Day: 25 October 2026

IPA Excellence Diploma winners unveil persuasive provocations for future success of adland

Stuart Mitchell

‘Polyphonic’ and ‘imperfect’ brands hold the key to advertising’s future success alongside preventing advertising from destroying its own media ecosystems. These were just some of the bold visions presented as part of the most highly regarded IPA qualification: the Excellence Diploma in Brands. The results announced today (23 September) follow four months of intensive study, in which the delegates had to craft and defend a persuasive, provocative and original belief rooted in deep strategic understanding and assessed through a written 3,500-word thesis, Viva and TED-style presentation. Their work is now…

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UN Women launches the Digital, Innovation and AI Hub dedicated exclusively to gender equality

Stuart Mitchell

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping how people work, communicate, access public services, and exercise their rights. Yet women remain significantly underrepresented among those developing the technologies and making decisions about how they are governed and deployed: men hold nearly eight in 10 artificial intelligence jobs and almost nine in 10 senior leadership positions shaping the technology. As world leaders gather in New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81), artificial intelligence is at the forefront of discussions on economic transformation, the future of work,…

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Octopus Energy snaps up Danish tech startup BD Energy to boost its power trading capabilities

Stuart Mitchell

Octopus Energy has announced the acquisition of BD Energy, a fast-growing Danish tech startup specialising in fully automated trading, to further boost the company’s tech stack. Founded in 2022, BD Energy focuses exclusively on ‘short-term’ markets – the final 24 hours down to the exact moment power flows into the grid. Its state-of-the-art technology automatically buys and sells electricity in those markets, using data and algorithms to make ultra-fast and efficient trading decisions. Its platform crunches huge amounts of data – from electricity prices and supply and demand to weather…

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RFL publishes 2025/26 Annual Report after landmark year for the Dormant Assets Scheme

Stuart Mitchell

Reclaim Fund Ltd has published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2025/26, setting out a year of responsible growth, record impact and continued expansion of the UK’s Dormant Assets Scheme.   The report announces a record distribution of £370 million for The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest in RFL’s history. This takes the total committed for good causes since the Scheme began to more than £1.6 billion.   The higher distribution reflects both significant dormant asset transfers during the year and a refreshed Capital and Reserving Strategy. The new Strategy strengthens…

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Mayor invites community organisations to apply as he opens latest £6million round of grassroots funding to support victims and survivors of violence against women and girls

Stuart Mitchell

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is inviting grassroots organisations who support survivors of violence against women and girls (VAWG), to apply for grants through the latest round of his funding for specialist organisations and charities.  The new £6million funding through the Mayor’s VAWG Grassroots Fund, will help organisations that are rooted in and led by the communities they serve provide thousands of women, children and families with access to legal advice, counselling, emergency housing and other key services. A further £2million through the Mayor’s Victims’ Fund will help similar organisations…

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