UBQEx INSPIRING LEADERS 2026
UBQex Inspiring Leaders 2026 celebrates individuals shaping the future of the
experience economy through leadership, innovation, creativity and impact.
The series features inspiring people from across a wide range of sectors and recognises
those creating meaningful experiences for customers, communities and teams alike.
From founders and executives to creators and changemakers, UBQex Inspiring Leaders 2026
highlights the people driving fresh thinking and positive change across the experience economy.
UBQex INSPIRING LEADERS 2026
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UBQex INSPIRING LEADERS 2026 <<<>>>
MIKE GOLDSMITH
Mike is Head of Content at the World Experience Organization — WXO for short. WXO is a global member organisation for over 1,250* (*likely out of date) professionals across the whole experience economy. Mike owns the content created for the community and also curates London Experience Week (LXW) — sourcing venues, booking speakers, creating outreach, and everything in between.
Mike has a background in publishing strategy, content creation, and live events across music, film, videogames, and more, with agency experience working with brands including O2, PlayStation, Sky, and BBC. Mike loves bringing the rigour of publishing to the experience economy while embracing the creativity running through every sector. Partnerships are a huge part of WXO, and Mike enjoys connecting with people who have ambitious ideas
Dr. LAURA BEAVIN-YATES
Dr. Laura Beavin-Yates is a behavioral neuroscientist, experience strategist, and marketing leader working at the intersection of neuroscience, human behavior, and the experience economy. Her work focuses on helping organizations design and measure experiences that create meaningful emotional impact, drive future behavior, and support stronger business outcomes.
With a background spanning behavioral science, customer experience, fan experience, UX, market research, growth strategy, wellness, immersive entertainment, technology, and healthcare innovation, Laura has advised organizations across industries on how to better understand human experience in real time. She is especially passionate about translating complex neuroscience into practical strategies that help brands, teams, and experience creators design with the brain in mind.
Laura is also a frequent speaker and thought leader on neuroscience-informed experience design.
Pigalle Tavakkoli
Pigalle Tavakkoli is Founder and Director of the School of Experience Design, author of The Experience Design Building Blocks guidebook, international keynote speaker, award-winning educator, trainer, and consultant for global brands including Apple, Philips, The Guardian and Unilever. She is a leading specialist in the art and science of crafting emotions, shifting mindsets, and driving behaviour change that delivers lasting impact across products, events, services, and communications. Her structured process and science-backed building block methods combine strategy, creativity, neuroscience, psychology and innovation to truly capture hearts and minds. Pigalle also shares her expertise through advisory roles, as a Council Member for the World Experience Organization (WXO), Jury Member for the European Best Event Awards (EBEA), and Board Member for the World Future Awards.
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Keith Jopling
Keith Jopling is a music strategist, author, podcaster and mentor. In 2021 he started the music podcast The Art of Longevity, featured under Spotify’s “must listen” music podcasts and on all other platforms. The archive sits on his music curation site The Song Sommelier. Keith has worked with the boardrooms of labels, streaming services, start-ups and investors. He has held previous roles with Sony Music, Spotify, EMI and the BPI. Most recently he was Consulting Director at boutique music agency MIDiA Research (2019-2024) and began his career in music as Research Director at global trade body IFPI (2000-2006).
He has two books coming in 2026 on music, business and culture: Body of Work: how the album outplayed the algorithm and survived playlist culture (February 2026) Riding the Rollercoaster: how artists survive the music business to become the legends we love (May 2026)
As an educator, he has lectured in music business, strategy and innovation at Henley Business School, NYU, BIMM, ACM, Belmont, Syracuse, Westminster and the University of Krems, Austria.
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Nina Hansdotter Usher
Nina Hansdotter Usher has built her career at the intersection of technology, people, and entertainment. She founded Spinnup under Universal Music Group, a music distribution platform that grew to over half a million artists worldwide by leveraging data to identify emerging talent. Previously, she led digital marketing across 60 countries at UMG during a major industry transformation.
At Just Wonder, we help brands transform experiences into measurable business assets. Every strategy, campaign, and product centres on a key interaction between people; this is the moment we design for.
She is the producer of The Experience Designers Show, a global video podcast exploring the craft and commerce of experience with the people who shape it.
Dr. Mike Duignan
Dr Mike Duignan is the Founder and Chair of the Centre for Events & Festivals (CEF)— the international professional body for the events industry. CEF was built on a simple but long-overdue idea: that the events industry deserves the same professional infrastructure that other industries take for granted. That means proper standards, career recognition, accessible research, and practical tools that help people do their jobs better and feel valued for the work they do.
The mission is to bring together the collective intelligence of industry leaders, policymakers, and academics to set global standards, advance research, recognise excellence, and make the case for the power and impact of events on the world stage. Underpinning all of it is a conviction that every event professional — regardless of sector, role, or where they are in the world — should have access to world-class development, recognition, support, and community.
Mike is also a Professeur des Universités at the University of Paris and Editor-in-Chief of Event Management Journal.
Randi Wilens
Randi is a native of Los Angeles and a graduate of the University of Southern California’s school of cinema. After spearheading several high profile production companies, running their music video and commercial divisions, she founded RW media in 1997 and never looked back.
RW Media creates innovative visual experiences (music, pop culture, sports, fashion, lifestyle, etc.) Randi specializes in managing Directors, Animators, Immersive and AI Artists, as well as Live Concert Multi-Camera Production.
She is a seasoned Producer, Executive Producer, Connector, Strategist, Lecturer, and Curator overseeing a broad range of visionary content, from music videos, branded content, global tour visuals, music documentaries, art installations, projection mapping, art exhibitions, etc.
Her work runs the gamut from Metallica to Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter to the Smashing Pumpkins, Hermes to Converse, The Sphere to Coachella. Some of her work has been Grammy, Emmy, MTV, Clio and Sundance nominated and award-winning. She's passionate and inspired by the many transformative experiential and immersive possibilities.
