OWN IT Announces 2026 Women's Agency Ownership Summit

Mar. 16, 2026

OWN IT, the collective of female and non-binary advertising professionals committed to making changes that uplift and empower underrepresented groups in the industry, has announced the agenda, speakers and panel details for its 2026 Women’s Agency Ownership Summit. The event will take place Thursday, April 16, at Chicago’s iconic Merchandise Mart. For a complete list of speakers and featured guests, panel details and sponsors, along with a link to register, please visit here.

The 2026 Summit features a jam-packed schedule of panels that will bring to bear many of the leading voices among women from across the marketing, advertising and branding landscape. In addition to informal networking opportunities and a group lunch, the 10 high-impact panels will cover a diverse range of subjects critical to starting, operating, growing and managing an agency from the ground up. Panels include “Driving and Managing Growth,” which features women leaders from Joan, Partners & Napier and Highdive. “Changing Course” includes wisdom from women execs from Murder Hornet, We Are The Board, BeautifulBeast and Grace Creative. “Future Proofing” offers insights from women leaders at Erich & Kallman and FIG. Jessica Wohl, Managing Editor, Ad Age, will appear on the “Setting The Vision” panel and Kat Gordon, founder of The 3% Movement, will lead the day-ending “Fireside Chat.”

Christy Hiler, Owner and CEO of Cornett, the highly awarded independent ad agency based in Lexington, Kentucky, said:

“Throughout our careers both inside and outside the advertising business, women get exposed to many of the roles and positions within a corporate structure, except for ownership. Our mission at OWN IT is to change that. We want more women, and more people who identify as non-binary, to feel more prepared, and more confident, to step into that role, or create it, whenever the time is right.”

 

Jean Freeman, Principal and CEO of independent agency Zambezi, one of the largest women-owned agencies in the advertising industry, adds:

"Attendees more than tripled last year from the year before, and I believe that’s because women are rightfully stepping forward to boldly lead this industry into the future. Our sponsors this year are a testament to OWN IT’s mission, and we couldn't have scaled the event to even greater heights without them. They’re adding tremendous value by showcasing the tools and resources we all need to run healthy, well-rounded businesses."