The 11th edition of DK2025 is set to host a lineup of global heavyweights shaping the future of the communications industry. Among the most anticipated guests: a visionary redefining the frontiers of marketing.
Two forces are powering the future of the communications world – and arguably the business world at large: technology and creativity transformed into innovation. That’s why, from 15 to 18 May in Rovinj, DK’s main stage will welcome Fernando Machado, one of today’s most influential marketing leaders – brought to the festival with the support of A1 Hrvatska.
Machado understands brand transformation through innovative marketing better than anyone. His presence underlines the festival’s focus this year: the powerful synergy between creativity and technology in crafting cutting-edge, effective communication strategies.
At A1 Hrvatska, we believe the true strength of a brand lies in the intersection of technology and creativity – and that’s exactly the foundation of our own communication strategy. As a tech company, we continuously push boundaries in the digital space, but we never lose sight of the power of bold ideas, brave storytelling, and authentic human emotion. That’s why we’re proud to support Fernando Machado’s arrival – a marketing icon whose work embodies everything we believe in: innovation, courage, and the strength of creativity, said Iva Ančić, Head of Brand, Marketing Communications and Digital Business at A1 Hrvatska.
Photo: Foto: Vedran Peteh / CROPIX
Named the world’s most innovative CMO by Business Insider and one of the top three most influential CMOs by Forbes, Machado has collected over 200 Cannes Lions awards – including the coveted Creative Marketer of the Year title. His track record includes turning Burger King into a global cultural icon, reshaping the marketing playbook for Call of Duty, and delivering the iconic Dove Real Beauty Sketches campaign. Today, he brings his unique perspective to every project as Operating Partner at Garnett Station Partners and Dean of the Brand Marketer Academy at Cannes Lions.
The modern creative’s daily reality is a constant balancing act between technology and that beautifully imperfect human creativity – the kind rooted in illogical ideas, mistakes, and twisted humor. That’s why it’s brilliant that DK is bringing Sophia to the stage as a symbol of AI – but as a counterpoint, we’re also bringing in a true flesh-and-blood creative force. And not just any creative – it’s Fernando Machado, one of the industry’s most admired marketing minds. In his keynote, ‘The Temptations of the Modern Marketer,’ Machado will raise vital questions about modern marketing and how to stay focused on the core values that truly build brands and businesses, said Jelena Fiškuš, President of the Management Board at HURA and member of the DK Organizing Committee.
And Machado is not coming alone. Joining him on DK’s main stage are some of the boldest minds in the game: Sophia the Robot, the world’s most famous AI humanoid; Karen Nelson-Field, the world’s top expert on attention economics, Blair Enns, the world’s leading authority on selling and pricing creative services, Michael Corcoran, the Internet’s savviest troll and the man behind Ryanair’s savage online personality, Marisha Lakhiani, a visionary leader and expert in the science, art, and psychology of marketing, Johan Ronnestam, a serial entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and branding mastermind who has helped the world’s most iconic brands stay ahead of the curve, Mirella Crespi, the mastermind behind 2,000+ ads a month in six languages, who crafted for global names like Amazon, Meta Unilever, and Ubisoft, and Amber Case powered by ENNA, cyborg anthropologist, Fast Company’s most influential women in technology, author, and tech whisperer; Dietmar Dahmen, a creative rockstar and transformation evangelist. With a powerhouse lineup featuring 170+ leaders from Croatia and beyond, this is the event for anyone serious about creativity and communication.