Influence 100: The Rising Stars And Crossover Stars Of 2026
(MENAFN- PRovoke)
LONDON - A decade after joining Space NK as its group brand communications director, Emma Simpson-Scott is running the business. At Pandora, Berta de Pablos-Barbier has stepped up from chief marketing officer to president and CEO. And at Hasbro, Roberta Thomson has gone from leading corporate communications to running an AI studio that licenses some of the toy company's best-known characters.
The three are new to PRovoke Media's Crossover Stars part of the 2026 Influence 100, our annual list and research into the world's leading chief communications and corporate affairs officers. This year's 12 honourees have taken careers in communications, marketing and public affairs into roles running businesses, leading commercial operations and advising on government policy.
Simpson-Scott's rise took place inside one retailer. She added marketing to her communications remit, became CMO in 2019 and took over as CEO in September, a year after Ulta Beauty acquired Space NK. De Pablos-Barbier's route took her through marketing and communications at Boucheron and a stint running LVMH's champagne houses before she joined Pandora as CMO.
Thomson's move is different again. At Sixth Wall, Hasbro's new studio, she is building a licensing business around how characters such as Optimus Prime can speak and interact in AI-powered products.
Nine Crossover Stars return, several with new jobs. Matthew Gain moved from running Audible's European business to leading ParshipMeet Group, the matchmaking and social dating company behind eharmony and Parship. Paul Chibe went from Pabst Brewing Company to Tropicana Brands Group as CEO, while Jackson Jeyanayagam is now chief commercial officer at Volo Sports.
Cristina Mancini, who appeared on the previous list as Cristina Jones, continues to lead Black Girls Code and has also launched Beyond Code Collective, a nonprofit focused on AI literacy and routes into tech employment.
The returning cohort also includes Juan Manuel Cendoya at Santander España, Kristin Lemkau at JP Morgan Wealth Management, Conor McQuaid at Pernod Ricard North America, Simon Pearce at Abu Dhabi's Executive Affairs Authority and Wrenelle Stander, who was reappointed for a second five-year term as CEO of Wesgro.
The next generation of in-house leaders
This year's 15 Rising Stars selected from Influence 100 survey nominations and editorial recommendations, show how wide the in-house brief has become. Prasidha Menon now leads product communications for Apple in India after regional roles at Airbnb. At PepsiCo, Louis DeCosmo has helped make what AI assistants say about its brands something the communications team can measure and act on.
At Grab Philippines, Gallen Villanueva was part of the team behind the 'Ride to Vote' campaign, which paired voter education with help getting to polling places. Emilija Juseviciute, the CIPR's 2026 Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year, helped Essex County Fire and Rescue Service use TikTok to get safety messages to younger audiences.
The cohort also includes Sonny Franks Miller at Clarios, Samantha Gouy at Kraft Heinz, Jennifer Kaiser at Stripe, Unn Kvendseth at Shell, Andrea Meier at Swisscom, Caroline Adler Morales at Ford, Shilpashree Muniswamappa at Colgate-Palmolive India, Jenny Pask at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, Rula Tadros at Emirates, Elizabeth Van Every at Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Olivia Warner at Johnson & Johnson.
Read the full Crossover Stars and Rising Stars profiles in the 2026 Influence 100 report sponsored by FGS Global, along with profiles of all 100 chief communications and corporate affairs officers in the main list, and insights into CCO budgets, remit, how AI is changing the role, and where they see the biggest reputation risks for businesses today.
The three are new to PRovoke Media's Crossover Stars part of the 2026 Influence 100, our annual list and research into the world's leading chief communications and corporate affairs officers. This year's 12 honourees have taken careers in communications, marketing and public affairs into roles running businesses, leading commercial operations and advising on government policy.
Simpson-Scott's rise took place inside one retailer. She added marketing to her communications remit, became CMO in 2019 and took over as CEO in September, a year after Ulta Beauty acquired Space NK. De Pablos-Barbier's route took her through marketing and communications at Boucheron and a stint running LVMH's champagne houses before she joined Pandora as CMO.
Thomson's move is different again. At Sixth Wall, Hasbro's new studio, she is building a licensing business around how characters such as Optimus Prime can speak and interact in AI-powered products.
Nine Crossover Stars return, several with new jobs. Matthew Gain moved from running Audible's European business to leading ParshipMeet Group, the matchmaking and social dating company behind eharmony and Parship. Paul Chibe went from Pabst Brewing Company to Tropicana Brands Group as CEO, while Jackson Jeyanayagam is now chief commercial officer at Volo Sports.
Cristina Mancini, who appeared on the previous list as Cristina Jones, continues to lead Black Girls Code and has also launched Beyond Code Collective, a nonprofit focused on AI literacy and routes into tech employment.
The returning cohort also includes Juan Manuel Cendoya at Santander España, Kristin Lemkau at JP Morgan Wealth Management, Conor McQuaid at Pernod Ricard North America, Simon Pearce at Abu Dhabi's Executive Affairs Authority and Wrenelle Stander, who was reappointed for a second five-year term as CEO of Wesgro.
The next generation of in-house leaders
This year's 15 Rising Stars selected from Influence 100 survey nominations and editorial recommendations, show how wide the in-house brief has become. Prasidha Menon now leads product communications for Apple in India after regional roles at Airbnb. At PepsiCo, Louis DeCosmo has helped make what AI assistants say about its brands something the communications team can measure and act on.
At Grab Philippines, Gallen Villanueva was part of the team behind the 'Ride to Vote' campaign, which paired voter education with help getting to polling places. Emilija Juseviciute, the CIPR's 2026 Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year, helped Essex County Fire and Rescue Service use TikTok to get safety messages to younger audiences.
The cohort also includes Sonny Franks Miller at Clarios, Samantha Gouy at Kraft Heinz, Jennifer Kaiser at Stripe, Unn Kvendseth at Shell, Andrea Meier at Swisscom, Caroline Adler Morales at Ford, Shilpashree Muniswamappa at Colgate-Palmolive India, Jenny Pask at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, Rula Tadros at Emirates, Elizabeth Van Every at Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Olivia Warner at Johnson & Johnson.
Read the full Crossover Stars and Rising Stars profiles in the 2026 Influence 100 report sponsored by FGS Global, along with profiles of all 100 chief communications and corporate affairs officers in the main list, and insights into CCO budgets, remit, how AI is changing the role, and where they see the biggest reputation risks for businesses today.
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