A panellist guide — everything you need ahead of our prep call. No surprises.
Thank you for joining this one. We've deliberately kept the panel small and the calibre high — the industry, the client, the holding company and the independent view. We think that mix makes for the most interesting version of this conversation happening at Cannes this year.
01 — The essentials
02 — Who's in the room
Co-founder & CEO, REBORRN
REBORRN is a consultancy that works inside global marketing organisations — Coca-Cola, Carlsberg Group, PMI, L'Oréal, Microsoft, Google — on transformation. Giorgos writes on how marketing organisations need to change in the AI era, which makes him neither agency nor brand, but someone who sees both sides of the table.
CEO, EACA & President, VoxComm
The convening voice of the global agency industry and the author of the report that frames this discussion. Charley opens the session with the paper.
Opens the session
Global Chief Marketing & Growth Officer, Kimberly-Clark
One of the world's most awarded and respected marketers (previously Bayer, Heineken, Unilever), known for courageous, creativity-led growth — and currently leading the integration of Kenvue and Kimberly-Clark, designing a marketing organisation in real time.
The client's-eye view
CEO, the 4A's
An operator before an institution-builder — former CEO of DDB North America, Omnicom Health and Rapp, and founder of consultancy Kindrd Global — now reinventing the US agency association as a product- and AI-driven platform for its members.
The optimist-builder
CEO, WPP Open X
Leads WPP's dedicated team for The Coca-Cola Company, building one of the industry's most closely watched AI-powered operating models, following her transformation of WPP's partnership with Nestlé.
The future-at-scaleWant a one-pager on any fellow panellist before the day? Just ask — happy to share.
03 — Theme & the paper
The conversation starts from VoxComm's new report, “Redesigning the Agency Value Model” (written by Brian Kessman of Lodestar, foreword by Tim Williams of Ignition, introduction by Charley Stoney).
“You're not in the service business; you're in the business of solving business problems.”
04 — The angle & run of show
The angle. The paper makes the case for repricingthe work. We want to widen the lens to the bigger question underneath: as AI takes the cost of execution towards zero, the one thing it can't replace is taste and judgement — knowing which idea is right and having the conviction to back it. So the discussion is an honest, optimistic look at what actually survives and thrives: the next agency, and the next client–agency relationship. The moderator carries the provocations; the four of you bring the real-world truth.
Charley sets up the report and the core argument.
The bigger question — taste & judgement as the thing AI can't take — and warm introductions.
If agencies get this right, what does the next decade look like — and what has to change first?
You've said this is a different shape, not a decline. What gives you genuine hope right now?
If it's the middle of the work that's automating, does repricing get us there — or does the work itself have to change?
You're productising the 4A's itself. What have you learned about turning expertise into products that agencies could borrow?
You're designing a marketing organisation in real time. As you build it — what do you want to own and grow inside, and what do you want the best partners in the world to bring you?
Where does taste live in the organisation you're building, and how do you protect it when everyone's chasing efficiency?
A fun, blank-sheet thought experiment the whole panel builds together: the dream team to run a flagship brand from scratch in 2026 — who's in the room?
You're inside one of the industry's biggest transformations, building it with AI at the core in Open X. Paint the picture — what does that future look like day to day, and what's the role of human taste inside a machine that big?
A handful of fast, one-line takes down the panel — the fun, quotable round.
One sentence each: is the work better or worse in 2030 — and your one instruction for the room to act on?
05 — Help us make it travel
We're treating this as a moment, not just a session. If you can post once before Cannes, it genuinely lifts attendance and reach for all of us.
Register & invite your network →
Theme / hashtag: #MarketersDeserveBetter · Tag the others (and each other):
Panel announcement card, an animated GIF for LinkedIn, and a short copy kit.
06 — Film & reels
We'll have a film crew capturing the session. Afterwards, we'll cut a set of short reels and share them with you to choose from and post to your own channels — a clean, high-quality clip of you making your point, ready to go. Nothing is published without you having your moment in hand first. If you have brand or comms guidelines we should respect for your clips, send them our way.
07 — After the panel
Straight after the panel we're hosting a relaxed lunch at the Beach for panellists and a small group of guests — a chance to carry the conversation on properly and meet the room. Please keep the time right after the session free.
This is your platform as much as ours — if there's a point you're keen to make, a clip you'd love, or anything that would make the day easier, tell us on the prep call or anytime before.
Thank you again for being part of it.
— Giorgos & the REBORRN team