I was delighted and honored to be invited to join a new ANA Growth Council called Data & Technology working alongside members Raja Rajamannar (MasterCard), Julia Goldin (LEGO Group), Marcel Marcondes (AB InBev), Mathilde Delhoume (LVMH), Elizabeth Rutledge (American Express), Karen Walker (Intel), Alicia Enciso (Nestlé), Norman de Greve (CVS Health).

The Global Growth Councils for Progress have been established by Cannes Lions and the ANA to help our industry achieve its full potential and make progress as a global force for growth and a force for good.

As a community of CMOs from the world’s top brands, the Global CMO Growth Council has made significant progress in tackling the core issues that are paramount to achieving success for your business – and indeed making the world more sustainable and equitable.

This year, it extended its remit and reach, and welcomed professionals from both agencies and brands to join its work as it focuses on the five most pressing issues – as identified by LIONS and ANA research.

Measuring the impact marketing has on business, people, and the planet is essential to creating long-term value. Yet, CMOs have struggled to demonstrate clear progress across an increasingly complex array of standards, frameworks, and initiatives. The recent Lions State of Creativity Study mirrors the key issues we face as an industry.

Mastering data and technology underpins our ability to deepen the connections between our brands and the people we serve – especially as the frontier of Web 3.0 unfolds. But we must first master the ability to measure our investments in the physical world before we can build brave contemporary brands in the blockchain-driven, token-based economy of a virtual multiverse.  

Together, Lions and the ANA will provide the year-round platform for the industry to convene and track progress, with the councils returning to Cannes Lions in 2023 for an update on the industry’s collective progress.

Excited to get involved.