Inside DMAT Confex 2026: Full Agenda, Speakers & What to Expect

The 8th Digital Marketing, Advertising & Technology Confex (DMAT Confex 2026) is a one-day marketing conference in Singapore on 5 December 2026 at Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Novena. The theme is Beyond Automation: Building the Agentic Marketing Enterprise, and the whole programme circles one question: how much of marketing should be handed to AI, and what should stay human?

This page covers the full agenda, the speakers confirmed so far and what to expect on the day.

DMAT Confex 2026 at a Glance

The 2026 Theme: Beyond Automation

Most marketing teams already use AI to automate repetitive work. Agentic AI goes a step further. These systems read information, make decisions and act towards a business goal, with people working alongside them.

The 2026 programme looks at how far that should go, where human oversight still matters, and how to use AI responsibly without losing the creativity that makes a brand stand out.

Full Agenda: 5 December 2026

Session Highlights

The two keynotes

Keynote I opens the day with the shift from AI assistants to AI decision-makers, the rise of AI-native enterprises, multi-agent systems and human-AI collaboration. It ends with what every executive should prepare for by 2030.

Keynote II comes after lunch and treats AI as a business operating model. It covers brand leadership in the age of autonomous intelligence, the human advantage and what marketing may look like by 2030.

Panel I: The Agentic Marketing Revolution (10:10 am)

How is agentic AI different from traditional marketing automation? This panel looks at AI agents managing customer journeys, autonomous campaign orchestration, human oversight and case studies from global enterprises. New to the topic? Start with our guide to agentic AI in marketing.

Speakers: Chanelle Wang (Senior Assistant Director, International Branding & Marketing, A*STAR); Justin Lum (APAC Chief Product Officer, frog, part of Capgemini Invent); Bhargavi Rathi (Group Chief Marketing Officer, APAC, Ascentium); Sebastien Edgar (Global VP, Digital Marketing, Liferay).

Panel II: Beyond Search (11:55 am)

Customers increasingly find brands through AI search and conversational tools, not just a results page. The panel covers generative engine optimisation (GEO), zero-click journeys, AI shopping agents and commerce media. For background, read our explainer on Generative Engine Optimization.

Speakers: Sajin Mohamed (Global Director, Digital & AI, Plaza Premium Group); Mason Tay (Director of Global Markets and Loyalty, Tripadvisor); Ayush Upadhyay (Director, Product Management, Nium); James Cooper-Jones (CEO, Survey Kiwi); Jaslyin Qiyu (Chief Marketing Officer and Customer Experience Head, Cigna Healthcare).

Panel III: Creativity Without Limits (1:10 pm)

AI content studios, AI video, digital humans and synthetic influencers make content cheap to produce. This panel asks what that means for authentic brands, and how to keep brands safe in the AI era.

Speakers: Vinay Bharadwaj (Filmmaker, Entrepreneur & Talk Show Host); Colin Anderson (CEO, Asia, Brandpie); Sonali Singh (Head of Marketing, Switch Mobility); Anjali Dutta (Head of Experience Design & Digital Studio, Tech Mahindra).

Panel IV: Advertising 2030 (3:40 pm)

Programmatic 3.0, AI creative optimisation, retail media networks, attention metrics, contextual and cookieless advertising, and AI attribution. The focus is how media buying changes when more of it is autonomous.

Speakers: Carina Elisabeth Marais (Advanced Analytics Solutions Consultant, WPP Media); Wulan Suci Maria (Head of Brand APAC, foodpanda); Mihira Kulatunga (Head of Marketing, Unilever Food Solutions, MY/SG).

Panel V: Leading the AI-Native Organisation (4:45 pm)

The last panel moves from tools to organisations: AI governance, responsible AI, AI regulation across APAC, AI ROI, human and AI teams, and the skills teams will need.

Speakers: Sushil Katdare (CX Director, GCI Region & Global ViiV, GSK); Zoltan (Zoli) Hidvegi (Head of Digital Communications, Indorama Ventures); Swapnil Saurav (Senior Manager, ServiceNow); PK Gupta (Global CTO and APJ Presales Lead, Global Alliances Presales, Dell Technologies); Shigeto Miyamoto (VP of Digital Solutions, APAC, Syneos Health).

Quick presentations and the Startup Pitch Session

Two short presentation slots cover hyper-personalisation (predictive marketing, AI analytics, customer data platforms, Revenue AI, voice and conversational commerce) and building the AI-native martech stack. The Startup Pitch Session follows in the evening, before the awards.

What to Expect on the Day

The conference is built for conversation as much as talks. The Innovation Exhibition opens with registration, and the day includes a one-on-one “Who’s Who” icebreaker, two networking tea breaks, a networking lunch and an evening roundtable. You will also see the launch of DIGI Magazine Vol. 7 and a lucky door prize sponsored by Survey Kiwi.

DMAT Confex has run seven editions across Dubai, Malaysia and Singapore. To get a feel for it, browse the 7th DMAT Confex awardees from Kuala Lumpur or the past conference videos.

Who Should Attend?

The programme is designed for CMOs, marketing and brand leaders, agency executives, CTOs and CIOs, product managers, startup founders, creative and content teams, PR professionals, and researchers working across marketing, advertising and technology.

Venue

DMAT Confex 2026 takes place at Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Novena, 201 Balestier Road, Singapore.

Visiting Singapore for the event? Our guide to marketing conferences in Singapore in 2026 lists other events you can plan around your trip.

Passes and Registration

The Basic Pass (from US$299) covers all conference sessions, networking tea breaks, lunch, the conference itinerary and delegate guide, and a digital certificate of participation. Higher passes add partner branding, DIGI Magazine advertising and curated business introductions.

To attend, speak, sponsor or exhibit, use the registration form. Want the full picture of the event? See the DMAT Confex 2026 event page .

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)