WACL Talent Award winners 2026

The winners of the 2026 WACL Talent Awards, delivered in partnership with WACL and NABS, have been revealed.

Now in their twentieth year, the awards celebrate women making their mark in the advertising, recognising both outstanding work and future leadership potential.

Celebrating the Next Generation of Leaders

This year, 21 winners were selected from nearly 200 applications, reflecting the depth of talent across the industry.

Each winner was chosen for the impact of their work, their ambition, and their potential to shape the future of adland.

Supporting Growth Through Training and Community

All 2026 WACL Talent Award winners will receive:

• A bursary of up to £1,500 to invest in training and upskilling
• Membership of Futures, the networking group created and run by WACL Talent Awards alumni
• CMI membership
• Access to Squiggly Careers resources

Together, these benefits are designed to support career progression, confidence and long‑term leadership development.

Investing in People, Wellbeing and Equity

Katrina Urban, Head of Learning and Development at NABS, said:

“NABS partners with WACL on the Talent Awards because we believe in empowering women and non-binary people and creating a more equitable industry. Investing in training and development is a brilliant way to support mental wellness, as well as career longevity.

This year’s winners will reap the rewards and rightly so; they are a talented and inspirational group of future leaders to watch. Huge congratulations to all, and thanks to WACL and our 2026 award partners.”

Building a Stronger Leadership Pipeline

Fleur Stoppani, Chair of the WACL Talent Awards and COO at WPP Media’s Mindshare, said:

“This is my third year on the committee of the WACL Talent Awards, and I’m continually inspired by the depth of ambition, honesty and self-awareness in every application. The calibre this year has been truly exceptional.

These bursaries give winners permission to step back, think about where they want to go next and invest in themselves. Working alongside NABS, we’re able to support women at important moments in their careers and help build a stronger pipeline of future leaders across the industry.”

Congratulations to the winners:

• Abi Malins, A Malins Enterprises
• Adele Lewis Bridgeman, Confidential
• Amrit Sembhi, NSPCC
• Andrea Davis, IPG Mediabrands
• Ayse Gurel, Havas Media
• Charlotte Coughlan, Leo UK
• Charlotte Bunyan, We Are Collider
• Cheyenne Denny-Walker, Good Relations
• Hettie Reed, Diageo GB
• Imrati Anand, TikTok
• Karen Grillo, Meta
• Katja Perry, YouTube
• Katy Sharpe, Piqniq
• Muskaan Jreat, Numodo
• Nafissa Norris, Conscious Advertising Network
• Nikki Bailey, Merkle
• Opal Turner, OPALUKE
• Rosie Wishart, MG OMD
• Salina Shah, Sky
• Shariffa Abdulrehman, Sky
• Sian Blackman, Mother London