“Our industry thrives on confident communication, but for those who don’t come ‘ready made’ with that skill, it can be a recipe for poor mental health and sometimes career halting. It’s not just about individuals though, I also believe it’s business critical."

Those were the words of Vanessa Jarrad, business director at Starcom, in her winning "Empowering Voices" pitch at The Future 100 Manifesto in 2024.

Her inspiring words have become the driving force behind The Media Leader's commitment to making "Empowering Voices" our guiding principle for this year's Future 100 initiative, as we pave the way for the media pioneers of 2025.

In the coming year, our mission is to amplify the voices of the Future 100, offering them platforms to shine as contributors to The Media Leader, speakers at our conferences, and through innovative initiatives we're unveiling. This includes the inaugural Empowering Voices conference, crafted by and for the Future 100, setting a new standard for engagement and inspiration.

What is the structure of the new Empowering Voices conference?

• The half-day conference will take place in June (date TBA)
• Between February and April, we will engage the Future 100 cohort through insightful surveys and dynamic in-person gatherings at Adwanted HQ, capturing their perspectives on the pivotal topics to be addressed
• Our content team will meticulously curate these insights to craft an agenda that will prominently showcase Future 100 members as speakers
• Our content team will gather those findings and plot out an agenda that will heavily feature Future 100 members as our speakers
• The event will be a gathering primarily for Future 100 club members, with special VIP invitations extended to our esteemed partners and supporters

Eager to play a pivotal role in the Empowering Voices conference? Whether you're in the Future 100 club and want to play your part in shaping the event or wish to champion this groundbreaking initiative as a partner, simply click the button below and we will be in contact shortly.

Vanessa Jarrad delivers her winning Future 100 Manifesto pitch at The Future of Media 2024 in London