IRG Global CMO Summit Istanbul
Marketing2030: Bridge to the Future October 6-8, 2026
IRG Global CMO Summit Istanbul
The rapid growth of AI, rising geopolitical fragmentation, increasing public distrust, and a structural shift to short-term focus results are fundamentally challenging how businesses can grow. Winning businesses are balancing new growth paradoxes and applying an Enterprise Growth Architecture 2.0.
Marketing2030 explores the role that Marketing will need to play to help the enterprise succeed, and the CMO strategies, structures, capabilities, and leadership required.
Led by the Institute for Real Growth (IRG) in partnership with over 25 industry partners, the Marketing2030 learning is built on interviews with over 500 board members, CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, and other C-suite leaders, and thousands of expert reports, investor calls, and leadership podcasts.
Winning 2030 CMOs are Humanized Growth Architects, increasing personal, business, and societal impact by creating value for all stakeholders.
Istanbul: Bridge to the Future
The IRG Global CMO Summit will bring together 25 Turkish and 25 global CMOs to discuss the Marketing2030 findings and how to drive sustained business growth in an increasingly divided world.
Few places embody that challenge better than Istanbul.
A city of constant change, some would even say chaos, and fiercely contrasting perspectives, yet also hyper entrepreneurialism and endless growth opportunities, Istanbul represents the bridge to tomorrow’s success.
Marketing2030
Marketing2030 is focused on identifying the Marketing strategy, structure, capability, and CMO leadership characteristics required to drive sustained business growth.
M2030 Phase One defined the trends, business and cultural shifts, and stakeholder expectations that businesses and brands need to understand and navigate. The M2030 Phase One Report can be downloaded below.
M2030 Phase Two captured how businesses are responding to these global trends and stakeholder expectations, as well as WHAT Boards and business leaders expect from Marketing.
M2030 Phase Three focused on HOW Marketing leaders can best align with peers on their role as enterprise growth drivers. This phase included a quantitative validation of identified best practices.
The final M2030 report will provide CMOs with frameworks, case studies, and practical examples to help implement winning strategy, structure, and capability recommendations. As well as the leadership characteristics required to succeed in the future.
IRG Global CMO Summit Topics
On October 6-8, 2026, the IRG CMO Summit will include the global launch of the M2030 strategies, structures, capabilities, and CMO leadership traits required to win in 2030. CMO Summit session topics will include:
-Balancing the 2030 Growth Paradoxes
-Marketing’s role in the Enterprise Growth Architecture 2.0
-Providing the enterprise with a Window on the World
-Managing the Human Quotient in the era of AI
-Building, nurturing, and measuring the value of intangibles
-Building the Marketing ecosystem of the future
-The Da Vinci Growth CMO leadership profile
-Turkish Technology Unicorns Leading the Way
-Bridging Eastern and Western Growth Paradigms
-Anatolian Wisdom for Global Storytelling and Brand Experiences
Istanbul CMO Summit Contributors (TBC)
Istanbul 2026 CMO Summit Attendance Requirements
Participation in this invitation-only IRG Global CMO Summit will be limited to IRG alums and partners, top-tier Turkish and global CMOs, and other senior business growth leaders. Approved registrants will be responsible for their own travel and local accommodation costs, and required to pay a US $110 registration fee, but all summit sessions, meals, and drinks are free of charge.
Marketing2030: Bridge to the Future
IRG Global CMO Summit • 6–8 October 2026 • Istanbul
October 6, 2026
Welcome – Swissotel Bosphorus 16 Roof
| 19:00 | Opening drinks & dinner | Hosted by WPP & Karaca |
October 7, 2026
M2030 + Growth – PwC Galataport
| 8:00 | Breakfast | |
| 9:00 | Opening and Introduction | PwC and IRG |
| 9:10 | M2030 Connect Activity, Ambiguity, Positivity, Fluidity Embodiment Session | IRG |
| 9:40 | M2030 Findings | IRG |
| 10:30 | Break | |
| 11:00 | M2030 – Window on the World | IRG, Gian Martinez (Winnin), Arda Ozkan (Ipsos) |
| 11:45 | Bridging Eastern and Western Growth Paradigms – Lessons from Turkish brands | Zeynep Yalım Uzun (Futurists Association), Işıl Bayraktar Buldur (Mavi), Orçun Doğan (Solen), Vijay Bhardwaj (Beko) |
| 12:30 | Lunch + Postcards | |
| 13:30 | M2030 – Da Vinci with Chris Lakens | Chris Lakens (Spencer Stuart) |
| 14:30 | Hakan Bulgurlu Keynote – followed by Interview Sustainability Book | Hakan Bulgurlu (Bain Capital) |
| 15:00 | Break | |
| 15:30 | M2030 – Role of Marketing: What the Board/CEO expect from the CMO | Lale Saral Develioğlu, Gamze Çuhadaroğlu, Mete Buyurgan (Pladis), Levent Kömür (Uludağ İçecek), Omer Yis (Karaca) |
| 16:15 | Different views on Role Marketing: What NextGen expects from the CMO | |
| 17:00 | Transfer to Dinner | |
| 17:30 | Cruise Dinner hosted by Inspark | Dean Aragon (ANA) |
October 8, 2026
AI + The Future – Google Istanbul
| 8:00 | Breakfast | |
| 9:00 | Day Opening | Google and IRG |
| 9:05 | Potential AI Futures | Experiential with Vincent de Klerk |
| 9:50 | M2030 Hybrid Capabilities – Marketing AI Excellence | IRG, Myriam Cohen-Welgryn (L’oreal), Dr. Laura Weis (WPP), Arda Ozkan (Ipsos) |
| 10:20 | Break | |
| 10:50 | Google AI Transformation | Serkan Girgin (Google) |
| 11:10 | M2030 Hybrid Capability – Creativity, Marketing, and AI | Pelin Özkan (Kapital Medya), Tebogo Motsepe (Nedbank), Yolanda Van Die (Achmea), Ionut Stanimir (BCR) |
| 11:40 | Leading Beyond Borders Panel: Turkish Lessons to the World | Arzu Unal Erman (WPP), Selin Dincer (BSH), Caganur Atay Uctu (MediaMarkt), Yasemin Develioglu (Mastercard), Özlem Citci (Avon) |
| 12:00 | Closing Remarks | IRG |
| 12:20 | Networking and drinks |
IRG Partners
