Serial entrepreneur, broadcaster and Man Utd legend Gary Neville is the latest headline speaker to confirm for MAD//UpNorth (26-27 Feb).

Neville will tackle MAD//UpNorth’s ‘What Sets Us Apart’ theme in an opening keynote on 27 Feb on the Havas Factory Stage. He joins a star-studded line-up including Comedian Lucy Beaumont, Ogilvy Vice-chair Rory Sutherland, and AO World Founder and CEO John Roberts. New for 2025, MAD//UpNorth has been created as a flagship festival for the north’s marketing industry and is expected to be attended by 4,000+ brands, agencies, publishers and content creators. 

Neville has built an empire of businesses including Hotel Football, Stock Exchange Hotel, Relentless Developments, Salford City FC, Education disruptor UA92 and production Company Buzz 16. He manages this portfolio alongside his role as Sky Sports football pundit. 

On the pitch, Gary was an instrumental figure and captain of the most successful team of the Premier League era, making 602 appearances for Manchester United during a 17 year spell at the club. Perhaps his most famous moment was Manchester United's sensational Champions League final turnaround victory against Bayern Munich in 1999. 1-0 down and in injury time, Neville was part of the team that dramatically snatched a 2-1 Champions League Cup final win in a match often cited as an example of why it's important to never give up. Neville also won 85 England caps before retiring in 2011. 

“Gary gave an inspiring headliner at MAD//Fest London in 2023 and was the person who first encouraged us to seriously consider launching a festival in Manchester for the northern industry. It feels only right to have Gary on his home turf sharing his views on our festival theme. We can’t wait to spark discussion on how the north can leverage its cultural identity, unique specialisms and track-record for innovation in a global economy,” said Luke Wilcox, MAD//Fest’s content director. 

Click here for more information and tickets to MAD//UpNorth.