Event Has Grown Into One Of Advertising Industry’s Most Influential Advocacy Platforms
Seasoned Leaders To Offer Master Class In Starting, Managing & Growing Women-Led Agencies
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: https://untilyouownit.com/events-2026
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.”
“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,” said Christy Hiler, Owner and CEO of Cornett, the highly awarded independent ad agency based in Lexington, Kentucky. “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.”
“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,” adds Jean Freeman, Principal and CEO of independent agency Zambezi, one of the largest women-owned agencies in the advertising industry. “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.”
OWN IT was founded in 2022 by Hiler and Freeman. The two women initially intended to use the platform to track and classify the number of women-owned advertising agencies. In 2022, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) estimated that 39% to 40% of American businesses are owned by women, but less than one percent of the 22,000 ad agencies in North America were owned by women or nonbinary people, according to the 4A’s, the American Advertising Association of America.
Faced with data that demanded a more activist response, Hiler and Freeman quickly expanded the mission of OWN IT from data collection to advocacy, education, mentorship, support and other services vital to women and nonbinary individuals. They recruited other prominent women to the cause such as Cindy Gallop, Carol H. Williams, and former 4A’s CEO Nancy Hill, who have made podcast and event appearances. In addition to continually expanding its collection of data and analytics on the industry, which it shares free of charge, the group launched the OWN IT podcast, which now has more than 2,000 followers.
The Chicago Summit marks the third year of the OWN IT event, which is expected to draw 300+ attendees from across North America.
In addition to tracking and compiling relevant data, scheduling events, recruiting both men and women from industry groups and organizations to collaborate on behalf of their cause, OWN IT offers mentorship across dozens of subjects important to women and binary individuals who want to pursue the potential of owning their own business, including: how to fight cultural bias, how to navigate gender-based imbalances in time management, fending off imposter syndrome, countering the lack of role models, understanding how the lack of female representation inside agencies hinders peer-to-peer networking and growth opportunities, facing the lack of industry support services and becoming aware of the difficulties of finding start-up capital in a male-dominated business model.
The A-team of sponsors supporting the event include: Toptal, Tangerine & Revelry, Hailstorm, Davis+Gilbert LLP, Armanino, 1986, Free Agent Payments and Infillion.
The 2026 Women’s Agency Ownership Summit is scheduled for 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM Central Standard Time on Thursday, April 16, at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, located at 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza in downtown Chicago. Registration is $150 per person and discounted hotel rooms are available at IHG’s voco Chicago Riverwalk Hotel.
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