Holding companies are in many ways captive to their own legacies. It used to be that largeness itself was the goal—whether it was the number of businesses acquired, the number of employees or even the size and reach of its geographical footprint. Holding companies evolved in a far different media environment than we’re in now, and most have still not adjusted to the world of today, let alone tomorrow.

CNN is running out of time to diversify away from cable news, its unsustainable moneymaker. And when Chris Licht becomes president of CNN this May, he will have difficult decisions to make.

Disney has made significant progress when it comes to its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts—the content itself has come a long way since I was a little brown girl watching white princesses on the big screen. Disney now includes content warnings and an explanation for racism that shows up in classic films. They now have gender-inclusive costumes for theme park staff, and last Christmas, Black Santas appeared in their parks for the first time ever.

Although the Civil Rights Act was passed almost 50 years ago, the workplace is still far from being a place where men and women exist and are valued equally. This is further exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis, which has seen nearly 2 million women leave the workforce since 2020, often due to the still-unequal burden of parenting that women experience.

Since the pandemic began, we’ve seen a recession, severe supply chain shortages—with the dollar losing its value almost 1% every 30 days—and inflation hitting the highest rate in four decades. For many brands, these challenges called for rapid digital transformation, all while staying true to brand values and strengths.

The careers of most successful female founders often resemble a winding road of unanticipated pivots and graceful (but no less begrudging) concessions until they find their footing. This is not to say these women did not have well-orchestrated plans for their businesses, but reality has a way of interfering with even the best-laid plans.

As human beings, we have a voracious appetite for all things new. The latest iPhone. The latest TikTok trend. The latest Netflix show.

Recent revelations have shed more light on “Jedi Blue,” the codename for Google’s alleged proposal to lower digital ad fees for Facebook and give them other benefits such as speed in header bidding auctions. In return, Facebook was to pledge support for Google’s header bidding alternative Open Bidding.

We’ve all felt utterly helpless staring at our TV screens over the last few weeks at what is happening in Ukraine. But there are things Adland can be doing to help.

Early last year, I called out three disruptors worth watching. All three delivered.