champiOn Of creativity

Adam Izen's career began in fashion, where for more than a decade he worked closely with emerging brands at pivotal moments of their growth. Early on, he created and curated an emerging menswear platform within MRket, one of the industry’s most influential trade shows, giving independent designers visibility within an established commercial ecosystem. He later conceived and produced SHARP, a consumer-facing menswear event sponsored by Esquire, designed to bridge emerging designers, media, and audiences seeking new voices.
 

From there, Adam joined Brand Assembly, where he helped build and scale trade shows and co-working spaces for emerging womenswear brands. As Vice President of Shows and Community, he played a central role in shaping Brand Assembly as both a commercial platform and creative incubator—supporting designers not only in presenting their work, but in building businesses designed for longevity.

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After more than a decade in fashion, Adam transitioned into the interior design and functional art world as Brand Director of Salon, a boutique gallery representing designers and artists working at the intersection of utility and expression. There, he led a comprehensive brand and business evolution—relaunching the gallery’s digital presence, bringing it to its first major trade show, and professionalizing sales and outreach. The experience reinforced a principle that would continue to guide his work: creativity flourishes most fully when imagination is supported by structure.

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In 2022, Adam joined The One Club for Creativity as Membership Director. Tasked with rebuilding and reenergizing the department, he transformed it into one of the organization’s strongest-performing areas—introducing new ways to connect members, elevate their stories, and strengthen creative community. His success in that role led to a broader mandate.

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In 2024, Adam was appointed to lead The One Show, one of the world’s most respected awards programs. Shortly thereafter, he assumed oversight of the organization’s full portfolio of awards, presiding over eight global competitions spanning disciplines, generations, and regions.

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Today, Adam serves as Chief Awards Officer for The One Club for Creativity, committed to reenergizing and modernizing how creative excellence is defined and celebrated. In an era shaped by automation, acceleration, and artificial intelligence, he advocates for recognizing creativity as an intrinsically human endeavor—rooted in imagination, judgment, emotion, and intent. He believes awards play a vital role not only in honoring great work, but in reminding the industry, and the culture at large, of creativity’s power to shape meaning and imagine what comes next.