Ross Findlay and Arvin Ramtale make the C&IT A-List 2026

Four years ago, Ross Findlay and Arvin Ramtale were both at the beginning of their Emota careers. Today, they’ve both earned a place on one of the events industry’s most prestigious lists for emerging talent.

Ross, Producer, and Arvin, Senior Project Executive, have been named to the C&IT A-List 2026, joining a cohort of just 35 people selected from across the agency events industry.

Running for more than 15 years, the A-List celebrates event professionals aged 35 and under who are already making an impact through their creativity, innovation, attitude and contribution to the people and businesses around them.

This year’s judging panel highlighted not just the creative agility of the 2026 cohort, but their commercial acumen, resilience and ability to look after people while delivering great work.

For Ross and Arvin, that recognition comes at two very different points in two very different Emota stories.

Ross Findlay: a producer with a creative edge

Ross joined Emota as a Project Coordinator in April 2022 and has risen quickly, progressing through four roles to become a Producer in under four years.

But it isn’t simply the speed of that progression that earned him a place on the A-List.

Ross brings something distinctive to production. His background in music and sound design means he thinks about an event as a complete experience: how it sounds, how it moves, how content lands and how all those elements work together for the audience.

For our client’s This is Why conference, that meant editing a closing track around poet Inua Ellams’ live performance and curating the music across the event to complement the changing tone of the programme. His knowledge of sound design is now something other producers actively seek him out for.

He has also shown that the creativity comes with a very calm head. When a major programme had to be reworked the night before rehearsals following unexpected news from the client, Ross reorganised the onsite team, kept technical rehearsals moving and worked alongside the client as content continued to change.

That combination of creative instinct, composure and an ability to make things happen is why Ross has earned significant trust so early in his career.

As his line manager, Executive Producer Helen Sprakes, says:

“Ross combines creativity with calm, reliable delivery. He has a real instinct for how an event should feel, not just how it should run, and brings an unusually strong understanding of content, showcraft and sound design into his work.”

Arvin Ramtale: turning an opportunity into a career

Arvin’s route to the A-List started with a very different opportunity.

In 2022, he applied for Emota’s first ever Year One programme. More than 1,200 people applied. Six were selected. Arvin was one of them.

There was no permanent job guaranteed at the end of the programme. He earned one.

Since then, Arvin has progressed to Senior Project Executive and is increasingly taking ownership of complex, high-profile work. In 2026 alone, he has worked across five major events, managing more than 1,000 delegates, including senior leadership meetings, congresses and his first project taking the day-to-day lead.

But his A-List recognition is about more than the scale of the work.

Arvin has become one of those people who makes the team around him stronger. He mentors our placement student, buddies new starters and creates informal spaces where newer colleagues can ask questions and build confidence. As part of Emota’s Cvent Super User Group, he also shares his expertise and looks for practical ways to make processes smarter and easier for everyone.

That willingness to step forward was put to the test when he took on the day-to-day management of a three-day meeting in Dublin, moving beyond his usual remit to lead client calls, manage partners and keep the project moving.

It’s a long way from joining Emota on a one-year internship four years ago.

As Project Director and Arvin’s line manager Ellie Mason says:

“Arvin is calm under pressure, takes real ownership and can be trusted in difficult situations, but he also brings warmth, humour and genuine care for the people around him.”

Two different journeys. One very well-deserved recognition.

There isn’t one route to becoming a future leader in this industry.

Ross has built his reputation by combining creative instinct with increasingly ambitious production. Arvin has turned an opportunity on Emota’s first Year One programme into a career that continues to gather pace.

What they share is the stuff that matters: curiosity, resilience, ambition, good judgement and a willingness to make the people around them better too.

Out of talent from across the agency events industry, just 35 people made C&IT’s A-List for 2026. We couldn’t be happier that Ross and Arvin are two of them.

Congratulations, Ross and Arvin. Very well deserved.