Join Brand Finance for the exclusive launch of the UK 250 2026 report, now supercharged with keynote speaker Mark Ritson, the marketing professor renowned for his sharp, data-driven insights on brand strategy and growth.
Bringing together the UK’s leading CMOs and brand decision-makers, this flagship morning event offers insight, discussion, and high-value networking over breakfast refreshments, followed by light lunch bites after the session.
As part of Brand Finance’s global programme of events - launched earlier this year at Davos - this UK gathering explores a critical question: How can brands build trust, and convert it into measurable value, in an increasingly sceptical world?
Set against tightening CMO budgets and growing scrutiny on marketing effectiveness, the event also marks Brand Finance’s 30th anniversary, celebrating three decades of helping organisations understand and unlock the value of their brands.
Please note that attendance is subject to approval and venue capacity. To express your interest in attending, please request an invitation and a member of our team will be in touch.
| 09.00 - 09.30 | Registration & Breakfast |
| 09.30 - 09.35 | Opening Remarks David Haigh, Chairman, Brand Finance |
| 09.35 - 09.55 | Presentation of the UK 250 2026 Annie Brown, Managing Director UK, Brand Finance |
| 09.55 - 10.35 | Panel Discussion | The Trust Dividend: How CMOs Build Value in a Sceptical World Anne Stilling, Global Director Brand and Customer, Vodafone Group |
| 10.35 - 10.50 | Comfort Break |
| 10.50 - 11.10 | Keynote Presentation | Trust Vs Traction: Rethinking What Drives Brand Growth Mark Ritson, Founder, MiniMBA |
| 11.10 - 11.35 | Fireside Chat | Mark Ritson & David Haigh |
| 11.35 - 11.50 | Audience Q&A |
| 11.50 - 12.00 | Closing Remarks |
| 12.00 - 12.30 | Light Lunch |
Mark Ritson holds a PhD in Marketing from Lancaster University and was a marketing professor for 25 years teaching at London Business School, Melbourne Business School, MIT Sloan, and the University of Minnesota. An award-winning MBA educator, he is recognised as one of the world’s leading marketing experts. He has consulted globally for brands including Baxter, Dom Perignon, Annheuser Bush, De Beers, and Sephora, and from 2002 to 2015 served as in-house professor for LVMH, the world’s largest luxury group. He is the founder of the MiniMBA, which has provided MBA-level training in marketing, branding and management to more than 35,000 executives.
Passionate Marketeer for 25+ years –strong background in global marketing learnt in FMCG and telco sectors. Company s include Kraft Foods, Black&Decker, Young&Rubicam – but the majority in Vodafone Germany and Group. Functions include Strategic Planning, Commercial and Brand & Media. Believes in data-driven decision-making to stimulate growth, enjoys collaborating with creative minds and sees the magic in emotion.
Non excec in various boards (Vodafone Germany, Vodafone Group VSSL but also supporting start ups), Meta Emea client council member and WFA Exec Committee member.
Mother and passionate athlete (hyrox).
As CMO of L&G - Asset Management, Andy is a leader to a global marketing team spanning the UK, Europe, US and Asia. Drawing on strong in-house capabilities, the team drives commercial objectives across L&G with a range of full-funnel marketing - from raising brand awareness, to channel and product marketing, to sales enablement, CRM and retention. Awards include Investment Week Marketing Leader of the Year 2021 and Marketing Team of the Year 2022.
Andy joined L&G in 2019 from Vanguard, where he was Head of UK Marketing. Prior to that, he was First Vice President, Strategic Marketing & Communications, EFG International, based in Zurich, Switzerland. Previously Andy was a founding partner of GMQ, a strategic consultancy focusing on the wealth management sector. He started his career with a variety of leadership roles at Barclays and is a graduate in economics from Cambridge University.
Antonia is the global Chief Marketing Officer of PwC, leading brand strategy for one of the world's most trusted companies, driving global marketing campaigns and running the clientfacing technology stack. Before that, she was CMO at Capita where she built a strategic, data driven marketing function, transforming them from a loss making function to contributing 5bn+ pipeline. Prior to that, she led marketing for Thomson Reuters, delivering 17% of gross sales and 34% of pipeline. She also led marketing for Accenture’s $3bn operations business to accelerate sales, drive customer loyalty and raise brand profile. She is passionate about B2B marketing and building high performance teams, loves solving business challenges, and driving strong, creative ideas can build real differentiation and brand profile.
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).
Annie is a qualified management accountant and has worked on Brand and Business valuation projects serving global clients, including Barclays and Shell. She is experienced across of variety of services including brand licensing, research analytics, rebrand uplift and balance sheet valuation. Annie heads up various studies at Brand Finance, including the annual Global Intangible Finance Tracker (GIFT™) and the Brand Guardianship Index. In addition, Annie has conducted research and analysis for the Brand Finance brand rankings, specialising in Banking, Retail and Oil & Gas sectors. Annie has served clients worldwide, with a particular focus on the USA and the Middle East. Annie joined Brand Finance as an Analyst in August 2017 after graduating from The University of Edinburgh with a Masters degree in Philosophy and Economics. She has since completed her CIMA professional qualification.
Paula is a senior leader operating at executive and board levels in the intersection between strategy, branding, and sustainable development with experience in Europe, South America, and Asia. She worked with leading organisations such as the British Council, Samsung, Renault and Arcadis, helping to understand and grow the value of their brands. She also worked on strategic and multi-stakeholder engagement programs for non-profits such as the Gates Foundation, Forum for the Future and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.