Line//Up
What Sets Us Apart: our inaugural MAD//UpNorth theme
Something big is brewing UpNorth. A force in the global marketing and advertising industry to challenge the status quo is taking shape. A booming ecosystem, collaborative business culture + specialisms in areas such as retail, D2C, travel, sport, media/entertainment, content creation, tech + fashion are building strength, scale + expertise to put the north on a global stage.
But as marketers battle to engage consumers, drive growth + adapt to emerging trends, what is it that sets us apart as individuals, businesses + as an industry? How can we be distinctive, daring + different? What are we going to do to win hearts, minds + trust in an increasingly messy marketing + consumer environment?
New for 2025, MAD//UpNorth is here to celebrate the pioneering people, brands + businesses UpNorth who are shaping a thriving, dynamic + cooperative marketing scene across the north.
You'll be inspired by the big brands + disruptors who are making a difference.
You'll discover the innovators who are shaking things up + taking on the household names.
You'll meet the community of movers + shakers who are creating a future that truly sets the north apart.
Stages
150 speakers, 3 stages, 2 days - not a dull panel in sight. Expect a punchy no BS programme of quickfire keynotes, £20k innovation pitches + masterclasses from top CMOs, entrepreneurs + challengers with trademark MAD//Fest panaché. Here’s how our stages line-up:
Big stage action as top brands, founders, agency A-listers + innovators offer inspiration + insight on ‘What sets us apart’ (our ‘25 theme - read all about it here)
The place to explore the latest media trends, campaigns that turn the dial, and the emerging innovation that’s changing the game.
Retail Media is booming! With brands rapidly developing their own Retail Media Networks, this stage on 26th February, in partnership with connected commerce pioneers SMG, will reveal the latest trends and future of Retail Media.
Join cutting-edge creatives, content creators, social superstars, media owners, pioneering platforms + creative technologists for the inside-track on how to cut through, influence consumer choices + push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Open to all genders, the Female Leaders’ Club UpNorth is a must if you want to meet female leaders, learn from the experiences of women in our industry, and find out how the most progressive businesses are simultaneously supporting the development of female employees + driving positive change.
It’s time for the Newsworks Speakeasy to hit the road and join MAD//UpNorth. From vintage fashion shows and delicious food + drink tasters to incisive panels on politics, sport, wellbeing + relationships, we’re offering a glimpse at what makes news brands so important to millions of readers + advertisers alike.
THEMES + HOT TOPICS
Want to see real brand challenges addressed by the hottest start-ups/scale-ups? Don’t miss our LIVE £20k brand challenges taking place on thematically relevant stages throughout the course of the event!
SPEAKERS
Adam Zavalis
// Vice President Marketing, Asda
Alex Emery
// YouTuber, Founder, Click
Amanda Jennings
// Strategic Marketing Director
Amanda Jennings: A Stellar Career in Marketing and Brand Transformation
Known to many as AJ, Amanda Jennings has made a significant impact in the field of marketing, particularly with her long tenure at Coop Food. Serving as the Marketing Director for nine years, AJ's departure from Coop marks the end of an era and the beginning of a well-deserved career break.
AJ's dedication and passion for marketing have brought her back from France specifically to attend MAD//UpNorth, showcasing her commitment to the industry. She joined Coop during a critical period, serving as an Enterprise Leader in its rescue phase. Her strategic vision and innovative thinking were instrumental in the brand's rebuild and renewal stages.
One of AJ's notable achievements at Coop was the creation of the Coop Festival Programme, a groundbreaking initiative that modernized the brand and engaged a broader audience. Moreover, she was the driving force behind the recently launched Coop Live Arena, further cementing Coop's place as a northern powerhouse.
Before her tenure at Coop, AJ held the prestigious position of Head of Marketing for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Her expertise in rebranding was evident as she successfully transformed BTCellnet into O2, including the development and naming of the iconic O2 Arena in London.
AJ's career is a testament to her ability to lead, innovate, and transform brands, making her a respected figure in the marketing world. Her return to MADfest North is a reminder of her influence and the legacy she leaves behind at Coop.
Angela Cameron
// European Digital Marketing Director, MARS
Angela Cameron is a passionate brand builder and marketer with diverse global experience, having lived & worked in multiple countries, holding local, regional and global marketing roles at MARS Inc.
Based near Leeds UK, Angela currently leads the European Content & Search Team for MARS Pet Nutrition Europe and is responsible for delivering superior digital experiences across a portfolio of brands & markets.
Prior to her current role she was the European Brand Director for Pedigree® and is a Marketing Academy Alumni, having completed the UK Scholarship in 2023.
Calum Watson
// Director of Partnerships, Gymshark
Cara Chambers
// Chief Marketing Officer, C&C Group
Chloe McCullough
// YouTube Channel Lead, JD Sports PLC
Heading up the YouTube function at JD Sports. I have built & rolled our a new approach to how we do long form at JD Sports focussing on maximising on content creators to build an engaged online community.
Danny Micklethwaite
// Vice President Marketing, Arla Foods
Emma Hillary
// Growth Director, Verity Relationship Intelligence
We form and nurture relationships every day. But with increasing transactional drag, the relationship between a client and their agency is sometimes left to chance, or seen as an accidental bi-product of the work.
As a Growth Director and Senior Consultant at Verity Relationship Intelligence, Emma is on a mission to build relationally intelligent agencies. The relationship is the most under-utilised lever of commercial success.
With a 20+ year background in creative agencies and consultancies, a coaching qualification and a start-up or two along the way, Emma supports all types of agencies from global networks to small independent boutique agencies. Helping them to measure, benchmark, manage and grow their client relationships.
Gary Neville
// Serial Entrepreneur + Broadcaster
Gary Neville is a former professional footballer is regarded as one of the best Premier League full backs of his generation and integral part of the heralded Manchester United Class of ‘92 and England national team. Only four players have played more games for Manchester United in the club’s history than Gary’s 602 appearances. Gary boasts eight Premier League winners’ medals, two European Cups, three FA Cups, two League Cups, three Community Shields, one Intercontinental Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. United’s captain from 2005 until this retirement in 2011.
Since his retirement in 2011, Gary has seamlessly transitioned into the world of sports media, and is highly regarded as one of the UK football’s most influential voices as a commentator, pundit and analyst, receiving multiple awards for his broadcasting on Sky Sports and for his podcast, The Overlap.
Beyond the world of football, Gary’s relentless approach to life and work, the reason behind naming of his investment business, Relentless, has seen him build a hugely successful business portfolio. The drive to go again has been the key factor in his seamless transition to the creation of his own production company, University, hospitality business and one of the largest property developments in Manchester City Centre.
Most recently, Gary starred as a special guest on BBC One’s Dragons Den and released a Sunday Times Best-Seller, ‘The People’s Game: How to Save Football’
James King
// Marketing Director, pladis
With his whole career in the FMCG sector, joining pladis as Marketing Director for McVitie's 2 years ago followed roles at organisations such as Mars, Danone and Unilever. James is passionate about the power of advertising and innovation to drive brand growth and is happy to be sharing some examples of this for Jaffa Cakes here today.
John Roberts
// CEO and Founder, AO World
John Nellis
// YouTuber, John Nellis
Katie Kinchin-Smith
// Head of Brand, The Very Group
As Head of Brand at Very, Katie leads brand strategy and identity, advertising campaigns, PR, social, celebrity and influencer marketing for the Northern digital retailer, building its award-winning, flamboyant, flamingo-filled brand world together with a best-in-class team.
With 15 years experience, previous roles as Head of Advertising at Virgin Media and Virgin Media O2, and an early career forged agency-side at VCCP, Katie’s passionate about driving meaningful brand impact and transformational business change through distinctive, disruptive and emotional brand strategies that can flex seamlessly across all customer touchpoints and channels.
Kenyatte Nelson
// Chief Membership & Customer Officer, Co-op
For over 20 years, Kenyatte has worked with and nurtured the growth of some of the largest and most well-known consumer and retail brands in diverse sectors and countries. Kenyatte excels in crafting brand strategies and innovations that propel top and bottom line growth, as well as developing comprehensive go-to-market plans targeting global retailers, consumers, and influencers. He is driven by a passion for creating what author Kevin Roberts terms "Love Marks - Brands with Loyalty beyond reason."
Kenyatte stands out as a highly capable business leader who sets strategic directions, rallies his team around a vision, and then empowers them to execute with excellence, delivering standout results. His leadership style is collaborative, business-focused, and results-oriented. Kenyatte is not only a brand builder but also a catalyst for positive changes with a bias towards action and emphasis on the essentials of brand marketing and strategic planning.
His management approach is highly motivational and collaborative, consistently aimed at enhancing the skills of both himself and his colleagues, as well as the overall capabilities of the broader organization. Kenyatte strives to foster an enlightened community characterized by a spirit of openness and inclusiveness.
Lorraine Rothwell
// Head of Brand, Weetabix
Lucy Beaumont
// Comedian, writer and broadcaster
Madeline Shaw
// Marketing Director, Pets At Home
Mark Brown
// CMO, Hovis
Melissa Chapman
// CEO, Jungle Creations
Nancy Dales
// Brand Manager, Kopparberg
Nancy is the Brand Manager at Kopparberg, leading strategy with a strong focus on targeting, positioning, and business growth. After seven years in advertising agencies, she moved brand-side, bringing a wealth of experience and a passion for creativity.
Now, she specialises in blending creativity with consumer insights to craft brand campaigns that resonate with audiences and drive real business results. Nancy played a key role in Kopparberg's Drink Responsibly This Summer campaign, showcasing the impact of bold, insight-driven marketing.
Oliver Yonchev
// Founder / Entreprenuer, cocreatd.com
Pete Markey
// CMO, Boots
Rachel Kerrone
// Brand and Marketing Director, Starling Bank
Rich McHardy
// Founder, McHardy Collective
The McHardy Collective is a catalyst for growth. We are the go-to connector for brands and agencies seeking to build lasting, meaningful partnerships that are mutually beneficial.
If you’re an agency leader looking to open up new business opportunities or you’re a brand wanting to connect with the best creative talent around, The McHardy Collective can help you build lasting partnerships and drive growth across all creative disciplines through a single point of contact.
Prior to launching The McHardy Collective in 2012, Rich McHardy spent 15 years sharpening his business development skills for several leading international agencies, including five years at WPP. Rich has also been the Co-founder of The BD100 since 2017 when it launched as a community, published league table and annual awards event in partnership with The Drum.
Richard Robinson
// Executive Director, The Ingenuity Group
Connecting the marketing world, leading change and making good things happen for brands, agencies and talented folk. Executive Director of Ingenuity+ and Exco member of The Ingenuity Group, the UK's largest connector of brands with agencies and agencies with brands. One of the original equity owners of Oystercatchers who successfully sold the company in 2017. Former Managing Director of Xeim Engage, incorporating Econsultancy and Oystercatchers, and prior to this Publicis Worldwide Regional Business Leader (EMEA) leading P&G, Head of Marketing at McDonald's Restaurants and International Marketer with The Coca-Cola Company. When time allows a remarkably slow marathon runner & cold water swimmer.
Richard Bowden
// Marketing Director, No7 Beauty Company
Roger Wade
// Chairman, Boxfund
With over 30 years of operational experience in consumer brands, Roger Wade is a disruptive entrepreneur who backs people with great ideas rather than spreadsheets. He is the Chairman of BoxFund VC, a venture capital fund that invests in UK early stage ESG and B Corp businesses, since 2023. He believes in creating a better world through supporting businesses that have a positive social and environmental impact.
Roger was a pioneer and innovator in the British streetwear scene, having introduced labels like Boxfresh, Carhartt, and Penfield to the UK. He is also the Founder & Director of BoxPark,and launched the world's first pop-up mall, BoxPark Shoreditch, a retail and hospitality venue in 2010. He expanded his venture with BoxPark Croydon and BoxPark Wembley, featuring food, drink, entertainment, and events. In 2021, he sold his majority shareholding to Lloyds Development Capital and joined the board as an NED.
Roger is also a brand consultant, specializing in the development, buying and selling of UK consumer brands, since 2007. He founded and sold Boxfresh, the original British streetwear brand, to Pentland Brands in 2005. He has worked with clients such as Aquascutum, ASOS, Katharine Hamnett, Religion, Superdry, Timothy Everest and Universal Records.
He has completed executive programs in private equity, venture capital, and leadership from London Business School, Imperial College Business School, and Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, respectively, in 2020-2023. He is a regular columnist, speaker, lecturer, and judge on topics related to retail, fashion, branding, and entrepreneurship.
Rory Sutherland
// Vice Chairman, Ogilvy
Rox Nejad
// Head of Brand, Auto Trader
Rui Frias
// Senior Marketing Manager, Kellanova
Marketing leader with over 12 years of experience in Local, Regional and Global roles across Foods, Beverages, Personal Care and Homecare at blue-chip FMCG companies including Kellanova(ex-Kellogg’s), Unilever and P&G. Experience in Core & Masterbrand, launching a new brand, packaging and product innovation, ATL and BTL comms development, digital & eCommerce and gifting, with increasing levels of responsibility and team leadership.
Sacha Lord
// Co Founded WHP/Parklife. Former Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester
Sara Holt
// Chief Marketing Officer, Center Parcs
Sedge Beswick
// Consultant
Sherice Anibaba
// Brand Director, Greene King
Simon Lloyd
// Chief Marketing and Customer Officer, ex BBC, Virgin Atlantic and Aldermore Bank.
Steve Seddon
// CMO, Ice Travel Group
Alessandra Bellini
// Founder, BelliniWorks ltd
Chair of MGGB 2024/25 Season
Alessandra is a senior leader, instrumental in building commercially successful and sustainable businesses, in iconic global Retail & FMCG organisations (Tesco & Unilever) and in world-leading media/brand agencies.
Now embarking on a Portfolio Career, in Advisory , Public Speaking Non Exec Roles and Executive Coaching.
President Advertising Association 2022-2025, Chair Teens Unite 2018-2022, NED at Tesco Mobile 2017–2023.
Alessandra is an expert across all marketing disciplines, including digital, new product development, and leveraging of R&D and Supply Chain capabilities to impact product quality, efficiency and profitability.
An insightful consumer engagement leader, driving digitisation & personalisation to strengthen loyalty and deliver on business ambitions.
Passionate about bringing strategy and vision to life, winning customer and colleague hearts and minds.
Multiple D&I and Industry roles. 2020 UK Marketer of the Year, Marketing Week Brand oty, Kantar Most Trusted Brand (UK). IPA & Effie for Effectiveness
Bianca Hall
// Senior Insight Director, SMG
Bianca is a Senior Insight Director at SMG. She leads a team of insight experts and analysts who measure the effectiveness of retail media campaigns for brands across a multitude of UK retailers. She is passionate about simplicity, transparency, and consistency in reporting that enable both brands and retailers to turn data into actionable insight for future campaigns.
Claire Trbovic
// Group Business Director, SMG
Claire has been working in retail marketing for over 10 years, with experience in both agency and brand side at a UK and global level. Having held both commercial and creative roles for Canon EMEA and the Walt Disney Company, Claire rejoined SMG in 2021. Within SMG, Claire has held several leadership roles, across both our retail media networks and media buying businesses, as well as previously heading up the commercial side of SMG’s martech platform, Plan-Apps. Today, Claire leads our Incubation Hub at a global level, which aims to deliver disruptive and innovative solutions that enhance SMG’s operations and supercharge growth; from new-to-market solutions to tech-based initiatives such as proprietary AI tools.
David Hawksworth
// Customer Engagement Director, Auto Trader
David's journey is testament to his versatility and expertise across industries. After a thriving channel management career in the enterprise computing arena, David ran his own marketing agency, honing his skills in strategic marketing and client engagement before following his passion for automotive as Head of Trade Marketing and Analytics for News UK's prestigious automotive brands, Sunday Times Driving and Sun Motors.
In 2015 David joined Auto Trader, where he has since held several senior positions, including Sales Director. Now, as Customer Engagement Director for the business, David leads a dynamic team of specialists dedicated to maximising retailer value beyond the advert, with some phenomenal results.
Dean Harris
// Head of Co-op Media Network, Co-op
Dean Harris leads Co-op Media Network, shaping the growth of Co-op’s convenience-focused retail media business. With over 15 years of experience spanning advertising, strategy, and loyalty, he’s helped brands tap into data-driven media that makes shopping faster, easier, and more relevant for customers. Since launching in 2024, Co-op Media Network has expanded its data capabilities, introduced new digital solutions, and positioned convenience media as a must-have for advertisers. A regular keynote speaker and industry commentator, Dean is passionate about making retail media simple, effective, and built for the way people really shop.
Dom Dwight
// Strategy & Innovation Director, Taylors of Harrogate / Yorkshire Tea
Emma Dean
// Chief Operations Officer, SMG
Emma Dean, started in retail media fresh from university, joining what was then Capture, now SMG, as the first employee. SMG is now an international grouping of award-winning businesses leading connected commerce marketing – to enable the potential of brands and retailers to work closer together to improve shoppers’ experiences and, as a result, deliver brilliant business results.
Working with the founders to build the business, Emma was fortunate to experience the many different facets of an ever-changing business and industry. Starting her career in a commercial role within a partnership in-house at Sainsbury's, Emma then broadened her retail side expertise into the travel retail sector heading up a partnership with Heathrow, before returning brand side to lead the Capture agency.
Emma is currently the COO at SMG, with collective oversight of the Business Development, Marketing, and People teams.
Fiona Blades
// President and Chief Experience Officer, Mesh Experience
Following a career in pet food marketing and agencies including Leo Burnett, Fiona launched MESH Experience to fill a gap in marketing effectiveness measurement. By capturing the whole customer experience, (paid, owned, and earned), MESH delivers new metrics, like Share of Experience. Award-winning case studies for Fidelity International, Boots, and Diageo demonstrate how these turbo-charge decision-making.
Fiona is a Fellow of the Market Research Society, President of the Market Research Council in New York, and a mentor for The Marketing Academy. An advocate for diversity, she founded diversityunlimited.org and she is also a founding partner of Crater Lake & Co.
Gemma Goldfingle
// Journalist and Editor
Gemma has more than 15 years of journalism experience, and is an expert commentator on the retail industry, featuring on the BBC, The Guardian, Sky, and Channel 5. She was most recently editor of Retail Gazette, the UK’s largest retail publication, and has previously worked at Retail Week, Drapers, and The Very Group.
Ian Maskell
// Founder, P E C O R I N O Group
Former VP Global Marketing, Unilever (2014–2022)
With 30 years at Mars and Unilever, Ian led end-to-end marketing for iconic brands like Snickers, M&M’s, Magnum, Ben & Jerry’s, Dove, and Pedigree. He served as CMO for Mars China and Unilever North Asia Ice Cream before heading Global Marketing for Unilever Ice Cream.
A true global marketer with experience across China, SEA, Turkey, Europe, LATAM, and North America, Ian specialises in purpose-driven brands and navigating cultural nuance. He woked for Accenture Song in 2022, helping brands thrive through creativity, strategy, and commercial logic in a fast-changing world. He now runs P E C O R I N O Group, a boutique marketing consultancy specailaising in the future of food and the integartion of technolgoy in marketing.
Jennifer Dyne
// Former General Manager - Unilever Ice-Cream UK & Ireland
An action-driven business leader with a unique blend of classical and digital marketing experience across South Africa, Europe and the United Kingdom.
Extensive FMCG experience ranging from regional and global category strategy, omnichannel communication development and product innovation to local market portfolio management and marketing implementation with a proven track record of driving P&L growth and profitability.
Passionate about growth and a strong believer that by bringing out the best in others you naturally bring out the best in yourself and the business you serve. I find new challenges exciting and new opportunities to learn exhilarating and am never content with the status quo.
Strong general management and influencing skills, able to inspire and deliver through cross-functional and virtual teams. Highly effective in culturally diverse teams having lived and worked in multiple countries driving business transformation, building big brands, and developing a fun, working environment and team culture. Experienced in end-to-end P&L accountability across a portfolio of brands and categories in a FTSE 100 organisation.
Joseph Harper
// Global Head of Content, Diageo
Jon Beill
// Chief Growth Officer, LS Eleven
Currently leading Asda's retail media & insight commercialisation, LS Eleven, Jon brings over 20 years of expertise in retail media, data, and insights, with a focus on the FMCG and grocery retail industry. He began his career at Kantar before joining global leaders in customer data science, dunnhumby, where he spent more than a decade leading key parts of the UK business. Jon also gained significant international experience during five years in Europe, managing the Italian market and the leading the Tesco Central European relationship based from Prague.
Subsequently, Jon joined Quotient Technologies, the US digital media business, where he played a key role in growing their European presence over five years. Before joining Asda/LS Eleven, Jon led the Quidco business as part of MoneySuperMarket.
Jon Kell
// VP Marketing, Yoto
Josh Clarkson
// Global Lead, Retail Media, Mars
Josh is currently Global Lead - Retail Media at Mars, owning Retail Media acceleration and integration within wider media planning, ecosystem and strategy. Josh is also Chief Consultant and Founder at Edify Consulting, a Digital Commerce Consultancy helping CPGs achieve their aspirational Digital Commerce goals through strategic review and education. Previously Josh held roles in the US and UK with Lindt & Sprungli, overseeing D2C, Marketplaces, digital content, digital advertising, social and retail media. Josh has also worked in Europe for Kraft Heinz, Ferrero and Red Bull.
Kath Swallow
// Global Vice President / Worldwide Head, Rexona / Unilever Deodorants
Kathryn Swallow is the Global Brand Vice President at Unilever, leading Rexona (known as Sure, Degree, and Shield in various markets). She is the driving force behind the brand's social impact initiative, the Breaking Limits Programme, which empowers young people to move more and gain confidence through physical activity. Kathryn has also spearheaded Rexona's major football partnerships, including collaborations with Chelsea FC, inspiring fans to embrace movement and stay active. Her leadership focuses on inclusivity, innovation, and encouraging confidence through movement.
Katie Streeter Hurle
// Chief Strategy Officer, SMG
Katie is a marketing business leader with 15 years of experience working in the retail media industry. Katie began her career at P&G on their UK marketing team developing brands such as Pantene, Ariel, Gillette, and Fairy and working with retailers including Sainsbury's & Waitrose. Drawn in by their ambition and excitement to disrupt the market, Katie joined the then-start-up business of SMG and has been with the business for more than 13 years, being appointed to the C-Suite in 2022.
Laura McNally
// Content Director, Auto Trader
Laura is Content Director of Auto Trader where she focuses on the brand's owned channels and organic content strategy across Social, YouTube, Editorial and SEO. Before that, she managed the global social media accounts for Red Bull Media House in Salzburg and followed the Red Bull Racing F1 team around the world, bringing fans closer to the action at every grand prix. An avid runner, she even laced up her trainers on the same tracks (though Strava wasn't as prominent then so there are no records to prove it).
Lee LeFeuvre
// Chief Commercial Officer, SMG
Lee LeFeuvre is the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at SMG and has held senior roles within the marketing industry for over a decade. His current role sees him responsible for the commercial performance of SMG and its award-winning businesses, Capture and Plan-Apps, whilst ensuring the teams deliver a world class client service.
Prior to his role as CCO, Lee held the position of Managing Director, leading teams of retail media experts to successfully operate sophisticated omnichannel media networks for top-tier retailers. These retail media networks include Boots Media Group, Co-op Media Network, Morrisons Media Group, LS Eleven Media Services, and Very Media Group.
Marcus Ingleby
// Strategy & Creative Director, SMG
Marcus is a Planning & Creative Director at SMG, with a 20-year record of planning, managing, and implementing innovative and integrated marketing campaigns for leading multinational brands. Working across the UK, APAC, and MEA regions, Marcus has experienced both the agency and client side, including building brands like Mars, M&M's, Dulux, Corona, Pedigree, 19 Crimes, Penfolds, and Wolf Blass.
Nick Bamber
// Digital & Data Director, Dominos
Nick brings energy and a passion for change with his digital know how and entrepreneur background to help transform and accelerate the digital functions at some of the worlds largest and most respected businesses.
As a well rounded digital leader, he has extensive experience designing sophisticated digital and business strategies that deliver results. His experience across Retail (Fashion, General Merchandise, Grocery) and iGaming have enabled him to transform Domino's digital and data business to be one of the most respected digital businesses around.
Paul Smith
// Senior Innovation Director, SMG
Paul leads the Central Innovation team at SMG, where the focus is on driving the growth and sophistication of the network’s retail media propositions. Their work focuses on advancing in-store digitization, enhancing online activations, and leveraging first-party data to deliver impactful solutions for retailers and brands. Paul comes from a background in digital media agencies and experience on the tech side, bringing a unique perspective to the evolving retail media space.
Phil Jackson
// Global Digital Marketing Effectiveness Innovation Director, Haleon
Sabrina Godden
// Global Creative Director, Vodafone
I’m a creative leader with two decades of experience on both client and agency side. My superpower is blending strategic insights with bold creativity to drive measurable growth and innovation for global brands such as Amex, Hilton, Disney, Virgin Limited Editions and now Vodafone. My passion lies in connecting human spirit with technology, crafting culturally resonant campaigns and delivering high-impact creative solutions. I inspire teams to think big, push boundaries and produce award-winning work that drives both brand love and business results.
Sam Knights
// CEO, SMG
Sam Knights is a marketeer who grew up in the brand marketing world of P&G developing brands such as Duracell, Braun, and Gillette in the UK and Western Europe. With a passion for brands and retail, but frustrated at the way they worked together to create consumer marketing, Sam moved agency side in 2012 and has since worked to build SMG, culminating in his appointment as Chief Executive Officer in 2020.
Since his appointment as CEO, Sam has led an international grouping of three global award-winning agencies to lead connected commerce marketing – to enable the potential of brands and retailers to work closer together to improve shoppers’ experiences and, as a result, deliver brilliant business results.
SMG works with 98% of the top CPG brands and operates leading Retail Media Networks in partnership with Boots, Asda, The Co-operative, Morrisons & The Very Group.
Sam Toothill
// Global Media & AdTech Director, SMG
Sam currently serves as the Global Lead for Media and Ad-Tech at SMG, following four successful years leading the UK Market Media Operations and Planning team. He has been instrumental in driving the marketisation of first-party data for SMG’s retail clients, with standout initiatives including Audience360 with Boots, ASDA Access, and Co-op Compass. In his new role, Sam focuses on connecting media and ad-tech capabilities across markets, delivering global-scale initiatives that create better outcomes for brands, retailers, and customers.
Stanley Oyovota
// Digital Media & Shopper Analytics Lead, Co-op Media Network
Stanley Oyovota is the newly appointed Digital Media & Shopper Analytics Lead at the Co-op Media Network, bringing a wealth of experience from leading media agencies such as PHD and Omnicom, as well as from his time working brand-side at Diageo.
In his role, Stanley is spearheading the development and execution of Co-op’s data-media strategy, driving innovation in retail media and enhancing the network’s ability to deliver insightful, impactful media solutions.
Steph Taylor
// Head of Omni-Media & Partnerships, Boots
Steph Taylor is the Head of Omni-Media and Partnerships at Boots. With over a decade of experience in media and marketing, Steph has worked across a number of award-winning campaigns at Boots, as well as developing and growing commercial partnerships at Boots. Passionate about collaboration and excellence, Steph is dedicated to creating marketing strategies that drive success for both brands and customers.
Tom Goulden
// Digital Trading, Insights and Analytics Director, The Very Group
Uche Ofili
// Head of Agency, SMG
Uche is the Head of Media Agencies at SMG, overseeing agency partnerships across a diverse portfolio that includes Boots, Asda, Morrisons, CoOp, and TVG. Before joining SMG, Uche played a key role at Tesco Media, where he built, led and took to market, the UK’s first grocer-specific agency team. With over 18 years of experience on the agency side, Uche has worked with some of the UK’s top agencies, including IPG, MediaCom, and MEC, specialising in Trading, Planning and Buying, leading campaigns for major brands like Colgate-Palmolive, Visa, GlaxoSmithKline, and Aldi. Today, Uche is dedicated to helping agencies unlock the potential of Connected Commerce, driving customer-first, full-funnel campaigns that deliver results.
Lisa Morton
// Founder and CEO, Roland Dransfield
Laura Jones
// Head of Very Media Group, The Very Group
Laura has risen through the ranks at The Very Group to become Head of Very Media Group, beginning her journey nearly a decade ago as a Senior Buyer at The Very Group. Over the years, she has honed her expertise in strategy, planning, trading, visual merchandising, marketing, and more. This diverse experience equips Laura to lead the Very Media Group’s retail proposition with a sharp focus on brand partnerships and leveraging customer data and creative capabilities to deliver bespoke, multi-channel campaigns.
Jon Kershaw
// Managing Director, PHD Manchester
Kate Bradbury
// Regional Deputy Managing Director, Wavemaker
Chris Turner
// Managing Partner – Head of Programmatic Services UK, & Digital Investment EMN, EssenceMediacom
Chris is now in his 20th year in the industry, all based in the North of England – he loves the weather and the people!
Starting his career at the former MediaVest Manchester, which went onto become Dentsu. Chris has spent the vast majority of his career in Digital advertising leading several high growth teams, across both the North and London.
Chris is currently responsible for a number of media investment teams within essencemediacom North, as well as being responsible for Programmatic across EM UK. Focused on developing teams which seek to deliver breakthroughs for clients, with a constant focus for iterative innovation in work.
James Attwater
// Regional Agency Lead, Seedtag
Melanie Goldsmith
// Project30 building community brands for celebrities
Ian Black
// Head of Retail Media, Publicis Media
James Chandler
// Chief Marketing Officer, IAB UK
Jess Clerke
// Retail Media Commercial Strategy Lead, John Lewis Partnership
Jess brings over 20 years of retail experience across both Food and Non-Food within the John Lewis Partnership. In recent years she has led the Retail Media Sales Team for John Lewis and is now spearheading the Retail Media Commercial Transformation Strategy for both the John Lewis and Waitrose brands, shaping the future of retail media within the partnership.
Elliott Clayton
// Managing Director International Sales, Epsilon
Diana Abebrese
// Global Retail Media Lead, EPAM Systems
A digital media veteran with over 10 years experience working specifically in Retail Media, I lead our Global Retail Media practice at EPAM. With a strong, cross-functional background in retail and digital media, I help our retail clients build and scale their retail media businesses with a strong focus on revolutionising retail media through strategic applications of AI and Cloud technologies.
In my previous roles at GIG Retail and Triad Retail Media, I built and led the Business Services function, launching and enhancing retail media networks for major global retailers.
At EPAM our success is defined by delivering strong leadership in client relationship management, consultative selling, and the creation of resilient business strategies that resonate with our client's aspirations.
Katrina Smart
// VP Digital Commerce, Europe, Mars United Commerce
Retail Media leader with over 10 years Retail Media experience, now leading Digital Commerce for Mars United Commerce which is proudly part of Publicis Groupe.
Matthew Huffer
// UK Market Director, Taylors of Harrogate
Matthew joined Taylors of Harrogate in 2011, became UK Commercial Director in 2016 and has more recently become UK Market Director. In this role he is responsible for some fabulous brands (Yorkshire Tea, Taylors of Harrogate coffee & Taylors of Harrogate Teas) and the customer relationships that make up the £300m annual UK turnover.
He has spent his entire career in the UK Food & Drink industry on the supplier side working most notably for Carlsberg-Tetley, McVities and Burtons Foods.
Fiona Lydon
// Head of Shopper Marketing, Warburtons
As the Shopper Marketing lead for Warburtons, the UK's No.1 Bakery brand, Fiona has been instrumental in boosting brand visibility and creating disruption in commerce. Through innovative campaigns and impactful displays, Fiona and her team have delivered best in class activations, winning the Co-op Pioneer Award and the Best Morrisons Media Group Activation.
With over twenty years of commercial and marketing experience with branded food businesses, Fiona is passionate about brands, quality and people.
Luis Martinez
// Managing Partner and Head of e-commerce, Essencemediacom UK
Luis Martinez is the Managing Partner and Head of e-commerce at Essencemediacom UK, with over 15 years of experience in digital advertising, partnerships, and e-commerce. He has worked with tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon in the US and Europe, and most recently with the indie agency Jellyfish. Luis brings a unique blend of global and local expertise in platform strategies, agency needs, and brand goals. In his current role, he leverages this experience to provide innovative tech solutions, commercial benefits, and strategic investments for retail media and omnichannel initiatives.
Matthew Higgins
// Managing Partner, Total Commerce and Addressable Media, Dentsu UK&I
Working with most progressive thinking brands globally across all sectors, from FMCG brands to Finance, and has been within dentsu for nine years, and leads all Retail Media activation for the UK.
Jayne Andrews
// Director of Marketing, Fentimans
Jayne has been Marketing Director of Fentimans for the last two years.
Now Hexham based, she has worked in London, Sydney and Miami in senior roles for a diverse range of brands.
From working with multiple Telco’s to Safe Sex Campaigns for the Government to Director of Marketing in online dating.
From 2013, Jayne launched the Carnival Cruise brand to Australia and NZ.
She was then invited to lead the Carnival brand for North America, moving to Miami in 2019.
Jayne guided the Carnival brand through the pandemic years and relaunched the giant travel brand post-Covid, returning to the UK in 2021.
Gareth Turner
// Director, Big Black Door
Gareth Turner, is the founder of Big Black Door a marketing strategy consultancy. He has over 25 years’ experience working within food and drink and has had the pleasure of leading the marketing teams for household name brands like Weetabix, John Smith’s, Bulmers, Lurpak, and Arla in local and global roles.
Alex Brown
// CCO, Campfire
Alex is Campfire's Chief Creative Officer, who brings a blend of creativity and strategic insight from his experience in social media content creation and advertising. Alex works to revolutionise our approach to social-first advertising, aiming to inspire our teams to push the envelope, blending bold creativity with meticulous strategy. Alex aims to foster a culture where taking risks is encouraged and excellence is achieved. He strives for Campfire's campaigns to resonate deeply, achieving unparalleled engagement.
Julie Chadwick
// Managing Director, Dentsu Creative
Victoria McKevitt-Smith
// Managing Director, Dentsu Digital
James Lodge
// Managing Partner, Dentsu
Dominic Adams
// Senior Manager Membership Marketing, Co-op
Phil Cowdell
// Global Chief Strategy Officer, Channel Factory
Phil joined Channel Factory in 2022 to lead the global business strategy. Formerly on the Advisory Board, his key focus areas include Channel Factory's Conscious Advertising Program, Minority Media representation, and re engineering Brand Safety and Suitability to be more inclusive and equitable. Previously, Phil divided his career between the advertising industry and government affairs.
In advertising, he has run some of the world’s largest and best-known media agencies including WPP’s Mediacom and Mindshare, Publicis's Starcom MediaVest and Zenith, GroupM's m-Platform, and Serviceplan’s Mediaplus.
In the public sector, Phil specialises in how communications and digital media are being exploited by bad actors. Focusing on terrorism and violent extremism under the Obama administration, including speaking at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), invited by UK Prime Minister Theresa May and President Macron. His clients have been across both the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations, as well as UK and other foreign governments.
Marc Allsop
// Head of EMEA, Rokt
Marc is a commercial leader and expert in customer loyalty, partnerships, and using data for the benefit of the customer. Having spent time on the leadership teams in the fintech and martech, Marc is now Head of EMEA at Rokt, the global leader in ecommerce, unlocking real-time relevancy in the moment that matters most - from cart to confirmation. Prior to Rokt, Marc spent 15 years at American Express, where he led major consumer-facing partnerships with some of the world’s most loved brands.
Ellen Kirk
// Partner & Retail Media Proposition Strategy & Development Manager, John Lewis Partnership
Ellen is a marketing professional with 15 years of experience spanning creative agencies and in-house roles. Currently a Retail Media Proposition Strategy & Development Manager at the John Lewis Partnership, she specialises in CRM and Loyalty. With a background in local marketing and a deep understanding of brand communications, she is passionate about delivering data-driven, customer-centric solutions.
Steve Edwards
// Head of Agency, Tesco Media and Insight Platform
Steve Edwards spearheads Tesco Media and Insight Platform partnerships with Media Agencies, Steve has bought a wealth of experience, insight and a track record of building highly progressive partnerships with agencies at major media owners and tech businesses over the last 20 years including Microsoft, Hearst and most recently with 9 years at Amazon. With extensive experience of digital, tech, VoD, media planning & data strategy, Steve has operated extensively in business transformation, concepting and building new products, go-to-market strategies, cross-team collaboration in order to create new incremental growth opportunities. Steve has most recently been heavily involved at the intersection of retail media and brand advertising, connecting Content to Commerce covering areas such as addressable TV, Sports, Gaming and how to fuse these channels with retail marketplaces to deliver best-in class work for agencies and their clients. Steve is known for a highly collaborative approach to building new partnerships spanning tech, media, data and content, and leading high performing, diverse and pioneering teams.
Jeff Bowerman
// Executive Creative Director, DEPT®
Dawn Paine
// CEO & Co-Founder, Aurora
Dawn has enjoyed an award winning 25 year career in leadership roles in the creative industries, entertainment, retail and technology sectors.
Now CEO of Liverpool headquartered global creative agency Aurora. She was VP Marketing at Universal Pictures and Marketing Director Nintendo UK.
She transformed the UK video game landscape with the record breaking launch of the Wii & Nintendo DS in the most successful era of Nintendo’s 135 year history. Taking their market share from 5-80% in the space of 12 months. Dawn, the only female on the global Nintendo leadership team.
She is a long-standing WACLer and has chaired their national mentoring and events programme for next gen talent – focusing outside of London.
Zoe Harris
// CMO, On the Beach
Sam Walker
// Group Marketing & Creative Director, N Brown
Katie Jackson
// Chief Marketing Officer, Channel 4
Jessica Doulton
// Managing Partner, Omnicom Media Group UK (OMG)
Jessica leads the UK retail media teams at Omnicom, where she has built market-leading partnerships with UK retailers and scaled the retail media proposition within the group. With a decade of experience in retail media, she has worked with clients such as Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Diageo, and Pernod Ricard. Passionate about driving industry best practices, Jessica, and her team the ISBA Retail Media Steering Committee to foster responsible retail media investment.
Rosie Houston
// Managing Director, UK Retail Media Partnerships
Lindsay Winstanley
// Global Head of Digital, Quorn Foods
Tom Ridges
// CEO, Herdify
The story of Herdify starts back in 2011 when founder Tom was in Paris with a girlfriend (...luckily now his wife, or this story could be awkward). Being keen foodies they were on the lookout for a good places to eat. Whenever Tom consulted his phone for reviews he was met with about a zillion restaurants in the immediate vicinity all with 5 stars, including a well know fast food chain. No diss to Le Big Mac, but if that AND a quaint local bakery were both getting 5 stars it was clear the system wasn't working for everyone. Simply put, 5 stars to one person is not 5 to another, because we all have very different tastes.
This small experience started a big journey. That year he built an app which linked people with others who liked the same restaurants - similar tastes creating a hive mind for recommendations. It didn't work. But he learnt a lot, like work out what your audience actually needs/wants and start there. Ok, next idea... a kind of Uber-rating-passengers-style system but for restaurants, so they can incentivise customers to share data and get prioritised bookings in return. Nope, that didn't work either. BUT he knew he was fundamentally interested in the connectedness of people and how this notion influencers others. What he didn't know was that this is behavioural science
Enter Dr Tim Drye, a behavioural science specialist who sits on the board of the Office for National Statistics. When Tom got talking to him it felt like
a real meetings of minds. Here was someone who'd spent 15 years developing research and expertise in exactly what Tom had been banging on about.
So Tom took the essence of Tim's consultancy practice and layered it with tech to create a Saas model, therefore amplifying it to a vastly
wider audience. And lo, Herdify was born.
Rebecca Veal
// Marketing Manager, Russell Hobbs
Alice Anson
// Digital Media Director, Nectar360
Alice Anson is Nectar360’s Digital Media Director, looking after Nectar360’s digital retail media proposition both through online channels and instore across Sainsbury's Group brands, managing the end-to-end retail media team for Argos, leading partnerships between Nectar360 and media agencies and having the privilege of leading Nectar360’s retail media ad tech including Nectar360’s proprietary Digital Trading Platform.
Alice’s background is in ecommerce across both retail and lifestyle brands, she has been with Nectar360 since October 2018. Nectar360’s role is to create valuable relationships between brands and their customers, and Alice ensures Nectar360 remains at the forefront of digital consideration within the retail media space.
Heather Dansie
// Research and Insight Director, Newsworks
Heather joined Newsworks in 2023 and spearheads Newsworks’ thought leadership research, amplifying industry insights to media agencies and advertisers. Prior to joining the Newsworks team she was responsible for media and cultural research in roles at Joshua G2 and Publicis Media.
Gavin Forth
// Marketing Director, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays
Rob Buckhaven
// Drinks Editor, Metro
Jimi Famurewa
// Restaurant critic and writer
Mary-Ellen McTague
// Chef and Founder, Eat Well MCR
Niki West
// Director of Agency and Client Services, Newsworks
Mel Leslie
// Agency and Client Relations Director, Newsworks
Howard Parker
// Agency sales director UK regions, Scotland, Ireland, Reach Solutions
Lily Polak
// International Account Manager, The Guardian
Grace Sharp
// Planning and partnerships manager, Wavemaker
Yolandi De Villiers
// Performance Manager, Notorious Communications
Alison Phillips
// Journalist, Commentator and Former Editor of the Mirror
Liz Hull
// Northern Correspondent, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline
Constance Kampfner
// Northern Correspondent, The Times
Stephen Robson
// Northern Correspondent, The i Paper
Michele Dainty
// Shopper Marketing Director UK&I, pladis Global
Michele has been working in shopper marketing for the last 20 years in FMCG. Currently Shopper Marketing Director UK&I at pladis Global working on iconic brands such as McVitie’s and Jacobs. She has responsibility for the UK&I shopper marketing strategy and activation across all channel formats including Grocery, Discounters, Ecommerce and Impulse.
James Cross
// CCO & Founder, Meanwhile
James’ career has taken him through McCann offices in Manchester, Birmingham, Prague and Berlin, JWT, Big and BD Network, picking up over 100 creative and effectiveness awards along the way. Together with long-time creative partner Tim Jones, James was Creative Director of BBC Creative, the BBC’s much talked about in-house advertising agency. He is now founder and CCO of the award-winning creative agency, Meanwhile.
John Robb
// Journalist and Musician, C/O Meanwhile
John Robb is an English musician and journalist. He is the bassist and singer for the post-punk band the Membranes. He is also the vocalist in the punk rock band Goldblade.
He writes for and runs the Louder Than War website and a monthly music magazine of the same name. He has written several books on music and occasionally makes media appearances as a music commentator. Since 2014 Robb has run the music writing festival Louder Than Words which is held in Manchester every November, and is a TEDx speaker and spoken word artist.
Bez From the Happy Mondays
// Maraca Shaker, Happy Mondays
Bez is best known as the maraca player, dancer, and de facto mascot of rock band Happy Mondays, having been invited by lead singer Shaun Ryder shortly after the band was formed. He is chiefly remembered for his bizarre style of dancing and use of maracas. Bez took part in a special episode of Bargain Hunt where he and Rowetta won the episode by earning a profit of £8, but it was later discovered that Bez’s girlfriend had bought two of their items. As it was against the rules of the programme for friends and family of the teams to buy items the teams were selling, and Bez had to hand over £8 from his own pocket.
Emma Slater
// Regional Managing Director, Wavemaker
Paul Cooper
// COO, EssenceMediacom North
Katy Woodward
// Planning Director, EssenceMediacom North
Louis Georgiou
// VP Engineering Agentic Intelligence, Choreograph
Lucy Barnes
// Joint General Manager, Havas Media Network, Manchester
Lucy is Joint General Manager at Havas Media Network, Manchester. She brings over 20 years of media industry expertise overseeing the operations, performance, and growth of one of Manchester's leading media agencies. Throughout her career, she has developed and executed strategic media solutions for clients across various sectors and markets including L'Oréal, Lexus, Matalan, Nando's, Thomas Cook, Oxfam and the BBC.
Her approach centers on finding disruptive and dynamic ways to modernise marketing fundamentals, creating not just commercial impact but meaningful change for the brands and businesses she partners with. By leveraging data, technology and creativity, she has delivered award-winning campaigns that drive both business results and positive societal impact.
As a MIPA Accredited practitioner and recipient of the prestigious 'WACL Future Leader Award,' she demonstrates an unwavering commitment to excellence in the field. One of her core strengths lies in cultivating a positive and collaborative culture both within the agency and wider Manchester marketplace. She leads a diverse team of media professionals, fostering an environment of continuous improvement, development and inclusivity, while instilling a strong sense of purpose and belonging.
Her leadership philosophy is rooted in the belief that empowering and inspiring people directly translates to both superior client outcomes and meaningful progress for all. Through this approach, she continues to make lasting contributions that extend beyond business metrics to positively impact her people, clients, and the wider community.
Thomas Reeve
// Strategy Partner, Havas Media Network, Manchester
Thomas Reeve is a Strategy Partner at Havas Media Network Manchester, where he leads strategy for major clients including the BBC and Matalan. With over 15 years of experience spanning creative agencies, digital agencies, and client-side roles, Thomas has a track record of delivering highly effective work, recently securing an IPA Effectiveness Award for the agency’s groundbreaking work with the BBC. His extensive portfolio includes successful campaigns for prominent brands such as; Hyundai, We Buy Any Car, Cinch, Moonpig, SharkNinja, JD Sports and Save The Children.
In conjunction with growing brands, Thomas is passionate about creating pathways for underrepresented talent in marketing. As the leader of the Havas Boost initiative in 2024, he led a team to identify and support purpose-driven entrepreneurs from less advantaged backgrounds across the North West. Armed with a Master's degree in Business and a deep understanding of both traditional and emerging media landscapes, Thomas brings a unique perspective on balancing business outcomes with societal impact to help organisations make a meaningful difference.
Christina Taylor
// Founder, Aim Sky High
Kee-Hong Low
// Creative Director, Factory International
Mike Ingall
// Chairman, CEO and Founder, Allied London
Andy Burnham
// Mayor of Greater Manchester
Laura McHenry
// VP of Marketing, imagino LTD
Chris Penny
// Group Strategic Project Director, Vertu Motors plc.
Robert Bridge
// Chief Customer Officer, Cinch
Ben Stead
// Head of Ecommerce, The Couture Club
Sian Arthur
// Customer Success Manager, Klaviyo
Cathy Toogood
// Manchester travel expert, The Telegraph
Georgina Holledge
// Business Director, SMG
Naomi Yonge
// Principal Product Manager, Data Science, LiveRamp
Naomi is a recognised data science leader in marketing and ad tech with over 12 years of experience.
At LiveRamp, she helps advertisers understand the value of their media investments by integrating with the UK's largest advertising platforms. Her team educates brand and agency teams on insight methodologies and has developed a leading sales lift measurement solution for notable CPG brands.
Previously, at Nectar, she analysed transactional data to demonstrate the value of the Nectar scheme to partners.
Naomi was named an 'AdWanted Future 100 Club' member in 2023 and was a finalist for the Performance Marketing' Data-Driven Excellence' award 2024.
Nicole Kivel
// Managing Director, Criteo
Nicole Kivel is the Managing Director, UK, Enterprise at Criteo, leading its commercial organization for top retailers, brands, and agencies. With 15+ years in advertising, she played a key role in scaling retail media in Europe with Hooklogic, later acquired by Criteo. Nicole specializes in guiding clients to enhance their digital strategy and maximize the impact of Criteo's product suite.
Oliver Shayer
// Omni-Media Director, Boots
Ollie Shayer is the Omni-Media Director at Boots UK, leading all consumer media and Boots Media Group, one of the UK’s premier retail media networks. With 20+ years in FMCG, retail, and e-commerce across Europe, the US, LATAM, and APAC, he has spearheaded digital transformation and media innovation at brands like ECCO, Booking.com, Diageo, Nestlé and Sainsburys.
A recognised industry leader, Ollie has received accolades including New Digital Age Brand Hero 2023, PMW Power 100 (2023 & 2024), Campaign’s 40 Over 40 (2024), and the ISBA President’s Award. As a keynote speaker and Future 100 Media Club member, he champions data-driven growth and cutting-edge media strategies, balancing proven methods with next-gen innovation to drive measurable impact.
Dominic Charles
// Managing Director, Audience Intelligence & Marketing Science, Wavemaker
Ffion Turner
// Managing Partner Analytics & Insight, Data & Tech, EssenceMediacom North
Ashley Knight
// Head of Strategy, Dentsu Lab
An internationally awarded, multidisciplinary strategic leader. Currently Head of Strategy at Dentsu Lab, part of the leadership team responsible for the global expansion and go-to-market strategy for the Creative R&D Lab, starting in EMEA.
Originally from London, now based in Amsterdam having previously relocated to set up the Jam3 EMEA office in 2020. Transitioned to lead the Experience capability for Media.Monks in EMEA & APAC following Jam3's integration into the network.
Eve Young
// Senior Creative, SocialChain
John Thornton
// Senior Creative, Surreal
Callum Woodbridge
// Senior Creator, SocialChain
Jacinta Faul
// Chief Executive Officer, SocialChain
Ric Hayes
// Group Strategy Director, SocialChain
Kymberley Thomson
// Senior Global Social Media & Community Manager, Primark
Hannah Baker
// CMO, SocialChain
Sunna van Kampen
// CEO + Founder, Tonic Health
Nilam Atodaria
// Senior Brand Partnerships Manager, TikTok
Matt Springate
// Chief Strategy Officer, Havas London
Matt Springate is the Chief Strategy Officer at Havas London, bringing a wealth of experience from his recent role as CSO at +61, where he developed a bespoke agency model for Telstra. Previously, he was the Regional Chief Strategy Officer for TBWA\Australia and New Zealand, where he was recognised as one of Australia's top 10 strategists. Matt has held leadership roles at Grey London, Droga5 New York, Fallon London and The Brooklyn Brothers, working on campaigns for iconic brands like Pepsi, Tate, and Honey Maid.
Rebecca Worthington
// Salty Snacks Marketing Lead, Kellanova
Katy Kitchen
// Social Strategist, McCann
Orlaith Conlon
// Senior Creative, McCann
Luke Taylor
// Head of Social, McCann
Mark Hodge
// Vice President of Marketing, McCain Foods
Amelia Wallis
// Associate Director, Lumen Research
Amelia Wallis is an Associate Director at Lumen Research, where they have spent the past eight years leveraging their background in psychology to drive innovative research and insights. With expertise in attention measurement and behavioural science, they help clients understand how audiences engage with media and advertising. Passionate about data-driven decision-making, Amelia works at the intersection of psychology, technology, and market research to deliver actionable insights.
Ben Dimond
// Global Commercial Director, Lumen Research
Ben Dimond is Lumen's Commercial Director, working with clients and agencies to improve campaign outcomes by optimising towards attention. With over 16 years of experience in the advertising technology sector, Ben previously led the global attention analytics division at PLAYGROUND XYZ, part of GumGum, where he played a pivotal role in transforming the company from a rich media firm into a significant entity in the attention market. His role at Lumen includes overseeing the integration of Lumen’s Attention Measurement Products (LAMP) with agencies and advertisers across the UK and US.
Lindsey Clay
// CEO, Thinkbox
Jessica Scott
// Co-Founder, Notorious Communications
Jason Spencer
// Business Development Director, ITV
Duncan Wood
// Managing Director, The Ingenuity Group
Chris Kemp
// CEO & Founder, The Ingenuity Group
Ian Houghton
// Co-Founder, MAD//Fest
Dan Brain
// Co-Founder, MAD//Fest
Ewan Douglas
// Head of Sales for Nations & Regions, Channel 4
Catherine McGarry
// Shopper Marketing Controller, AGBarr
Jess Tagg
// Director of Sales, Blis
Caroline McKee
// Director, Vox Recruitment
Natalie Coleman
// Regional group agency director, Teads
Gill Huber
// Managing Director, Ingenuity+
Gill has worked in leadership positions within the media, communications and marketing industry. Her knowledge, expertise and holistic experience of the marketing community ensures she’s a proven connector in the marketing world. Gill leads Ingenuity+ overseeing all client relationships and projects. Before joining Ingenuity+ she led Oystercatchers supporting senior marketing leaders and brands in finding their perfect agency partner such as John Lewis Partnership, The AA and The Very Group.Prior to this she was Chief Client Officer of Posterscope, PSI, and MKTG; Marketing & Communications Director at Starcom MediaVest Group. Gill began her career working in media planning and client management where she worked with iconic brands Heineken, McDonald’s, Boots UK and Peugeot at agencies including OMD and Vizeum.Gill is a proud member of WACL and served on the Executive Board as Honorary Secretary. She’s a member of the MSc Strategic Marketing Advisory Board at Imperial College Business School. Gill is a keen supporter of NABS, she Co-Chairs NABS Stranger Than Summer Committee and is part of NABS’ 100 Club of senior industry leaders.
Terri Cooper
// Marketing Director, Aqua Pura
Eleisha May
// Client Strategy Director, Blis
Sadie Teasdale
// Group Head, Blis
Amy Fox
// Chief Product Officer, Blis
Leigh Herbert
// Director Of Client Services, Republic of Media
Emma Jackson
// Pregnant Then Screwed
Kelly Jacobson-Collins
// VP Governance, Ethics & DPO, Blis
Nicola Marsh
// Managing Director, Essence Mediacom North Group
Emma Thompson
// Head of Client Leadership, OMG Newcastle
Hattie Pearson
// Host, Hits Radio (Bauer Media)
Lucy Gugas
// President, Bloom (North & Scotland)
Claire Mathieson
// President, Bloom (North & Scotland)
Alyssia Jarvis
// Sales Executive, Blis
Nishat Quayum
// Group Director, Kinesso
Lucy Crompton
// Programmatic Account Director, Wavemaker
Beth Sutherland
// VP, Bloom, Mediacom
Chelsea Teesdale
// Head of Marketing, Warehouse Project
Isobelle Panton
// Commercial Lead, The Overlap
Jane Hector-Jones
// Head of Partnerships, Aviva Studios
Nick Smith
// CEO, Elonex
Ed James
// Founding Partner, Lunar Agency
Chris Jones
// MD, Elonex
Joe McKenna
// Executive Director, Performance Product, T&Pm
Alexandre Hoffmann
// Growth Director, Passion Digital
With over a decade of experience in digital marketing across SaaS, B2B, B2C, and professional services, Alexandre Hoffmann specializes in developing data-driven strategies that deliver measurable results. His expertise spans SEO, content marketing, technical operations, and strategic data analysis.
As Managing Partner at Passion Digital, he has led key initiatives, integrating SEO and content marketing, launching new service offerings, and driving substantial organic growth. His leadership extends to managing large teams, optimizing performance through process improvements, and fostering business innovation.
In previous roles, including Head of SEO, Content Marketing & Technical Operations, and Managing Director at Seeders UK, he successfully developed and executed multifaceted marketing strategies, implemented advanced marketing technology, and played a significant role in business development.
Welcome to MAD//UpNorth
Ian Houghton
Co-Founder, MAD//Fest
Dan Brain
Co-Founder, MAD//Fest
Chair's Welcome
Simon Lloyd
Chief Marketing and Customer Officer, ex BBC, Virgin Atlantic and Aldermore Bank.
Rory Sutherland in conversation with John Roberts, Founder of AO World
John Roberts
CEO and Founder, AO World
Rory Sutherland
Vice Chairman, Ogilvy
SocialMinds Live Podcast with Kopparberg
Nancy Dales
Brand Manager, Kopparberg
Eve Young
Senior Creative, SocialChain
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