NABS Programme Prepares to Fast Forward Advertising's Young Stars

NABS’ annual training programme Fast Forward returns in September, offering top young talent in the advertising and media industry the opportunity to work alongside some of the most respected figures in the industry.The programme aims to equip delegates with the skills needed to understand and implement marketing comms in a rapidly changing media landscape. Find out more here.

Over the course of an eight-week programme, industry luminaries such as Jeremy Bullmore, Andy Nairn and Mark Creighton will deliver a series of keynote talks on various key skills which cross the marketing mix, on subjects including engagement, briefing, insights and more. Jon Steel, group planning director, WPP will also deliver a remote seminar on pitching direct from his base in Australia.

Companies within the communications industry have nominated their rising stars, who have between one and three years experience, to ‘Fast Forward’ their careers.

During the programme, the nominated delegates will work in multi-disciplinary teams alongside industry mentors responding to a client brief set by the Cabinet Office. These teams will put into practice the skills and knowledge that they have taken on board during the weekly sessions to present against one another in a high tension pitch scenario on 15 October. Last year’s programme saw the teams respond to a fictitious government brief based on tackling the issues around the UK’s ageing population.

Mark Lund, Fast Forward chairman said: "After seeing the terrific talent and quality of work last year, I am delighted to be chairing Fast Forward again. It is a great opportunity for the industry’s bright young minds to access a wealth of knowledge and experience from the experts and to start making the difficult calls for themselves.”

Mark Lund (Managing Partner at Now and incoming McCann UK, CEO) will be joined by Wendy Proctor (Cabinet Office), Sheila Mitchell (Public Health England), Kerry Glazer (AAR) Mark Creighton (Mindshare) Claire Beale (Campaign) and Zoë Osmond (NABS) to judge at the final pitch session, selecting one team as the overall winner.

Zoë Osmond, CEO of NABS said: “The brilliance behind Fast Forward is that it offers young professionals a chance to fast forward their careers by accessing a wealth of knowledge that comes only from years of experience.  Add to that the tensions of a real life pitch scenario and you have a powerful opportunity that NABS is privileged to offer.”