The Decision Room

21 October 2026
9:30-12:00 BST
London

An invitation-only programme

For senior marketing leaders to pressure-test critical decisions and leave clear on next steps.

Marketing leadership can be isolating. The higher you go, the fewer people you can speak to openly about the decisions that really matter, the pressures that never make it into board decks, and the trade-offs you’re navigating without clear direction.

The Decision Room is designed to change that.

It’s not a one-off session, but a three-part series built for senior marketing leaders who want space to think clearly, challenge their assumptions, and make better decisions with confidence.

Each session brings together a carefully selected group of CMOs and senior marketing leaders to step back from day-to-day delivery and pressure-test the decisions that matter most. No pitches. No panels. No recycled case studies.

Instead, through honest, peer-level discussion with others facing similar challenges, alongside Directors from our Strategy and Marketing Science teams, you work through questions in depth.

You leave not just with perspective, but with clarity on what to do next, and why.

 

Why this exists

There’s no shortage of marketing events, content, or opinions.
But very few places where senior leaders can step back and work through the decisions that actually matter.

Most conversations stay surface-level.
Most advice comes without context.
And most leaders are left to make high-stakes calls without the chance to properly test them.

The Decision Room was created to change that.

 

What to expect

  • A single, well-framed provocation. Not a broad theme, but a contested question that gets to the heart of a decision you’re navigating.
  • Perspectives from senior marketers outside your category, helping you challenge assumptions and see your situation more clearly.
  • A short pre-read, shared in advance, so you arrive with context and can spend the session thinking, not catching up.
  • A carefully selected room of peers. No salespeople. No spectators. Just people who understand the pressure and can help you work through it.

Speakers

Lena RolandContent Director, WARC Strategy
Emma LambourneStrategy Director, Journey Further
Andy JohnsonStrategy Director, Journey Further
Lydia HinchliffStrategy VP, Journey Further
Abbie WhiteheadMarketing Science Director, Journey Further
Register your interest

Meet the experts

Lena Roland, Content Director, WARC Strategy

Lena leads the global content programme for WARC Strategy and leads the development of core WARC reports including the Future of Strategy, What’s Working In, WARC Guides and the Anatomy of Effectiveness. She also oversees WARC’s sustainability hub.

Emma Lambourne, Strategy Director, Journey Further

With over a decade of experience in digital marketing and strategy, Emma specialises in bridging brand and performance to deliver impactful, insight-led campaigns that drive measurable growth. She previously held positions at Nouveau HD Beauty Group and Epiphany Search, where she developed expertise in digital strategy, client leadership, and experimentation. She is known for her collaborative approach and passion for turning complex marketing challenges into clear, effective action.

Andy Johnson, Strategy Director, Journey Further

With a 15+ year career spanning senior roles at large multinational brands and network agencies, Andy has led high-level growth for brands like Moonpig, L’Oréal-backed Noli, and Oddbox. Drawing on his experience as a consulting CMO and MD, he specialises in stripping away vanity metrics to redefine the KPIs that drive genuine marketing effectiveness.

Lydia Hinchliff, Strategy VP, Journey Further

Lydia has built the agency’s Marketing Science and Strategic Planning functions from the ground up into two of its core, profitable capabilities. With nearly two decades of marketing industry experience, she has consistently connected brand thinking with commercial performance at a time when the industry treated the two as separate disciplines. Beginning her career in independent agencies before moving into global network agency leadership, Lydia brings rigorous, evidence-led thinking to every brief.

Abbie Whitehead, Marketing Science Director, Journey Further

Abbie leads Journey Further’s Marketing Science team, helping clients make measurement clear enough to act on. Thirteen years agency side has meant making the case for measurement across very different businesses. She has done that for brands including Magnet, La Redoute and Boots Hearingcare. Abbie always starts by turning vague business challenges into measurable questions, and judges success by whether the work changed a decision.