UK Advertising Exports Group introduces new leadership icon award at Advertising Week New York

 Matt Scheckner, Advertising Week Chairman, Named Inaugural Recipient

New York, US, 10 October 2024: Last night, at the inaugural Leadership Reception held at the British Consulate in New York, Matt Scheckner, Chairman of Advertising Week, was awarded the first-ever Leadership Icon Award. The award was launched by the UK Advertising Exports Group (UKAEG) to recognise exceptional leaders who have significantly strengthened UK-US relations within the advertising industry.

The prestigious ‘Golden Apple’ honour was presented by Julian Douglas, International CEO of VCCP and Chair of UKAEG and Aisling Conlon, International Trade Director for UK Advertising, Advertising Association, on behalf of the UKAEG. The event was hosted by Niall Mackenzie CBE, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for North America, in partnership with UKAEG and Advertising Week New York.

Aisling Conlon, International Trade Director for UK Advertising, Advertising Association, said: “Without Matt’s vision in establishing Advertising Week 20 years ago, we wouldn’t be in this room together tonight, nor would we have an annual event in London that celebrates the importance of the advertising sector to both our economy and culture.”

Upon receiving the award Matt Scheckner, Chairman of Advertising Week, noted: ‘I’m truly honored to receive the inaugural Leadership Icon Award—thank you. It’s clear to me that London and New York are connected by bricks and steel; but they share a spirit of creativity that drives real economic growth. The UK’s creative industries are a force to be reckoned with, consistently surprising the world with their impact. This morning, we rang the opening Nasdaq bell, as we’ve done for 20 years, and were delighted to have UK Advertising represented. It’s a powerful reminder of the importance of economic collaboration and how London continues to punch above its weight on the global stage.”

Rebecca Kozlen, Head of Advertising and Creative Industries at the British Consulate New York, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with UKAEG to bring the largest delegation of British advertising companies to Advertising Week 2024. The past year has seen record numbers for the UK advertising industry, with exports eclipsing £18 billion pounds worldwide. The UK-US advertising relationship has never been stronger, with £3.4 billion pounds of trade between our two countries. We look forward to working together in the coming years to drive further success for our creative industries.”

Following the launch of the Leadership Icon Award, it will become an annual event at Advertising Week New York with submissions for nominations due to open in summer 2025. The award will continue to recognise leaders who play a pivotal role in advancing the relationship between the UK and US, the two largest advertising markets in the world. The US market is hugely important to the UK both culturally and commercially – worth more than £3.4bn in exports annually.

This week marks a pivotal moment for UKAEG as they host a delegation in New York for Advertising Week, following the recent announcement of a partnership with the event last month. The partnership aims to underscore the importance of bringing together the creative and business communities to collaborate and drive further growth.