AI Executive Creative Summit

AI is Reshaping Creativity. Is Your Agency Ready?

The future of creativity is being written in real-time, and AI is at the center of the transformation. For agency founders, CCOs, and creative leaders, the challenge isn’t just about using AI—it’s about hiring for it, integrating it, and leveraging it to future-proof your business.

The Executive Creative Summit at Creative Week NYC is an invitation-only gathering of the world’s top creative decision-makers—Chief Creative Officers, agency founders, partners, and key stakeholders. Over two days of closed-door discussions, we’ll tackle the real business challenges of AI, from hiring new creative talent and ethical considerations to redefining agency models and client relationships.

Key Topics of Discussion:

🔹 AI Integration Strategy – How to use AI without losing creative originality
🔹 Hiring for the Future – The new roles agencies need: AI specialists, prompt engineers & more
🔹 Repositioning the Agency Model – From service provider to AI-driven creative partner
🔹 The New Role of Creative Directors – From idea generators to AI orchestrators
🔹 AI-Driven Personalization & Client Offerings – Scaling creativity with intelligent automation
🔹 Future-Proofing Agency Culture – Training, upskilling, and fostering AI experimentation

No Press. No Recordings. No Distractions.

This is not a conference. It’s an exclusive, private discussion among C-suite creatives, designed to provide practical insights and strategies that will shape the future of the industry.

💡 Apply to attend and be part of the conversation. Seats are limited.

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Speakers

Paul Aaron

Co-Founder/CEO, Addition

Lars Bastholm

Founder, Bastholm Creative Consulting

Matthew Carey

Executive Creative Director, Google Creative Lab

Taryn Crouthers

President, ATTN

Sherina Florence

Founder, IABM

Elena Hale

MD, Chief Brand & Creative Officer, Emerson Collective

Elav Horwitz

Global Head of Strategic Partnerships & Solutions, WPP

Lauren Indovina

Director & Visual Artist, House of Indovina

Manjula Nadkarni

Founder, Yuni

Nicolas Neubert

Independent Creative Director (AI), Runway

Tiffany Rolfe

Chair & Global Chief Creative Officer, R/GA

Iain Tait

Founder, FOOD

Round Table Hosts

Alexia Adana

Director of Creative Technology & Innovation, Edelman

Peter Dolukhanov

Founder & CEO, Decoder

Nick Law

Creative Chairman, Accenture Song

PJ Pereira

Founder & Creative Chairman, Pereira O'Dell

Tim Rodgers

Founder, RehabAI

Tiffany Rolfe

Chair & Global Chief Creative Officer, R/GA

Schedule

15
May
Thursday

Breakfast & Registration

Registration opens at 8:30 AM—grab a handcrafted coffee, enjoy a proper breakfast, and get ready for a day of AI inspiration.

Welcome Remarks

A Short History of Wonderpanic™

wonderpanic /ˈwʌn.dərˌpæn.ɪk/ noun

A sudden, electrifying blend of awe and dread triggered by glimpsing boundless possibilities— often accompanied by frantic brainstorming and a dizzying mix of delight and dismay.

History and tech have an ‘exciting’ habit of regularly forcing us into hard reboots. This time as generative AI officially goes from cute experiment to existential necessity. Lars is here to gently remind us that, historically, even though it may feel like the end of the world as we know it, we usually survive—mostly intact and armed with new superpowers.

100 Tasks That Suck

Every agency has a list of tasks that suck. Repetitive, soul-crushing work that eats time, resources and kills creativity. Learn how a mid-sized, independent agency identified their 100+ time-sucking tasks and mapped them to AI solutions. Some were small, some were game-changers, and all are making the agency faster, smarter, and more creative.

Lunch

Lunch will be provided to all ECS attendees.

How do you float to the top of an infinite excellent slop?

When anyone can make anything at a very high quality for zero cost what’s it going to take to stand out? What should we be doing today to prepare? Standing on the sidelines waiting for someone else to work it out is NOT a good strategy. With (somewhat) practical examples and (hopefully) interesting provocations Iain hopes everyone walks out wanting to experiment more and worry less.

Art Is Dead. Long Live the Artist. Creative Leadership in the Age of Intelligent Tools

Change is fast. AI is faster. Fear narrows our vision—but curiosity and imagination expand it.

AI isn’t replacing creatives. It’s pushing us deeper—amplifying our ability to make sense of complexity, and shape it into something people can feel, understand, and remember.

In this talk, Lauren Indovina maps a new era of creative leadership—not a shift from artist to machine, but from certainty to discovery. A call to those bold enough to feel, interpret, and lead in shaping how the world sees.

A New Creative Process

Artificial intelligence is transforming the creative process, shrinking the divide between idea and execution. Much as the invention of the camera created new art forms and mediums, today’s technology is transforming how we can realize our ideas, regardless of our resources. Runway’s Nicolas Neubert will dive into this new creative process and discuss how agencies, brands and filmmakers are evolving their workflows and production pipelines for a future where media creation is more accessible than ever.

Creativity in the Age of Superintelligence

AI surpassing human intelligence isn’t science fiction—it’s an imminent reality. But where does that leave human creativity? What role can human teams play in an era that’s marked by super-intelligent machines?

In this talk, Paul Aaron will explore what the future of human creativity may look like as these systems become increasingly powerful, and why we could be entering the most exciting era of creative potential in history.

Rewiring Creativity for the Intelligence Age

In an AI-accelerated world, creativity isn’t slowing down—it’s scaling, fragmenting, and evolving faster than traditional agency models can handle. Tiffany Rolfe, Chair and Global CCO of R/GA, explores how creative leaders must transform—from being creators of deliverables to architects of adaptive systems that make great ideas possible. This session reframes long-held agency beliefs—like “the big idea,” “the campaign,” and “the creative team”—to spark a conversation about how creative leaders and organizations need to evolve. For CCOs navigating the intelligence age, this isn’t about managing disruption. It’s about designing for it.

From Executive Summit to AI Trenches: Build Small to Drive Massive Change

Throughout the day, Tim will be busy behind the scenes, rapidly prototyping AI tools inspired by the insights from our other speakers. In this reflection session, he’ll showcase these newly-built tools in action, demonstrating a pragmatic approach to implementing AI within existing creative workflows.

Roundtable Discussions

Join one of our 6 hosts to dive deeper into a variety of topics.

Alexia Adana, Director of Creative Technology & Innovation, Edelman

Rooted in Realness- Intentional Community Building in the Age of AI

Join Alexia Adana for a candid conversation on how intentional, in-person community-building — especially among creators of color — sparks deeper collaboration, learning, and trust that platforms alone can’t replicate.

Peter Dolukhanov, Founder & CEO, Decoder

The 20% Paradox – Reclaiming Creative Time using AI in the Age of Work About Work

Research shows creative professionals spend only a fraction of their time on actual creative work, with knowledge workers losing 20% of their week searching for information, marketing teams wasting up to three weeks annually hunting for digital assets, and 58% of all work time consumed by administrative “work about work.” We will explore how AI can serve as a central intelligence layer connecting fragmented systems, synthesizing information from across platforms, and automate repetitive tasks—creating a future where creative professionals spend less time on administrative busywork and more time doing what they do best: creating.

Nick Law, Creative Chairperson, Accenture Song

How to Make AI Useful and Interesting for Humans

The conversations and use cases around GenAi are being led by the inventors – a monoculture of brilliant engineers. It’s becoming clear that they need help translating the potential of this technology into textured human experiences. Will our industry step into this void, or shrink into insignificance?

PJ Pereira, Founder & Creative Chairman, Pereira & O’Dell

Beyond the Binary: Navigating AI’s Opportunities and Challenges

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding AI—enthusiasm, excitement, fear—and people often feel pressured to pick one perspective and commit fully. But this oversimplification keeps us from truly understanding what’s at stake. In this roundtable, we’ll clearly unpack the key issues, exploring AI’s challenges and opportunities so that individuals, agencies, and industry leaders can confidently embrace AI’s potential while thoughtfully addressing valid concerns.

Tim Rodgers, Founder, Ace Workflow

Build It Live: From AI Concept to Working Tool in 30 Minutes

In this interactive roundtable, Tim Rodgers takes you behind the curtain of rapid AI implementation. Building on the tools demonstrated in his reflections talk, Tim will walk participants through the exact process of creating an AI-powered workflow enhancement from scratch.

You’ll witness the entire journey—from initial concept to functional prototype—happening right before your eyes.

This hands-on session is perfect for creative leaders, strategists, and operations specialists who want to move beyond theoretical discussions and start implementing practical AI solutions immediately.

Bring your questions and challenges—Tim will show you how the tools and techniques demonstrated can be adapted to your specific needs.

Tiffany Rolfe, Chair & Global Chief Creative Officer, R/GA

Rewiring Creativity for the Intelligence Age

Join Tiffany for a deeper conversation around her session on Rewiring Creativity for the Intelligence Age.

Cocktails and the AI Creative Challenge

Registration to the ECS includes admission to the AI Creative Challenge; An electrifying fusion of creativity and technology. Network with top creative minds and AI leaders while witnessing a live, head-to-head creative showdown. Watch the brightest talents harness AI to tackle a randomly assigned brief in real time, with the winner crowned at the event. Agency Afterhours DJ Supes Base will be spinning, and drinks and light bites will be provided as innovation and inspiration take center stage.

16
May
Friday

Attendees

Co-Founder & CEO, Addition

Director of Creative Technology & Innovation, Edelman

Executive Creative Director, Independent

CEO, Johannes Leonardo

Partner & Chief Creative Officer, LG2

Partner, Creative Director, Barber Warren

Founder, Bastholm Creative Consulting

Creative Director, Schneider Electric

Creative Studio Director, Schneider Electric

CD, Cocoon s.r.o.

VP, Global Executive Creative Director, Formerly Spotify

Chief Creative Officer, Chemistry

Independent, Sonic Signatures

Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Ladyship

Design Lead, Oliver Wyman

Director & ECD, Google Creative Lab

Global Creative Director, Schneider Electric

Founder, 5:45 AM

Professor, Michigan State University

Executive Creative Director, Catch+Release

Global Creative & Technology Executive, One School

Founder, 72 & Sunny

VP, Head of Brand Design, R/GA

EVP, Executive Creative Director, Rescue Agency

Founder and CCO, Murder Hornets

Interpublic Global Creative Advisor, IPG

Head of Production, Johannes Leonardo

Chief Growth Officer, The One Club for Creativity

President, ATTN

CCO & Partner, GUT

Creative Director, Drury Design

CEO & Founder, FLORA

Head of Creative, Brand, The Washington Post

CEO, MADEBRAVE

Founder & CEO, Decoder

Executive Creative Director, Adams & Knight

Chief Operating Officer, The One Club for Creativity

Senior Managing Partner, TAIC

Chief Creative Officer, Day One Agency

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Voss +Fischer

Executive Creative Director, Independent

Founder, IABM

Creative Studio Director, Schneider Electric

Independent Consultant, book180

Managing Director, Our Man In Havana

Managing Partner, Kollectiff

Design Director, Ashton Design

Executive Creative Director, JOAN

Founder/Executive Creative Director, Our Man In Havana

ECD & Co-Founder, NotReal

Global Head of Creative Operations, Schneider Electric

SVP, ECD, US, R/GA

EVP, Director of Integrated Studios, Doner

Executive Creative Director, YouTube Studio, Google

Managing Director and CMO, Emerson Collective

Head of Product, Emerson Collective

Chief Creative Officer, Allstate

APAC Regional Director, The One Club for Creativity

Executive Creative Director, Burson

Chief Creative Officer, Paulus

Executive Creative Director, Drake Cooper

Global Head of Strategic Partnerships & Solutions, WPP

Group Creative Director, 72andSunny

Principal Creative Director, Worldwide Sustainability, Amazon

Director & Visual Artist, House of Indovina

Isaacson, Barrie

Founder, Barrie Isaacson Management

Global Chief Creative Officer, Edelman

CCO & Partner, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

Founder & Creative Director, Koi Factory

VP Client Services, Red Circle

Founder & CCO, Hakuhodo Inc.

Executive Creative Director, MX

Head of Brand Creative, Square

Partner & Executive Creative Director, LG2

CEO, Prime Deviation

Creative Chairperson, Accenture Song

Global Lead Creative, BCG BrightHouse

Visual Artist, Independent

Co-Founder & CCO, Design Army

Founder & Creative Chairman, Leavingstone

Creative Studio Director, Schneider Electric

Executive Creative Director + Production Head, Anheuser-Busch

Creative Lead, AI & Creativity Research, Google DeepMind

Multimedia Art Director, Schneider Electric

Studio Head- India, Schneider Electric

Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Lit Lab Studios

Head of Innovation & Global Creative, The Martin Agency

Founding Partner / CCO, Black Cat White Cat Music

President, Furlined

Founder, ECD, Cutwater

Founder, Ashley McKim Consulting

CCO, HUSTLE

MD, Head of Design and Customer Experience, Chase

Co-Founder & CCO, Sid Lee

VP, Business Development, Decoder

EP, NotReal

CEO & Co-Founder, PLURAL*, Doers Hub

AI Executive Creative Summit

SEE PHOTOS

Thursday, May 15 & Friday, May 16
8:30 am - 6:00 pm

Location
Location05
450 W. 31st St. 7th Floor
New York, NY 10001