European Marketer of the Year 2026 Finalists Announced!
The European Marketing Confederation (EMC) is delighted to announce the finalists for the European Marketer of the Year Award 2026. Ten of Europe’s top strategic marketers have qualified for this prestigious award.
Each year, most European countries recognize their National Marketing Champion. The EMC now seeks to identify the best among these champions through a formal competition to crown the European Marketer of the Year 2026. All marketing associations across Europe were invited to nominate their National Marketing Champion, and the first phase of the selection process has now concluded, revealing the final candidates.
A professional jury will interview these shortlisted candidates and select the ultimate winner. The European Marketer of the Year 2026 will be crowned on April 23nd in Vilnius, during the LIMA Award ceremony.
As national champions, the finalists have already proven their excellence in their respective countries, making their nomination for the European Marketer of the Year a significant honor. This award is proudly supported by fourteen leading marketing associations across Europe, ensuring that only the best of the best compete for this prestigious recognition.
The finalists in random order are:
| Stijn Mentrop-Hulisan |
McDonalds |
(The Netherlands) |
| Laurence Herbert |
Puratos |
(Belgium) |
| Ádám Mérő |
Coca Cola |
(Hungary) |
| Orla Mitchell |
WaterWipes |
(Ireland) |
| Vaida Jurkoniene |
Telia |
(Lithuania) |
| Sergio Leal |
Previous McDonalds |
(Portugal) |
| César Romera |
Kyndryl |
(Spain) |
| Carolina Eggertsson |
Tele 2 |
(Sweden) |
| Marco Greco |
Ochsner Sport |
(Switzerland) |
| Werner Lampert |
Werner Lampert Beratung |
(Austria) |
EMC is proud to recognise these outstanding marketers who have demonstrated exceptional strategic management skills, driving results and building sustainable businesses across the region and globally. Professional marketers bring a strategic, customer-centric approach that translates into sustainable competitive advantage in the market. This shortlist represents the very best of marketing professionalism in Europe and serves as an inspiration for the next generation of business and marketing graduates as they embark on their careers.
All finalists are winners -Only the best can compete in this prestigious award. This award is supported by the fourteen leading marketing associations in Europe.
About EMC:
EMC is Europe’s largest marketing organization, representing over 100.000 marketeers across fourteen national associations in Europe and our members are jointly reaching 1 million social-media followers and over 5 million unique visitors on their websites. As a non-profit organization, EMC works with its member associations to promote Education, Social guidance, and Value creation to marketing associations and the marketing profession all over Europe.
