TheAlternativeSchool Creative MBA Unveils 44-Speaker Global Lineup for its 22nd Edition,
Empowered by Ursus
Fasten your seatbelt: you’re taking a shortcut to the future. Running Tuesdays & Thursdays (7-9 PM UTC+2) from Nov 10 to Dec 10, knowledge-hungry marcom pros can stream elite insights across 20+ disciplines straight to their screens. Master tomorrow, decoded by global creative icons.
What do an AI multidisciplinary artist and DJ creating soundtracks for Luc Besson, a creative born above the Arctic Circle who went from Hegarty to Droga and chaired the Film Lions Jury in 2026, and an award-winning design juror shaping a vast part of creative Africa have in common? Or a Spotify London strategist and a Belgian clinical therapist?
What about a Global Head of Product at TikTok and a Latino-American Lions winner who helped create the iconic Highway Gallery for Louvre Abu Dhabi while writing comic books in his spare time? Or a Red Dot-winning Greek product designer educated in Milan whose career bloomed in Shanghai, alongside an AdAge A-List producer whose signature is on hundreds of commercials that ended up with Lions, Pencils, and other shiny toys?
Consider a former radio DJ and copywriter turned global strategist who helped a challenger network become number one in Cannes, paired with a Bulgarian-born poet holding a PhD in Russian Classical Literature and a Fulbright scholarship at the University of Chicago, who also performs in global advertising. Or a former basketball player turned award-winning brand builder, and a Lead Creative Strategist from Spotify working alongside a multidisciplinary artist focused on generative algorithms, AI, and biological systems.
The connections keep multiplying: a South African former global jury member for major PR festivals and Top 25 Innovator in EMEA, alongside a customer-centricity strategist specializing in neuropricing. A specialist in Applied AI and Automation at HP, next to a charismatic brand manager coordinating the voice of Lavazza. A Croatian designer who made waves in Milan at Fabrica and alike, alongside a recipient of Ukraine’s Order of Merit, 3rd Class. The Brazilian number one sound producer and Latin Grammy winner, alongside a Slovenian Emmy-nominated Creative Director named one of the Top 100 Creative Leaders of 2026 by Creativepool.
The list goes on and on, and the pattern is clear.
Massive speaker lineup: 44 voices from 25 cultures
TheAlternativeSchool Creative MBA has officially dropped its massive speaker lineup for the 22nd edition of FutureProofCreativity. Running November 10–December 10, the five-week digital program will stream insights across 20+ creative and strategic disciplines straight to the screens of knowledge-hungry marketing and communication professionals.
"Accessing markets across borders is becoming a competitive advantage in itself. If Romania wants to move up the value chain, our young professionals need more than local excellence: they need exposure to different ways of thinking, world-class benchmarks and international networks. This is where TheAlternativeSchool Creative MBA makes a difference: connecting over 25 different creative economies means gaining access to different rules, mindsets and success models. That's a rare shortcut to understanding how very different worlds think, grow and compete. Ursus Breweries is proud to help create these bridges, connecting Romanian talent with remarkable professionals and diverse creative cultures Because sometimes the most valuable opportunity you can give talent is access to a bigger world", said Robert Uzuna, Ursus Corporate VP and the BRCC leader.
A Global Blueprint for the Creative Economy
Spanning Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, FutureProofCreativity connects radically different creative cultures, disciplines and systems leading to success.
In a world where formal education can take years, often relying on curricula increasingly outpaced by real-world exigencies, the world’s first Creative MBA proposes a high-density learning alternative. Curated by Tedi Migdalovici, distilling 20+ years of global marcom, creativity and innovation exposure as a delegate, juror and speaker, the module condenses a unique blend of expertise, complemented by real-brief work through kaizen-style iteration and intensive creative sprints.
Built as a series of “espresso-shot” evening sessions, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7–9 PM UTC+2, the curriculum explores future-oriented brand building, personal and commercial: from cultural coloratura, AI meeting biological systems and art, neuropricing and data-driven strategy to design, sound, PR, film, production, interactive packaging, research and self-development guided by a clinical therapist.
“Creativity thrives on diverse ingredients. Bringing together award-winning minds from 24+ creative economies makes FutureProofCreativity a melting pot of ambition, talent and fresh thinking. Ursus is proud to support a generation learning directly from some of the minds shaping the global creative economy,” said Gabriela Cretu, VP Sales, Ursus Breweries.
“Business increasingly relies on logic, numbers and data, all of which describe the past. Creativity remains one of its strongest growth drivers. At TheAlternativeSchool cMBA, participants learn both logic and psycho-logic, directly from world-class professionals sharing the insights that make the difference,” added Adrian Pasarica, Head of Marketing, Orkla Foods.
Quantum League of Talent
Among the44voices defining this edition are:
Agoria / Sébastien Devaud, France - Electronic artist and DJ merging AI, biology and visual art, with recent work for Musée d’Orsay.
The Sjönell Brothers, Sweden/USA - Pelle chaired the 2026 Cannes Lions Film Jury; Calle worked in creative executive roles at Fallon, BBH and Meta. Titanium Lions feature on their long list of achievements.
Edu Luke, Brazil - Brazil’s No. 1 sound producer, with 69 Lions and 6 Grand Prix.
Kirill Karnovich-Valua, Slovenia - Emmy-nominated creative director, Creativepool Top 100 Creative Leader 2026, with 300+ international distinctions.
Keri-Ann Stanton, South Africa - Provoke Media Top 25 Innovator in EMEA, international juror, 100+ industry awards.
Asma Humayun, UK/Pakistan - The One Club’s No. 1 APAC Director for Creative Effectiveness; winner of the region’s first Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Good.
Marie Claire Maalouf, UAE - Edelman EMEA CCO, 100+ international accolades, Cannes Lions and Dubai Lynx winner & juror, Athar Festival programme lead.
Kavi Rajapaksha, Sri Lanka - Yara Foods COO, Faculty of Brands co-founder, Top 50 Women in Management, 30+ effectiveness honors.
Ilia Anufrienko, Ukraine/UK - Ad Age 40 Under 40; founder of Bickerstaff.724, Boutique Advertising Agency of the Year, 200+ global awards.
Tom Theys, Belgium - Happiness Brussels CSO; strategy leader behind Cannes Lions Network of the Year and Ad Age Agency of the Year wins.
Kirsten Ludwig, USA - IN GOOD CO co-founder; Good Thinking reaches 17,000+ CEOs and brand leaders.
Ralph Laucella, USA/UK - 2025 Emmy winner; O Positive Films founder, ranked #3 Palme d’Or Production Company of the Decade.
“Every economy develops its own way of generating value. Learning directly from people who understand those different systems is one of the fastest ways to expand perspective. By bringing together leading voices from 24+ creative economies, TheAlternativeSchool Creative MBA builds exactly this kind of ligature,” said Robert Uzuna, Corporate Affairs, Ursus Breweries.
100 Scholarships for the Next Wave
Marking its 22nd year, TheAlternativeSchool, together with Ursus and long-term supporters Orkla Foods, Shutterstock and WeInvent, is offering 100 fully funded scholarships for forward-thinking professionals.
On the jet set Creative Industry Alliance, both Media Marketing & The Faculty of Brands are celebrated partners.
Candidates can qualify by submitting solutions to the four BAM school briefs by November 5 at georgiana@thealternativeschool.com. Speakers and jurors are also sharing advice through the Creative MBA Instagram account ahead of the deadline.
Selected individual applicants may be paired with complementary creative partners, continuing TheAlternativeSchool’s focus on collaboration, portfolio development and international exposure for its strongest talent.
FutureProofCreativity runs November 10–December 10, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7–9 PM UTC+2.
EMEET THE SPEAKERS, THEIR FABULOUS CAREERS AND THEIR TALKS
WEEK 1: Tuesday, 10.11 / 7 TO 9 pm / ON LINE
DENMARK: Linh Pham, Senior Marketing Associate, Publicis Nordics
The Nordic Edge: Decoding the Creative Style That Rewrote the Playbook
Speaker’s bio: Linh Pham is a Senior Marketing Associate at Publicis Nordics in Denmark, where she works across marketing, communication, and creative initiatives in one of the region’s leading agency networks. With a background rooted in marketing and brand communication, Linh brings together strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, and a strong understanding of how brands can build meaningful connections with their audiences. Her work sits at the intersection of culture, creativity, and communication, supporting brands in navigating an increasingly fast-moving and connected landscape. At Publicis Nordics, she contributes to developing ideas and initiatives that turn strategic thinking into relevant and engaging brand experiences.
Linh is an AlternativeSchool Creative MBA alumna and a former Young Lion.
WEEK 1: Thursday, 12.11 / 7 TO 9 pm / ON LINE
UAE: Alex Pineda, Chief Creative Officer, Horizon FCB MENA
Case Studies: A Quest to Package Work That Wows the Jury
Speaker’s bio: Alex Pineda is a creative leader with more than 23 years of experience across the Middle East, Europe and Latin America. He has worked with leading brands and institutions, including Nissan, the Louvre Museum, KFC, Fortum, Emirates, Standard Chartered Bank and McDonald’s. His work has been recognized at Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show, the Clio Awards, Dubai Lynx, Eurobest, the London International Awards, New York Festivals, WARC, the Webby Awards, the Effies, MAD STARS, Epica, El Ojo de Iberoamérica, Lápiz de Acero and the Cresta Awards. A firm believer in creativity as a force for positive change, Alex is also a founder, partner and instructor at NOGMA Creativity School, one of the most innovative creativity schools in Colombia and Latin America. He is also a comic-book artist and writer, and the creator of “El Dorado: Myths and Legends,” a series inspired by the mythology and culture of the indigenous peoples of Colombia. Beyond work, he is the proud dad of three rescued rabbits: Mango, Barley, and Sugar.
SINGAPORE: Anny Havercroft, Global Head of Product MarComs and Industry Education, TikTok
TIKTOK trends for creators: challenging the obvious
Speaker’s bio: Anny Havercroft is a CMO Top 50 recognized leader, currently serving as the Global Head of Product MarComs and Industry Education at TikTok. With an extensive career spanning major digital giants, she previously held senior leadership roles, including Director of Brand Innovation & Marketing at Yahoo, driving digital transformation across the UK, Australia, and APAC. Her core expertise lies at the intersection of culture, technology, and brand strategy, with a strong focus on scaling creativity and integrating emerging technologies like Generative AI. Today, she steers global communication initiatives that connect brands to TikTok’s commercial ecosystem while actively serving as a Board Director and industry educator.
GREECE/ CHINA / ITALY: Venia Giota, Founder & Design Director, Venia Giota Design | The Tea Club
Made in Grece. Made in Italy. Made in China.A product designer perspective.
Speaker’s bio: Venia Giota is a product designer, creative director, founder and researcher whose international career spans corporate design, creative leadership, entrepreneurship and independent practice.
Educated at the University of the Aegean and Domus Academy in Milan, she began her career with companies including 3M and BIC and through collaborations with established Milanese design studios. She later moved to Beijing and Shanghai, where she worked as a Creative Director, co-founded the consumer-products company Pinvita and established her independent design studio.
Today, Venia leads Venia Giota Design and The Tea Club, collaborating internationally across product and spatial design. She is a member of the Red Dot Award: Product Design Jury and a PhD candidate researching AI and Design Thinking. Her work brings together professional practice, entrepreneurship and research, with a continuing interest in how culture and technology influence design and the designer’s evolving role.
PAKISTAN: Rifah Qadri, Executive Vice President - Head of Marketing - Digital Banking, UBL
Why business numbers should depend on creative marketing
Speaker’s bio: Rifah Qadri is EVP & Head of Marketing at UBP in Pakistan, where she leads the bank’s marketing and brand strategy, shaping how the organisation connects with its customers and the wider market. With extensive experience across marketing, communications, and brand building, Rifah brings together strategic thinking, creativity, and a deep understanding of consumer behaviour to drive meaningful brand engagement. Her work focuses on building distinctive brand experiences while aligning marketing with broader business objectives. As a senior marketing leader, she is passionate about the evolving role of creativity, innovation, and storytelling in shaping brands in an increasingly dynamic financial landscape.
USA / UK: Ralph Laucella, Founder, O Positive Films
Advertising's secret weapon: the resourceful producer behind every award-winning director
Speaker’s bio: Ralph Laucella is a Founding Partner/Executive Producer of O Positive, one of the world’s top commercial production companies. O Positive won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial for Uber’s ‘Brian Cox Goes to College,’ along with agency Special US, in 2025. Ralph has produced hundreds of commercials along with acclaimed short films, and has worked closely with a long list of celebrities and influencers along with all major sports franchises. He worked for two decades on ESPN’s iconic award-winning This Is Sports Center campaign. O Positive has been honored by prestigious industry shows including Cannes Lions, AICP, D&AD, One Show, Webbys and others, along with AdAge’s Production Company A-List. An industry leader, Ralph served as the 2024 AICP Show Chairperson, is a member of the Television Academy’s Executive Committee for Commercials Peer Group for the Emmys and has a seat at the table for DGA commercial production negotiations.
WEEK 2: Tuesday, 17.11 / 7 TO 9 pm / ON LINE
BELGIUM: Tom Theys, CSO, Happiness Brussels
Befriend your enemy
Speaker’s bio: Tom Theys started his advertising career as a copywriter and radio DJ, rapidly transforming into one of Europe's top strategic minds as Strategy Director at Duval Guillaume and Managing Partner at Publicis Brussels. His early breakthrough came from blending creative storytelling with data, which propelled him to the global stage as EVP of Global Strategy at FCB in London and New York. During this foundational period, his methodologies helped secure historic wins, including Cannes Lions Network of the Year and Ad Age Agency of the Year. Today, as Chief Strategy Officer at Happiness Brussels, he leverages this decades-long track record of elite brand transformation to mentor the next generation of creative leaders.
UAE: Marie Claire Maalouf, CCO, Edelman EMEA, Juror & Winner Lions PR
Inside the PR Jury Room: What Makes an Idea Stand Out?
Speaker’s bio: Marie Claire Maalouf is a PR and communications professional based in the UAE, working across the MENA region. With experience on both sides of the awards world, as a PR practitioner and as a juror, she brings a valuable perspective on what makes an idea not only creative, but relevant, effective, and capable of creating real impact.
Her work sits at the intersection of storytelling, culture, and strategic communication, with a strong understanding of the diverse audiences and rapidly evolving creative landscape of the MENA region. As part of the creative and PR awards community, Marie Claire has also been recognised for her work as a PR winner and has contributed her expertise as a juror, evaluating ideas from across the industry.
BULGARIA: Ivan Landzhev, Founder Guts & Brains, Juror Brand Experience & Activation, Cannes Lions
How Writers Think, How Creatives Create
Speaker’s bio: Ivan Landzhev is the Chief Creative Officer at guts&brainsDDB Sofia, Bulgaria. As a creative director, he has been awarded at Cannes Lions, Golden Drum, Epica, and shortlisted at the Clio's. He is one of the most well-known contemporary Bulgarian authors, with his poems and essays translated into several languages. Ivan holds a PhD in Russian Classical Literature and was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the University of Chicago (2023), as well as writer-in-residence at Literarisches Colloquium, Berlin (2022). He translates from English and Russian, writes lyrics for music, and teaches creative writing. Married, has one daughter, one cat, and a few guitars.
ROMANIA: Amelia Podariu, Customer Centricity Strategist
NEUROPRICING: Building meaning before price
Speaker’s bio: Amelia is a consumer-centricity strategist with more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of consumer insights, innovation, customer experience, neuromarketing, and strategic foresight. She is recognized for her ability to bridge people, data, and business decisions, helping organizations transform deep customer understanding into meaningful strategies, stronger brands, and lasting relationships.
BELGIUM: Laurien Engels, Clinical Therapist, Praktijk HET WOUD
Self worth, self trust and dealing with rejection
Speaker’s bio: Laurien Engels launched her career in mental health as a family counselor and therapist for the psycho-educational team at Pleegzorg Antwerpen, where she spent seven foundational years mastering systemic family dynamics. Her early breakthrough in clinical psychology came from blending traditional psychotherapy with experiential, body-oriented frameworks like Reconstructive (LABS). This foundational success led her to establish her own thriving private practice, Het Woud, in 2018. Today, she leverages her deep expertise in attachment patterns and trauma healing to conduct high-impact individual, relationship, and group therapy sessions, while co-hosting the popular relationship podcast Liefde tussen Hemel en Hel.
WEEK 2: Thursday, 19.11 / 7 TO 9 pm / ON LINE
ROMANIA: Vlad Dumitrescu, Founder, @illustrescu
Case Study: Designing with intent
Speaker’s bio: Vlad Dumitrescu is an illustrator and designer specialized in guiding brands through the full visual process, from creative direction to strong execution. A former high-level basketball player, he represented Romania in international competitions.
Competing at an elite level shaped how he works today, instilling a deep sense of discipline, structure, and the ability to perform under pressure. Long before design became his profession, drawing was already a central part of his routine, a parallel craft that eventually grew into a thriving business.
Today, Vlad helps brands translate strategy into bold, memorable visuals, ranging from illustration-driven identities to large-scale applications, always balancing creativity with clarity, execution, and real-world impact.
ROMANIA: Raluca Crăciun, Group Marketing & Innovation Director, Aquila Romania
How to build brands engaging magnetic communities ?
Speaker’s bio: Raluca Crăciun is a Group Marketing & Innovation Director with more than 20 years of experience working behind brands that people recognize, experience, and connect with. She started her career on the ground, growing step by step from promoter to team leader and brand builder. With a background shaped in advertising agencies and further developed across FMCG and HoReCa, she brings both strategic thinking and hands-on execution into the way brands are built and activated. Today, Raluca coordinates integrated marketing activities for over 20 brands and plays a key role in shaping how brands like Lavazza are experienced in the local market.
Her work is driven by energy, creativity, and a strong connection to people, with a constant focus on building communities, creating memorable brand experiences, and bringing brands closer to their audiences.
ROMANIA: Ada Antofi, Creative Director & Owner, formr creative studio
Building better brands: why clarity comes first ?
Speaker’s bio: Ada Antofi is a Creative Director and the owner of formr, an independent creative studio based in Romania. Working at the intersection of creative strategy, design, and digitally born brand communication, she develops ideas and visual identities that help brands find a distinctive voice and a meaningful place in culture.
Through formr, Ada works across different creative disciplines, bringing together strategic thinking and a strong design perspective to create work that is both conceptually relevant and visually distinctive. Her approach is rooted in curiosity, experimentation, and a belief that strong creative work starts with a clear idea and finds its power in how that idea is brought to life.
As an independent creative leader, Ada is also part of a growing generation of Romanian creatives shaping the local creative landscape while working with a broader international perspective. She is the proud alumna of TheAlternativeSchool Creative MBA.
UK / BELGIUM: Nurya Doorenbos, Lead Creative Strategist Global Accounts, Spotify
Beyond Social-First: Building Brands People Want to Engage With
Speaker’s bio: Nurya Doorenbos is a Lead Creative Strategist for Global Accounts at Spotify, bringing a global perspective to the intersection of creativity, culture, platforms, and brand strategy. Her career has taken her from social strategy at Ogilvy Social.Lab, where she worked with global brands including IKEA, Iglo, and Siemens, to developing strategy for the global Milka account and later joining TikTok as a Brand Strategist for its European Entertainment business, working with brands such as Warner Bros., Netflix, and Disney.
Throughout her career, Nurya has focused on understanding how people behave in social spaces and how brands can participate in culture rather than simply communicate at audiences. Her work explores the evolving relationship between platforms, communities, creators, and brands, with a particular interest in what makes communication genuinely social and culturally relevant.
A recognised voice in the strategy and creative community, Nurya has also served as a juror for The One Show and contributes to conversations around social-first thinking, creative strategy, and the changing role of platforms in brand building.
FRANCE / MORROCO: Agoria, aka Sébastien Devaud, AI Visual Artist, Electronic Music Producer, Creative Director, Sapiens Records
Music.Video. Nature.Tech. What can go well?
Speaker’s bio: Agoria is a French multidisciplinary artist whose work connects technology and nature. Bringing together art, music, and science, Agoria’s focus on generative algorithms, AI, and biological systems have resulted in his unique art, from depicting brain cells as mysterious and galaxy-like, to exploring how plants communicate, and the repetitions of human gestures.
His masterpiece {Sigma Lumina}, created for Le Musée d’Orsay, reimagines classical works through his practice, offering a modern dialogue with historical art.
WEEK 3: Tuesday, 24.11 / 7 TO 9 pm / ON LINE
SOUTH AFRICA: Keri-Ann Stanton, Founder, KAMuses
PR: feed the machines
Speaker’s bio: Keri-Ann Stanton is the Founder and Chief Strategist of the KAMuses Consultancy Group, an independent African offering challenging the conventions of public relations by treating reputation as a business driver. With more than two decades in the industry, she has built and scaled multiple agencies including Kezi Communications, Engage Joe Public and Avatar PR, before launching KAMuses in 2020 with a disruptive business model.
Her work sits at the intersection of strategy, creativity, and commercial accountability—producing ideas that don’t just earn attention, but shift perception and deliver measurable impact. Under her leadership, KAMuses has earned over 100+ industry awards across the Loeries, SABRE EMEA and IPRA, among others working with some of Africa’s most influential global brands.
Recognised by Provoke Media as a Top 25 Innovator in EMEA, Stanton is known for her direct, no-fluff approach and her ability to cut through complexity to solve real reputational challenges. She is driven by a belief that the future of communications belongs to those who can connect cultural truth with business results-and prove it.
ROMANIA: Miruna Scrima, Director Applied AI & Bucharest site lead, @HP Inc Romania
The Human Edge: How to stand out in a tech saturated world
Speaker’s bio: Miruna leads Applied AI & Automation at HP and serves as the Site Lead for Bucharest. With nearly two decades of experience in tech, she coordinates a multidisciplinary team that transforms how a global organization works using AI. She is the person who translates fluently between strategy and execution, believing that the hardest part of AI adoption is not understanding the technology, but how people are guided through change—with the decisive advantage remaining deeply human.
GHANA: Colin Yesutor, Creative Director, Havas Africa, Juror Design, Cannes Lions 2026
Art/Design & Advertising: Through the African Lens
Speaker’s bio: Colin Yesutor serves as the Creative Director for Havas Africa in Ghana and Nigeria with over 13 years of industry experience. A graduate of the National Film and Television Institute where he majored in animation, Colin entered advertising with a distinct creative foundation. His career path has been at some of the best agencies in Ghana including Origin8 Saatchi and Saatchi, Publicis West Africa, SCANAD, and Now Available.
Colin combines fine art and graphic design skills to translate client visions into compelling visual narratives. He has been part of projects for major brands such as MTN, Guinness, Nestle, Good Business (Sky Girls), Jumia, CFAO, Danone, Reckitt etc.
His design perspective is influenced by icons such as Massimo Vignelli, Michael Bierut, and Herb Lubalin. By channeling these masters, he ensures his work remains timeless and functional. In June 2026 he served as part of the shortlisting jury for Cannes Lions Design where he judged and vetted over 200+ entries for the Cannes Lions Awards. This experience has created another layer of exposure and knowledge on his craft. Outside of his professional duties, Colin enjoys spending time with friends, playing video games, or watching videos about design and technology.
ROMANIA: Amelia Podariu, Innovation Manager, Bimbo Romania (Vel Pitar)
HUMAN FIRST. IDEA SECOND. Why future-proof ideas start with insight, not brainstorm.
CROATIA: Anselmo Tumpić, ECD & Co-owner, Studio Tumpić/Prenc
Interactive Packaging Design: When Packaging Becomes an Experience
Speaker’s bio: Anselmo Tumpić, Executive Creative Director and co-founder of Studio Tumpić/Prenc, a visual communications studio based in the beautiful Mediterranean town of Rovinj, Croatia. Before founding the studio in 2017, Anselmo worked at Fabrica (Benetton’s communication research centre), as well as at BBDO and Saatchi & Saatchi in Milan. Since its inception, the studio has worked on a diverse range of projects, including marketing campaigns, visual identities, packaging design, and interactive physical exhibitions. In addition to his work at the agency, Anselmo dedicates part of his time to contemporary art, through which he has exhibited in numerous shows, including Ars Electronica in Linz in 2014. The studio’s work has gained recognition from both industry experts and the media, receiving prestigious awards such as Cannes Lions, D&AD Awards, Art Directors Club New York, London International Awards, ADC Europe, Epica Awards, Dieline Awards, Pentawards, Communication Arts Award, Cresta Awards, European Design Awards (Grand Prix), Red Dot Award (Best of the Best), Golden Drum, Design Intelligence Award, IIID Award, IdejaX, HDD Award, and many more.
WEEK 3: Tuesday, 26.11 / 7 TO 9 pm / ON LINE
UKRAINE: Alexander Smirnov, CMO, Trueplay, co-founder, Tabasco
The Age of Infinite Ideas: Why Taste Matters More Than Ever
Speaker’s bio: Alexander Smirnov is a creative and marketing strategist, CMO at Trueplay. He is a former President of the Ukrainian Art Directors Club.
Over more than 20 years in advertising and marketing, Alexander has led creative work for brands including Vodafone, Credit Agricole, Ferrero, Hyundai and others. His work has received an Effie Grand Prix, Gold, Silver and Bronze Effies, and multiple other awards.
He is also a recipient of Ukraine’s Order of Merit, 3rd Class.
ROMANIA: Manuela Mancas, Founder & Managing Director, AHA Moments
What Research Can Teach Creatives?
Speaker’s bio: Manuela Mancaș is the Founder and Managing Director of AHA Moments, an independent market research agency she built around a simple belief: the most valuable insights are the ones that go beyond the data and reveal something meaningful about people. With more than 19 years of experience in market research, Manuela has worked across industries and research methodologies, developing a strong expertise in consumer behaviour, strategic insights, and turning complex data into actionable business perspectives.
Since founding AHA Moments, she has led research programmes covering consumer and shopper behaviour, brand and communication, and emerging demographic and cultural trends. Her work has included large-scale projects exploring how people make choices, how society is changing, and what these shifts mean for brands and businesses. She is also an active voice in the Romanian research and marketing community, regularly sharing insights at industry events and conferences.
For The Alternative School, Manuela will take students beyond the numbers and into the thinking behind them, showing how understanding people can uncover the kind of insights that make strategies, ideas, and brands more relevant.
BRAZIL: Edu Luke, Founder, HEFTY Music & Sound, Audio & Radio Lions Juror
Beyond the Prompt: The Future of Audio Advertising
Speaker’s bio: Edu Luke was born into a family of hard‑working musicians and has been immersed in music since day one. A multi‑instrumentalist, Latin Grammy–nominated composer and producer, he first made his name in the Brazilian music scene, collaborating with a wide spectrum of bands and artists.
Everything changed when he collided with the audiovisual universe and recognized sound as his most powerful storytelling tool. Fusing musical precision with creative risk‑taking, Edu began crafting sonic experiences for brands, award‑winning film directors and advertising agencies.
In 2015, he founded HEFTY Music & Sound, a company dedicated to advertising and branded content. Since its debut, HEFTY has collected more than 250 international awards, including 69 Cannes Lions, with 6 Grand Prix and 9 Golds across categories such as Entertainment for Music and Audio & Radio. Additional Grand Prix honors include Clio Awards, The One Show, and Ciclope Latino, through collaborations with brands like Nike, Netflix, Unilever, AB InBev, Samsung, Heinz, and Burger King.
In the latest Meio & Mensagem ranking, based on open voting by 100 of Brazil’s top creative and production leaders, Edu was elected the country’s number‑one sound producer.
SLOVENIA: Kirill Karnovich-Valua, Founder & Creative Director, Digital Da Vincis
Storytelling in the era of AI: Can humans stay at the helm of creativity?
Speaker’s bio: Emmy-nominated Creative Director and Producer. Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS). Included in the list of Top-100 Regional Creative Leaders in the Adria region in 2025/2026. Named among the Top-100 Creative Leaders of the Year 2026 by the Creativepool platform in the UK. Kirill is a pioneering creative working in the AI field since 2021. Founder & Creative Director at Digital Da Vincis - a boutique AI creative studio based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Jury at the News & Documentary Emmy®️ Awards, The One Show Awards, The Webby Awards, Cresta Awards, Lovie Awards, The Anthem Awards, Epica Awards, New York Festivals Advertising Awards and many others. Kirill’s projects have been recognized at dozens of international festivals, winning 300+ prizes & accolades, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, Red Dot, The One Show, ADC, TDC, Adweek, Webby, Clios and many others.
WEEK 4: Thursday, 03.12 / 7 TO 9 pm / ON LINE
ROMANIA: Raluca Mihaila, Managing Owner, UTOPIC BRAIN
Identity and Experience as Strategy
Speaker’s bio: Raluca is a Creator, shaping impact from inner coherence. She does so by blending Marketing & Communication Strategy, Identity & Brand Architecture, Social Sciences and Arts.
Raluca works and researches internationally, adding value to visionary companies and business ideas built on integrity, excellence, and a strong sense of responsibility for their communities. Her work is born in the liminal space between imagination and reality and lands where it is needed, taking various shapes: well-curated lineups of signature events, product design, culture mapping and social listening, market strategies, identity development, branding and communication, creative writing and artwork of various sorts.
She calls herself a Beauty Neurotic, as pursuing Truth and Beauty are at the core of everything she does in the world.
ROMANIA: Simona Simon, CD, The M Works, Former & Juror PR Lions
Whose Job Is This Idea? What 16 years of not fitting into one creative box taught me about ideas.
Speaker’s bio: Simona is a creative hybrid who has spent 16+ years crossing disciplines. Her path took her from Copywriter to Art Director, Group Creative Director and Creative Director. At any given time, she probably has too many “what if?” tabs running at once, always chasing better questions.
She learned from doing, failing, unlearning, watching others excel at their craft; guided by a genuine curiosity about how people think and feel, how stories move, how insights spark ideas, and how ideas can create impact or reshape companies and teams.
Along the way, she worked with brands including Coca-Cola, Heineken, McDonald’s, ING, IKEA, UNICEF, Kaufland, Philip Morris, Nestlé, Unilever, AstraZeneca, Huawei and many more. Much of her work lives in the less visible layers of creativity: corporate platforms, employer branding, organisational change, HR programs, experiential marketing, PR narratives, internal ecosystems and events that rarely go viral or make it into award shows, but quietly shape how people feel, connect and belong.
Sixteen years later, she still gets ridiculously excited when seemingly unrelated things suddenly connect into an idea. Most of them still start with the same question: “What if…?”
ROMANIA: Iulia Ignat, Awarded Illustrator
The practice of not knowing
Speaker’s bio: Iulia Ignat is an illustrator and enthusiastic visual storyteller with almost 20 years of experience. Growing up with artist parents, she was fortunate to have a creative environment that encouraged and supported her development as an artist from an early age.
Her work explores ambiguous narratives, quiet humor, and the strange relationships between people, objects, and everyday situations. She places particular emphasis on the aesthetic dimension of illustration, as well as on the expressiveness and suggestiveness of her characters, often allowing gesture, posture, and visual details to convey meaning beyond the obvious narrative.
Her work has been presented in numerous national and international graphic art and illustration salons, group exhibitions, and competitions in countries including England, France, Belgium, Poland, North Macedonia, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Serbia, China, and Mexico.
She creates editorial illustrations, posters for cultural events, and illustrations for non-formal education manuals in collaboration with various NGOs. She is particularly drawn to educational projects, perhaps because for the past 12 years she has been balancing her career as an illustrator with teaching graphic arts at the art college in her hometown.
For her, teaching is an ongoing adventure in self-discovery, shaped by the collaboration with her students. It also brings a sense of responsibility: to inspire, encourage, and support them as they find their own paths as artists.
FINLAND: Radical Creativity @ Aalto University
Tuomas Auvinen, PhD, EMBA, is Dean of Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design and Architecture and the university’s Champion of Radical Creativity. Former President and Dean of the Sibelius Academy and Executive Director of the Finnish National Theatre, he has built a career at the intersection of creativity, culture, leadership and academia. His work spans executive education, consulting and international arts management, including a visiting professorship at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
USA: Kirsten Ludwig, Co-Founder, IN GOOD CO
Building Brands, Shaping Culture
Speaker’s bio: Kirsten Ludwig is a brand builder, cultural curator, and Co-Founder of IN GOOD CO, a global brand consultancy built for challenger brands that refuse to play it safe.
She built her reputation as an influential creative in fashion and retail - with stops at Ralph Lauren, Anthropologie, Fred Segal, and beyond - before launching her own consultancy and leading her prior agency to a WPP acquisition.
She co-hosts GOOD THINKING, a newsletter and podcast followed by 17K+ CEOs and brand leaders worldwide, and Lit From Within, a podcast and Substack on high-vibrational living.
She also co-hosts Breakfast Club LA and holds a seat in the rooms where culture gets decided - THE BOARD, Sunday Dinner, SUMMIT and Intro.
She’s a Forbes contributor, Cannes Lions judge, and a bold voice on LinkedIn with 25K+ followers.
She doesn’t just talk about what’s next. She’s usually already there.
UK: Asma Humayun, Founder, Global Creative Director & Senior Producer, Shiny Toy Guns
Form and function in direction and production
Speaker’s bio: Asma Humayun is the Founder, Global Creative Director and Senior Producer of Shiny Toy Guns, a pioneering female-owned service production company in Pakistan’s advertising industry. With nearly two decades in the industry, she has directed and produced global brand campaigns and advocacy films that have shaped public conversations, influenced policy and challenged perceptions.
Her work includes Pakistan’s first-ever Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Good, won for a campaign with UN Women, a Glass Lion for Change and Gender Empowerment for advancing gender equality and girls’ education, and Best of Show at The One Show, alongside recognition from many of the world’s leading creative awards.
Asma was ranked No. 1 Director in Asia Pacific for Creative Effectiveness in The One Club for Creativity Global Creative Rankings and has been recognised in Campaign UK’s 40 Over 40 and Campaign Asia-Pacific’s Women to Watch. In 2026, she became the first Pakistani filmmaker to serve on the Cannes Lions Film Craft Jury, while also speaking at the Festival. She has served on juries across the global creative industry, bringing a distinctive perspective shaped by working across cultures and markets.
With Shiny Toy Guns continuing its work in Pakistan and expanding its presence in the UK, Asma is building bridges between creative communities, talent and production partners across borders, with a belief in collaboration and creativity for good.
WEEK 5: Tuesday, 08.12 / 7 TO 9 pm / ON LINE
SRI LANKA: Kavi Rajapaksha, COO, Yara food
My brain conned me
Speaker’s bio: Kavi Rajapaksha is the Chief Operating Officer of Yara Food in Sri Lanka, bringing extensive experience in business operations, leadership, and the food industry. In his role, he focuses on driving operational excellence, business growth, and sustainable development across the organization.
With a strong understanding of the evolving food and consumer landscape, Kavi combines strategic thinking with hands-on leadership to build high-performing teams and create lasting business impact. His experience offers valuable insights into leadership, innovation, and navigating growth in a dynamic industry.
HUNGARY: Peter Tordai, Chief Creative Officer, whitedog
I DON’T CARE. How to Win the Relevance War.
Speaker’s bio: Since April 2023 Peter has been CCO at Whitedog. Previously, he was partner/CCO at BOLD. Peter has 20+ years in advertising, having started out at McCann-Erickson Budapest as a copywriter, where he was promoted soon to creative group head on Coca-Cola, L’Oreal and R.J. Reynolds. Peter’s creative and leadership talent helped four different agencies he worked for: Lintas, BBDO and later Leo Burnett to become Agency of the Year. In 2010 Peter joined DDB Budapest as CCO and soon he was asked to lead the Eastern Europe/Turkey Creative Council. With his 200+ awards, Peter is one of the most successful creative directors in the CEE region, his work being awarded at all the major creative shows, including Cannes Lions, Epica, the New York Festivals, ADCE, Eurobest, Clio, Webby, EFFIE and Golden Drum. Peter served as jury member at London International Festival, Cresta, ADC Europe, Méribel Cristal Award, Golden Drum and chaired the national festival many times. Peter is dedicated to inspire agencies and clients to be more visionary, to create influencing ideas that position brands and agencies as bold players in their respective fields. He is a true fan of participatory ideas, a dedicated innovator, but his first mission is to help brands win the relevance war.
SWEDEN / USA: Sjönell Brothers: Pelle Sjönell, Winner, Jury President Film, Cannes Lions 2026, CCO, NLS CORP & Calle Sjönell, Founder, Man Scarf, Executive Creative Director & co-founder, Swipefinder
The "Catching Octopi" Metaphor
Speaker’s bio: Pelle Sjoenell is an independent, highly awarded creative thinker & doer, Film Lions President of the Jury in 2026 and the receptacle (sometimes alongside his brother, Calle) of some iconic global awards - Titanium among them. Until earlier this year, he was Worldwide Chief Creative Officer of Droga5, awarded AdAge Network Agency of the Year 2026.
Prior to that, he served as the inaugural Chief Creative Officer at Activision Blizzard, leading marketing innovation for Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, and Candy Crush. Under his leadership, the company earned more creative marketing honours than in its entire prior history.
Previously, Sjoenell was Worldwide Chief Creative Officer at BBH and founded the agency’s Los Angeles office in 2010, a city that now he can call second home, after the one in Sweden, his birth country. At BBH LA he pioneered branded entertainment initiatives, including The Creative Studio, a joint venture with Scooter Braun.
Sjoenell serves on the Board of Governors for Otis College of Art and Design and co-authored The Art of Branded Entertainment.
Born above the Arctic Circle, north of the wall, in Malmberget, Sweden.
ITALY: Bob Liuzzo, Senior Lecturer, IED Milan
Innovation by Design: Turning Challenges into Opportunities
Speaker’s bio: Bob Liuzzo is a Senior Lecturer at IED Milan, where he brings together design, innovation, and strategic thinking to help students understand how ideas can be transformed into meaningful solutions.
With a strong focus on the intersection between creativity and business, Bob explores how design can drive innovation, shape experiences, and create value in a constantly evolving world. Through his academic work and industry perspective, he encourages the next generation of leaders to think differently, challenge assumptions, and approach problems with a design-driven mindset.
WEEK 5: Thursday, 10.12 / 7 TO 9 pm / ON LINE
GERMANY: Nicolas Klein, Executive Creative Director, Philipp und Keuntje
Effortless Creativity: How Great Ideas Find You.
Speaker’s bio: Nicolas Klein, Executive Creative Director at Philipp und Keuntje in Hamburg, was born in Munich in 1987. He completed his graphic and communication design studies in Munich with a magna cum laude degree. He has been working in advertising since 2011, first at Wunderhaus and Serviceplan in Munich and since 2019 at Philipp und Keuntje in Hamburg. The multiple national and international award-winning creative is a proud member of the German Art Directors Club ADC.
ARMENIA: Tigran Parseghyan, CMO, EasyPay
“How to Generate and Validate Your Idea”
Speaker’s bio: Tigran Parseghyan is a marketing and business leader from Armenia with extensive experience across fintech, advertising, brand strategy, and entrepreneurship. He currently serves as CMO of EasyPay, one of Armenia’s leading fintech companies, where he leads marketing, brand development, and strategic communications, including the company’s ongoing transformation and rebranding.
His approach to creativity is strongly connected to execution: an idea becomes valuable not simply because it sounds original, but because it solves a real problem, can survive critical questioning, and ultimately produces measurable impact.
LATVIA: Sintija Popena, Creative Director & Head of Creative Export, McCann Riga
Going the extra mile: How we hijacked Riga Marathon
Speaker’s bio: Sintija Popena is Creative Director and Head of Creative Export at McCann Riga, which has been named Latvia’s Agency of the Year every year since 2018 and Baltic Agency since 2025. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Film Theory from the UK and a master’s degree in Cinematography from France, and her work has received significant international recognition, including awards at Golden Drum, Effie, ADCE and Epica. In 2026, she was named Baltic Creative Director of the Year at Adwards.
ITALY: Silvia D’Alesio, Packaging Designer, NABA MILAN
Crafting Innovation: Packaging Design as a Catalyst for Product Ecosystems
Speaker’s bio: Silvia D’Alesio is an expert with nearly a decade of experience specializing in the intersection of research and innovation, working on technology transfer within the fields of Food Technology and Packaging Design. Her international background spans strategic industry advisory, keynote speaking, and project coordination.
BSc in Food Science and Technology and International MSc.in Food Innovation and Product Design. Recently Researcher at Polytechnic di Milano, focusing on pioneering sustainable solutions for the FMCG market, leveraging eco-design processes to develop innovative packaging technologies and materials. Certificated in Sustainability Measurement and Reporting Systems.
In academia, Silvia serves as teaching assistant at the University of Milan, working on modeling and optimization processes, and at Accademia NABA Milano Communication and Graphic Design, where she teaches eco-design, brand strategy, and scenario design. Here, she also contributes to student development in new packaging design as judge for the EPDA Award.
Her early career includes collaborative projects with institutions and company such as AgroParisTech, Danone, Lund University, and Tetra Pak, gaining valuable experience in new product and packaging development.
In her role as advisor and strategist, she collaborates with Packaging Première Milano while scouting high-potential startups for technology transfer in luxe sector. Her leadership and coordination efforts involve managing complex initiatives like the Digital Food Ecosystem projects
She frequently speaks at premier global industry events such as Paris Packaging Week with the Netherlands Packaging Centre and Packaging Premiere in Milan, while providing expert commentary for leading media outlets like FoodBev Media, Global Retail Brands and Sustainability Packaging News (SPN). Furthermore, her professional standing is underscored by her contributions as a judge for honors, including the Sustainability Packaging Award by Packaging Europe, Red Dot Award in Product Design and Graphic and Communication and Best Packaging Award by Italian Institute of Packaging.
UK / UKRAINE: Ilia Anufrienko, Founder & Creative Director, Bickerstaff.724
RECOGNISABLE. BUT NOT PREDICTABLE.
How a brand can stay itself without repeating itself
Speaker’s bio: Ilia Anufriienko is the Founder and Creative Director of independent creative agency Bickerstaff. He started out as a sculptor, then moved into advertising - and apparently never found his way back.
Bickerstaff has been named Boutique Advertising Agency of the Year by ADC / The One Club, Agency of the Year at The Drum, Independent Agency of the Year at Golden Drum, and Best Agency of the Festival at Baku Flames, and was a Top 5 finalist for Adweek International Agency of the Year.
Ilia was named to Ad Age 40 Under 40, while Bickerstaff was included in Forbes Ukraine NEXT250. His work has received more than 200 international recognitions, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, Effie Europe, The One Show, Clio, LIA, Epica, ADC Europe, Golden Drum and Red Dot.
His projects include work for Galychyna, Vodafone, Khortytsia, the Ukrainian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, and the Ukraine Pavilion at EXPO 2025 Osaka.
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