Chloe Fanning

Skipping university, she began a four-year apprenticeship at 19, learning on the job, building a network, and gaining professional and social skills while rapidly advancing. This led to her becoming the youngest Director at her previous agency. 2025 was a landmark year: she won Cannes Young Lions UK Media Gold and received the WACL Talent Award for demonstrably shaping the industry’s future, providing a platform to advocate for her missions.

These accolades have provided her with a platform to speak passionately about my missions, supported by evidence.

The media industry is guilty of two bad habits that are stopping young people from becoming the next generation of talent. First, creative and media are poles apart; we’ve turned what should be an exciting entry role into data dead-ends. Secondly, the barrier to entry is rising. A degree is now essential, as hundreds of graduates compete for every entry-level role. This is compounded by a significant decline (30-40%) in UK apprenticeships since the 2017 levy, making entry even harder for non-graduates. 

Leveraging my passion and experience from awards and previous agency work (including network-wide change management), She drives two missions at VCCP Media: 1) reintroducing creativity, and 2) ensuring accessibility for non-traditional educational backgrounds. Key highlights include leading the 2026 Cannes Young Lions mentoring programme, supporting junior talent success, and successfully delivering on my WACL commitment to remove internal silos. She has developed a proprietary, integrated planning process and technology, empowering our planners to excel, with a deliberate focus on linking back to creative output.

Her impact spans both people and process - developing talent while transforming how planning is delivered. 

She is building a more creative, accessible future for media, where the next generation can enter, thrive and shape the industry.