Future of Marketing Summit 29 - 31 July 2026
Ōtautahi Christchurch | New Zealand
Register Your Interest In Attending iMedia Future of Marketing Summit NZ

Introducing our Headline Speakers

Nick Gray

Founder & CEO, IGU Global

Most brands are competing for attention. Nick Gray has spent his career making the case for something harder to win and far more valuable: trust. As Founder and CEO of IGU Global, he helps organisations build emotionally intelligent brands, design human-centred customer experiences, and sharpen strategic thinking in an AI-powered world.

With more than 25 years across Nike, Adidas, Sneakerboy, Diesel, and Westfield, Nick has built a career at the intersection of emotion, identity, and consumer behaviour. In his session at the Future of Marketing Summit, he'll challenge marketers to move beyond attention-based thinking and explore how emotional coherence, not louder messaging, is what builds the kind of trust that actually converts.

See Nick's full bio here.

Nick Gray

Jarrod Kerr

Chief Economist, Kiwibank

Jarrod Kerr is Chief Economist at Kiwibank and one of New Zealand's most respected economic commentators. With experience spanning leading financial institutions — JP Morgan, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and Credit Suisse in Singapore — he is known for translating complex economic trends into clear, actionable insights. At iMedia Future of Marketing NZ, Jarrod will deliver an unvarnished view of the macro forces shaping the business environment, helping marketing leaders understand what today's economic realities mean for brand investment, consumer behaviour, and long-term growth.

See Jarrod's full bio here.

Erica Beagley

Head of Brand and Content, Kiwibank

Erica Beagley has spent two decades shaping some of New Zealand's most recognisable brands, from Heinz Wattie's and Air New Zealand to Emirates in Dubai. As Head of Brand and Content at Kiwibank, she now stewards one of the country's most prominent financial brands through a period that is testing every assumption about where brand investment pays off. At the Summit, she'll explore one of marketing's biggest leadership challenges: balancing long-term brand value with short-term performance demands, and making confident decisions before all the data is in.

See Erica's full bio here.

Jarrod Kerr & Erica Beagley

Full 2026 speaker line-up to be revealed soon




Thanks to our incredible 2025 speakers

 


Matt Townsend

Executive Product Director, AKQA

Alex Lawson

Head of Strategy & Media, Market Media

Karla Watts

Head of Client Partnerships, Market Media

Frankie Coulter

CMO, Goodman Fielder

Kate Heatley

Lead Business Partner, DDB Aotearoa

Sophie Renton

Managing Director, McCrindle

Louise Cummins

Founder, ACAM - Australian Centre for AI in Marketing

Skipper Lomiwes

Programmatic Manager, TVNZ

Jenn ten Seldam

Co-Founder and Director, Wingmaven

Jenny Appel

General Manager, OMD Content

Dr Sommer Kapitan

Associate Professor in Marketing, AUT

Ekant Veer

Acting MBA Director, University of Canterbury

Hone Paul

Director of Marketing, University of Otago

Iris Benedikt

Chapter Lead (Head of) Digital Performance Marketing, Air New Zealand

Richard Knott

SVP APAC, InfoSum

Emily Isle

Chief Digital Officer, MBM (Publicis Media Group)

Callum Lovell

Head of Marketing, New Zealand Mint | Agoro

Nick Peat

General Manager, Digitas NZ

Nikola McCarthy

Head of Digital Marketing, Samsung NZ

Alistair Jamison

CEO, The Radio Bureau

Ricky Chanana

Director of Sales ANZ, PubMatic

David Clarke

Executive Experience Design Director, AKQA

Dave Hockly

Director, Data Story

Mel Tweedie

GM Sales & Marketing, NZSki

Colleen Ryan

Partner, TRA

Sinead Boucher

Owner and Publisher, Stuff NZ

Brodie Kane

Broadcaster ,

Mark Jones

Co-founder and Chief Storyteller, The Story Code Co.

Natalie Grainger

Senior Brand Manager, Turners Auto Retail Division

YiLun Miao

Country Manager, ANZ, Niteco

Nathan D’Mello

Social Strategy Lead, The Warehouse Group

Courtney Newton

Head of Media, Stanley Street

Elle Lee

Managing Partner, Stanley Street