Multi-hyphenate entrepreneur Ryan Reynolds has been announced as a keynote speaker at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show in New York, running from 11 – 13 Jan 2026.

While arguably best known in the UK for his ownership of Welsh football club, Wrexham AFC, Reynolds is also a Golden Globe-nominated actor and producer of the 20th Century Fox billion-dollar Deadpool franchise.

Beyond film, Reynolds has built a growing portfolio of consumer and media businesses. He owns Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile, serves as Chief Creative Officer of connected TV advertising company MNTN, and is a co-founder of creative agency, Maximum Effort Productions.

Since buying Wrexham in 2021 alongside business partner Rob McElhenney the club has enjoyed three successive promotions reaching the English Football League Championship, the second tier of English football.

The club’s transformation has been documented in the hit series Welcome to Wrexham, significantly increasing its global profile and fanbase.

Announcing Reynolds as a speaker, the NRF said he had built and scaled global brands that ‘punch far above their weight’, with his ventures sharing a common playbook: authentic storytelling, humor with purpose, and an ability to turn customers into communities.

The session will be moderated by Adyen CFO Ethan Tandowsky and will cover how Reynolds built challenger brands by leveraging digital media to create outsized reach, alongside the role authenticity plays in earning consumer trust.

For attendees, Reynolds’ session – From gin to global fandom: Ryan Reynolds and the new rules of brand building – is scheduled for 08.30am on Monday 12 Jan in the Vusion Theatre.