Digitas, Five Below and January Digital are among the 2026 Future Leader Awards Winners
This year’s Future Leaders winners show how a new generation is redefining business impact. They are turning once-tactical roles into growth engines, using data and performance insights to drive measurable results while applying innovation to solve practical challenges. Just as importantly, they are building trust through authenticity and audience-first thinking, while leading beyond their formal roles through collaboration, mentorship and cultural influence. Together, these winners reflect a modern model of leadership grounded in results, purpose and long-term growth.
As associate director of social strategy at Digitas, Ameera Masud earned Rising Social Leader for helping brands translate online culture into lasting audience engagement. In her role at Digitas, she has led creator and community programs that connect brands with fandoms across entertainment, fashion and internet culture. Her work on the Digitas-Crocs innovation partnership produced award-winning activations and collaborations that extended brand relevance beyond campaign cycles. Masud has also built internal tools that turn platform trends into actionable strategy and championed more inclusive marketing frameworks. Her work reflects a modern social approach rooted in trust, participation and cultural fluency.
Cecilia Snider earned Rising Retail Leader for modernizing Five Below’s replenishment strategy through AI and advanced analytics. She has helped reshape how the retailer forecasts demand, allocates inventory and maintains product availability across its growing store network. By aligning merchandising, planning and operations teams, Snider has improved efficiency while supporting a stronger customer experience in a fast-moving retail environment. Her leadership has also fostered a culture of experimentation and cross-functional collaboration, positioning Five Below to respond more quickly to market shifts and scale with discipline.
Raquelle Kleiman earned Rising Agency Leader for transforming January Digital’s affiliate practice into a major growth engine. In two years, she helped expand the department by 400%, turning affiliate from a supporting channel into a strategic pillar of the agency’s performance offering. Her leadership drove standout client results, including 139% year-over-year revenue growth for a luxury fashion brand and gains exceeding 50% for other accounts. Beyond client work, she has shaped new business strategy, mentored colleagues and led internal culture initiatives, making her one of the agency sector’s emerging leaders.
Explore all the winners of this year’s Future Leader Awards below.
Rising Agency Leader
Raquelle Kleiman – January Digital
Rising AI Leader – NEW
Anushka Salinas – Nanit
Rising Audio Leader – NEW
Emily Dyer – Macmillan Publishers
Rising Brand Leader
Bailey Leffler – Purdue Brand Studio
Rising Content Marketing Leader – NEW
Emily Duncan – tvScientific
Rising Creator – NEW
Kiana Davis – The Sociable Society
Rising Design/Creative Leader – NEW
Anna Weddle – Hook
Rising E-commerce Leader – NEW
Jordan Harper – Barefaced
Rising Finance Leader – NEW
Danielle Lauzon – Fintel Connect
Rising Founder – NEW
Andi Cross – Edges of Earth
Rising Influencer Marketing Leader – NEW
James Reid – Collectively
Rising Innovator – NEW
Dr. Victoria Rose Veytsman – Rose Code, Inc.
Rising Marketing Leader – NEW
Sammi Fischer – Ad Council
Rising Media Buying and Planning Leader – NEW
Michelle Lantz – Attention Arc
Rising Media Leader
Natasha Macri – TIME
Rising Merchandising Leader – NEW
Brittany Ainslie – SAYN
Rising Operations Leader – NEW
Jaclyn Maclean – Viral Nation
Rising People Leader – NEW
Heather Dugan – billups
Rising PR Leader – NEW
Haley Norton – Nebo Agency
Rising Product Leader – NEW
Dean Phillips – ClickUp
Rising Retail Leader – NEW
Cecilia Snider – Five Below
Rising Sales Leader – NEW
Lexi Keller – The Sociable Society
Rising Social Leader – NEW
Ameera Masud – Digitas
Rising Technology Leader
Pratyush Mulukutla – MediaMint
Rising Video Leader – NEW
David Mwila – Equativ
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