Dubai, United Arab Emirates – As marketing enters a more demanding era, industry leaders across sectors are redefining how brands drive measurable business impact through data, insight, and experience-led engagement. This shift will take center stage at the upcoming 4th Edition of The Great Marketing & Business Minds UAE 2026, to be held on 29 January at Pullman Dubai Downtown, bringing together senior marketing decision-makers to exchange strategies shaping the future of marketing in the region.

Gartner forecasts mounting pressure on marketing leaders to deliver provable revenue contribution in 2026, while McKinsey highlights first-party data and modern measurement as foundations for trusted personalization at scale. Forrester adds that poorly implemented AI-driven self-service risks eroding brand trust if relevance and empathy are lost.

Marketing leadership is shifting away from chasing every new channel toward disciplined focus. The result is organizations investing in consumer insight capabilities, advanced analytics, and personalization platforms. Competitive advantage increasingly depends on aligning data intelligence with experience design, organizational culture, and long-term customer relationships.

Sharad V K, Independent Marketing Consultant & Fractional CMO, emphasizes that "We are entering an era where marketing is held to a higher standard of accountability. To drive genuine business growth, brands must master the intersection of data and human experience. By coming together to share our collective successes and challenges, we can elevate the entire sector highlighting the winning brands that prove how strategic brilliance and measurable results go hand-in-hand." said Sharad

As marketing continues to mature into a performance-driven business function, peer exchange is becoming increasingly valuable.

Paurush Sonkar, Founder of Digital Stallions Forum and organizer of The Great Marketing & Business Minds UAE, sees this demand reflected in growing collaboration among senior marketing leaders. “Across sectors, leaders are facing similar questions about marketing effectivity, data, focus on Gen-Z, measurement, and trust. Bringing those voices together accelerates learning and helps set the benchmark for what effective modern marketing looks like.”

The 4th Edition of The Great Marketing & Business Minds UAE 2026 will convene the region’s senior marketing leaders, brand decision-makers, agencies, and solution providers in Dubai to exchange strategies, debate emerging approaches, and set new performance benchmarks for marketing in the year ahead.

For more information about the forum and registration, please visit: https://thegreatmarketingminds.ae/

To participate write to Paurush at paurush.sonkar@icloud.com

About Digital Stallions Forum UAE

Founded in 2020 by marketing veteran Paurush Sonkar, Digital Stallions Forum UAE serves as the premier networking platform for Chief Marketing Officers, Marketing Heads, and Digital Marketing Heads across the UAE, spanning all sectors. Since 2021, it has hosted the annual The Great Marketing & Business Minds UAE, a data-led event celebrating marketing excellence. Building on the 2013 launch of its India BFSI chapter, which now includes over 200 members from 75+ financial brands, the forum delivers practical insights through panel discussions and networking.

The 3rd Edition, held in February 2025, gathered leading brands including Mashreq Bank, Zurich Life Insurance, Century Financial, Fynd, Al Wathba Insurance, Ferns & Petals, and Palazzo Versace for a distinguished client-side jury, panel discussions, a gala awards night, and extensive networking. The upcoming 4th Edition, slated for 29 January 2026 at Pullman Downtown Dubai, promises even greater collaboration among UAE's top marketing minds.

For more information, please visit: www.thegreatmarketingminds.ae ​