Thinkbox
We’re taking Televisionaries to Cannes this year for two special sessions with TV’s commercial chiefs on Tuesday 23rd and Wednesday 24th June.
Leaders from Channel 4, ITV, Sky, Paramount, and Disney will come together for a candid and thought-provoking discussion about TV, where it’s at and where it is heading. They will face into the challenges and assess the opportunities, tackling key issues including:
- The tech platforms that have colonised Cannes and captured advertising
- Why trust matters in advertising, and why TV earns it
- The new world of Total TV and what that means for advertisers
- How TV is innovating and collaborating, from outcomes to YouTube
- Creativity, attention, and effectiveness in a fragmented media world
- Why premium environments matter more in the age of infinite content
The panel
- Rak Patel – Chief Commercial Officer, Channel 4
- Kelly Williams – Managing Director, Commercial, ITV
- Karen Eccles – Managing Director, Sky Media
- Lee Sears – President, International Ad Sales & Brand Studio, Paramount*
- Deborah Armstrong – Senior Vice President, Disney Advertising EMEA & Country Manager UK & Ireland**
- Chaired by: Lindsey Clay – Chief Executive, Thinkbox
When & where
There are two sessions to choose from
- Tuesday 23rd June – 9am-10am, FreeWheel Beach*
- Wednesday 24th June – 2pm-3pm, RTL Beach**
Interested in attending?
Simply drop an email to cannes@thinkbox.tv with the following information:
- Name
- Company
- Job title
- Tuesday or Wednesday session
We’ll then be in touch with registration details and other useful information, and be on hand to answer any queries.
More on the panel
Rak Patel – Chief Commercial Officer, Channel 4
Rak Patel joined Channel 4 in January 2025 as Chief Commercial Officer leading Channel 4 Sales, the commercial arm of Channel 4. Rak has responsibility for driving the organisation’s advertising revenue. A key focus of the role is to accelerate the commercial elements of Channel 4’s Fast Forward strategy, maximising revenues as it transitions from linear to digital, while pursuing new partnerships and expanding into new areas of digital growth.
Rak most recently was Head of Sales EMEA at Spotify. Here he was responsible for showcasing the value of advertising on Spotify for brands and marketers and the platform’s unique proposition in the marketplace. Having been in the advertising industry for close to twenty five years, Rak has spent his career on the commercial side of media and platform businesses. Starting at EMAP, Rak has also spent time at The Financial Times, Microsoft and Auto Trader.
Kelly Williams – Managing Director, Commercial, ITV
Kelly joined ITV in 2011 as Group Commercial Director. He was promoted to Managing Director, Commercial and appointed to the Management Board in 2014. He is the Chair of the Board of Thinkbox, the marketing body for commercial TV in the UK, and a member of the BARB Strategy Board. He also sits on the RTL AdAlliance Association Board.
He has responsibility for all commercial advertising deals across the ITV family of channels. Prior to joining ITV, Kelly was the Sales Director at Channel 5 and prior to that held various positions at UKTV, Sky, and Thames Television.
Karen Eccles – Managing Director, UK & Ireland, Sky Media
Karen is MD of Sky Media UK & Ireland. She was previously Chief Commercial Officer at Telegraph Media Group where she worked for eight years. Prior to that she held leadership roles at media and ad tech businesses including Global, DC Thomson, DMGT and Innovid.
Lee Sears – President, International Ad Sales & Brand Studio, Paramount
Lee Sears is President International Advertising and Brand Studio, overseeing international sales teams across streaming, pay TV, and Free to Air broadcasters, uniting Paramount's commercial portfolio outside the US.
The team led by Sears is in charge of driving advertising sales monetisation and strategy for the company's direct-to-consumer streaming business and linear Pay TV portfolio outside the US and UK, including linear sales, sponsorship and creative brand solutions, social and digital, and live events, in collaboration with leaders across all lines of business.
Deborah Armstrong – Senior Vice President, Disney Advertising EMEA & Country Manager UK & Ireland
Deborah leads on advertising sales & brand partnerships within EMEA for the Networks and Direct-To-Consumer business. As Country Manager, Deborah has responsibility for all Disney’s UK and Irish businesses and activities.
Deborah joined The Walt Disney Company following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox after a tenure of 22 years in which she held a variety of leadership roles in EMEA and Asia Pacific. Prior to 21st Century Fox, Deborah was Head of Sales Marketing & Research at CNBC Asia and Media Director at both Leo Burnett and M&C Saatchi.
Lindsey Clay – Chief Executive, Thinkbox
Following a career in advertising at agencies including McCann Erickson and J Walter Thompson, Lindsey's love of telly drew her to Thinkbox, the UK marketing body for commercial TV, where she now leads the brilliant team who make it their mission to help brands get the best out of today’s TV.
Lindsey is a passionate and persuasive advocate of the power of TV advertising, the benefits of gender equality and the joy of netball. A regular industry speaker, commentator and awards judge, Lindsey is a former founding President of the Global TV Group, a Fellow of the Marketing Society, an Honorary Fellow of the IPA and a member of the Marketing Group of Great Britain. She is also a member and former President of WACL (Women in Advertising and Communication Leadership), a member of The Women of the Year Alumnae and a Top 50 Women Gamechanger in TV.
Lindsey is a Trustee of The Rank Foundation and until recently Chaired the Rank Fellowship, its School Leadership Award alumni group. She also serves as a non-exec director of its TV production company, CTVC.
When not working, or watching telly with her family, she plays for Weston Park in the North London Netball League.