in the place branding industry grew during her five-month traineeship at The Place Brand Observer, where she gained valuable insights and attended the City Nation Place Global Conference. Her role at Brand Finance involves client support, data analysis, report writing, and collaboration with colleagues to ensure smooth project execution. Fluent in both English and French, Aglaë is passionate about the evolving field of place branding.