What is getting you up in the morning and what is keeping you awake at night in 2026?I’ve been in this business for decades, and while this industry has always evolved, we are now in a moment of significant disruption and opportunity. Clients are under pressure to grow, transform, become more efficient and connect with consumers in a world that is changing by the day. Our job is to help them do that – with ideas, data, technology and execution that move their businesses forward.The new Omnicom represents a fundamental shift: we're transforming from a holding company structure to an operating company that brings together the industry’s leading talent and capabilities in media, commerce, world-class creativity, consulting, data and technology – integrated and powered by Omni and our continued investments in AI. This makes it easier for our clients to access the full strength of Omnicom, multiplying the power of our capabilities and creating a unified competitive advantage. Our opportunity is to deliver that combination of creativity, intelligence, technology and scale with speed, clarity and discipline that will help our clients grow.My focus every day is on ensuring we are operating with the agility that comes from being truly integrated; making it easier for clients to activate our full capabilities; investing in the infrastructure that will define the future; and giving our people the training and tools they need to lead through this transformation. AI is creating tremendous opportunities to make our work smarter, faster and more effective, but this will always remain a people business.Visit Campaign's Cannes Lions hub for more festival contentHow do you turn creativity into a competitive advantage when some in the industry appear to be putting less of a premium on it?I disagree with the idea that creativity is becoming less important. When technology gives everyone access to more tools, more content and more automation, breakthrough creativity becomes even more valuable.Omnicom was founded by creatives. Creativity is part of our DNA, and with the acquisition of Interpublic, we now have one of the most celebrated portfolio of creative teams in the business.But competitive advantage today is not simply having an idea. It must be informed by data, accelerated by technology, executed at scale and capable of changing behaviour. That is where Omnicom is focused. Creativity now sits at the intersection of talent, intelligence and technology.AI can help generate possibilities, reduce friction and move faster. Data can help us understand audiences with greater precision. Media, commerce and CRM capabilities can ensure ideas show up where they will have the greatest impact. But at the centre of all of it, you still need human judgment, originality and an understanding of culture.For our clients, creativity is not a “nice to have”, it is a business tool. It builds brands, creates demand, drives outcomes and grows companies. When connected to data, media, commerce and technology, creativity becomes more measurable, more scalable and more powerful. That is the advantage we are offering to the most sophisticated marketers around the world.How can people get future-fit for a career in this industry and what is your company doing to help your own people?The first thing I would say to anyone building a career in this industry is: stay curious. The people who will thrive are those who keep learning. Our business has always changed, but the pace today is unlike anything we have seen before. You cannot rely on what made you successful even a year ago.Being future-fit means understanding your client’s needs and bringing them connected capabilities to help solve their most critical issues. The best work is not created in silos. It comes from people who understand brands, culture, consumers, platforms and performance – and know how to connect them to create growth for clients.What differentiates Omnicom is that our commitment to developing talent is not new. More than 30 years ago, we created Omnicom University because we believed our people are our greatest asset. The program uses original Omnicom case studies and a teaching model based on the Harvard Business School case-study method, with instruction from leading professors, including from Harvard Business School. There is nothing else quite like it in our industry.Today, we are building on that legacy with training, tools and platforms that help our people apply AI, data and technology to real client work. Technology will change how we work, but talent remains the differentiator.John Wren is the chairman and chief executive of OmnicomThis story first appeared on Campaign UK.