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RISE 2026: ‘Inclusion is the new growth engine’
Kicking off RISE 2026, Ali Hanan, Founder and CEO of Creative Equals, urged the industry to embrace inclusion for growth.
Nicola Kemp
Editorial Director Creativebrief“Inclusion should be the core design principle of the work.”
Ali Hanan, Founder and CEO of Creative Equals, opened the 2026 RISE conference with a rallying cry for inclusive marketing as a growth driver.
“Every brand has a map of their audience. The challenge is that we are still operating with an old map,” shared Hanan.
Sharing data showing the growing disconnect between brands and audiences Hanan underlined that inclusion is core to growth.
“When we think about the landscape of where our audiences live, we think about reach, relevance, relatability, referrals, reputation and relevance, which all drive revenue,” explained Hanan.
Our mission is to fuel progress and opportunity for business and society through inclusive transformation.
Ali Hanan, Founder and CEO, Creative Equals
Inclusion as a growth driver
Hanan shared that when she launched Creative Equals, just 3% of Creative Directors were women. Inspired by advertising by Dove, Hanan wanted to transform the industry to make it more inclusive.
Hanan set up Creative Equals in 2016 with the ethos ‘who makes the word shapes the work.’ In 2020 the organisation transformed to help brands connect with changing audiences.
Today the organisation is a decade old and it has a clear mission to drive transformation through inclusion.
Hanan believes that in a chaotic marketplace it has never been more important to elevate the practice of inclusive marketing. Not just because it matters to society, but because it delivers results. She explained: “If you are working in marketing right now it feels like the ground is shifting beneath you.”
In a market where brands have to convince consumers to love them in just three seconds, playing the long game in inclusion has never been more important.
For the fifth year running, Creativebrief has partnered with Creative Equals with the free-to-download RISE Trend Report. The report will distill all the key learnings from the day, lifting the lid on the marketing engine powering some of the world’s most inclusive brands including Mattel and Nurofen.
This year’s event is supported by Cannes Lions, BBC Studios and Ipsos.
Photo credit: Bronac McNeill Photography
Creativebrief is proud to be supporting RISE with the free to access RISE Trend report. Please register to receive the report here:
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