Creative Leaders Summit 2026: These Leaders Are Shaping Barcelona
From November 19 to 20, 2026, leading creatives from Europe and around the world will gather in Barcelona as part of ADCE Creative Week. This year’s theme: Relationships as the Foundation of Great Work.
Creative Leaders Summit 2026 in Barcelona
The Creative Leaders Summit 2026 will take place in Barcelona from November 19 to 20, 2026, as part of ADCE Creative Week. The two-day event will bring together some of the most influential creative leaders from Europe and beyond for open discussions, new perspectives, and practical insights into the future of creative leadership. According to the announcement, the number of participants has been deliberately limited to facilitate an exclusive exchange in small groups.
Topic: Relationships as the Foundation of Creative Excellence
Under this year’s theme, «Relationships,» the summit aims to explore what truly makes outstanding work possible. The focus is on trust between clients and agencies, the chemistry within teams, and the conversations that challenge one’s own thinking. Added to this is the shared ambition that transforms ideas into impactful results. The goal is to foster meaningful exchanges, in-depth conversations, and new connections among leading minds from various disciplines, industries, and cultures.
The Speaker Lineup for the Creative Leaders Summit 2026
The program brings together leaders from agencies, brands, and design studios. Speakers on stage include: Laura Amarelle, Creative Director and Co-Founder of The Business of Creativity (UK); Chair and Global CCO of R/GA (US); Managing Partner of Playmakers (Georgia); an independent creative leader, formerly at Forsman & Bodenfors (Sweden); the Chief Brand Officer at Deutsche Telekom (Germany); CD and Partner at Studio Dumbar/Dept (Netherlands); the Head of Marketing & PR / CMO at Deutsche Bahn (Germany); a Founding Partner at Smlxl (Spain/U.S.); the Global Head of Product Design at Breitling (Switzerland); the EMEA Creative Services Lead at HP (Spain); the Global Executive Creative Director at Amazon Ads (U.S.); a former Global CCO at Cheil Worldwide (U.K.); the Executive Creative Director at Droga5 (UK); a co-founder of Smlxl (Spain/US); the Global Head of Brand Communications at Breitling (Switzerland); and the EMEA Head of Brands Innovation at HP (Spain).
ADCE Creative Week: Four Days of Creativity and Networking
The Creative Leaders Summit is part of ADCE Creative Week, which will take place in Barcelona from November 17 to 20, 2026. The full program includes, among other things, the ADCE Awards judging, an AI Creative Challenge, portfolio reviews, and gala nights. ADCE members will be eligible for a special discount on tickets.
Additional information and tickets are available on the Art Directors Club of Europe website: https://www.adceurope.org
