Dame Carolyn McCall to chair Campaign’s Brand Leadership and Partnership Awards

New awards scheme recognises brands and their agency and media partners.

Dame Carolyn McCall, the chief executive of ITV, is to be the chair of judges for Campaign’sinaugural Brand Leadership and Partnership Awards.

The new awards scheme recognises and celebrates brands and their agency and media partners for their work in leading the industry and their chosen sector.

ISBA, the trade body for advertisers, and the IPA, the trade body for agencies, are supporting Campaign’s BLPs in recognition of the importance of industry leadership and collaboration.

Brands and their partners will be able to enter the awards, with judging taking place at the end of summer, ahead of a lunchtime awards ceremony in November.

There are several marketer-only leadership categories, including CMO of the Year, and more than a dozen sector-specific partnership categories, including automotive, financial services, FMCG, pharmaceuticals, retail and travel.

For the partnership categories, the winning entry will receive two trophies: one is awarded to the brand that is showing leadership in its chosen field, and a second to its agency or media partner, which has been key to helping the client achieve its strategic aims.

McCall, who is one of the UK’s most experienced business leaders, has been the chief executive of ITV since 2018. She is a former chief executive of both easyJet and of Guardian Media Group and was made a DBE in 2016.

“I am delighted to be the chair of Campaign’sinaugural Brand Leadership and Partnership Awards,” McCall said. “Businesses have a vital role in driving positive change and they can achieve so much more when they collaborate with partners, as we have seen during the pandemic.

“I am looking forward to the judging process and seeing all of the brilliant work that brands have been doing with their agency and media partners and beyond – because great leadership and partnership are key to delivering business results as well as building a more sustainable, equitable world.”

Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign,said: “For brands to succeed in today’s demanding and fast-changing marketing world, they need inspirational leadership and a willingness to collaborate with industry partners, which is why Campaign has created the Brand Leadership and Partnership Awards. We want to recognise and celebrate the companies that are leading the way, in collaboration with your agency and media partners, in building your brands, driving business success and creating positive change.”

The judges of the BLPs will be a mix of client-side business leaders and marketers, agency chief executives and chief strategy officers, and leaders from media owners and platforms.

For further information about Campaign’s Brand Leadership and Partnership Awards, contact jack.hayden@haymarket.com

Visit the awards website, here.