Guest Authors

Lea Turner crashed onto LinkedIn in October 2019 with no prior knowledge of the platform, but her vibrant, personable, and uplifting posts quickly drove countless leads and over 10,000 followers in her direction.

She has grown a massive network of more than 150,000 people and started her own LinkedIn training business two years ago, which hit six figures within the first ten months.

She now focuses her time on teaching others how to build their personal brands on LinkedIn and attract regular inbound leads for their businesses, while parenting her young son, and creating entertaining content across her various social channels. 

Nick Whitnell is a purpose-led brand and marketing consultant and experienced B Leader. Nick is passionate about helping businesses deliver positive change and support meaningful growth that balances people, planet and profit.

With a background in leading multi-million pound marketing campaigns, Nick has spent over 15 years creating, evolving and leading impactful business strategy from positions of senior leadership.

Alex has spent the last seven years in eCommerce across various sectors and, most recently, looking after Business Development for B&Qs newly launched marketplace.

Previous to that he spent time at adidas, Arla Foods & Morrisons in various commercial roles within eCommerce

Starting her agency career in 2010, Freia scaled a digital content, online PR and SEO offering from 0-100 staff, delivering global campaigns across 40 markets. Later she worked with the Board to deliver the company strategy and change programmes for one of the most successful digital marketing agencies in the UK. She planned and implemented some of the biggest changes undergone in the agency which led to substantial and sustainable growth. In that time, she worked with the global sales director to improve the pitch close rates and conducted post-pitch feedback to understand areas of improvement.

As a consultant, Freia uses her experience to support agencies with their strategic, operational, and new business challenges. She is a strong believer that pitch feedback is a key requirement for improving win rates, and she conducts this feedback on behalf of her agency clients.

Dani Bassil has been in the agency world for 24 years and became CEO of Digitas UK in 2018. Digitas UK is a connected marketing agency that uniquely brings together their deliberate diversity to make better connections and realise ambitious outcomes.

Angel Gaskell has been working in the business development indysry since 2005 and has a tremendous amount of knowledge on business development from an agency world perspective. Angel was previously the Commercial Director for Rees Bradley Hepburn, and she is now the Managing director and founding partner of HDY Agency. Angel has been regcognised for her amazing work over the years and has won various awards such as Content Marketing Agency #40over40 2021, Winner of Digital Entrepreneur of the year 2021 and Business Person of the year 2022.

Rebecca Brennan has been working within the Marketing industry since 1998 and she has an outstanding knowledge of problem solving and bringing teams together efficiently. Rebecca has worked at a variety of roles, alongside her role as Chief Operating Officer at Kyan, she is also the Founder of & Beyond. Rebecca has made a huge impact on the industry due to her experience that has allowed her to work with over 200 brands and businesses.

Ali Wallace has been working within the Marketing and Business field since 1997, and he has an amazing knowledge of how to hire the top talent within the industry. Ali has worked at a variety of roles, he was previously the Lead Consultant for Blue Skies, and he is now the Founder & Director of DNA Recruit. He has made a huge impact on the Marketing industry due to his track record of finding placements of new marketing and business leaders for big name brands across the globe.

Stephen Kenwright has been working within the Marketing industry since 2011 and he has an amazing knowledge of talent retention and recruitment. Stephen has worked at a variety of roles, he was previously the Head of Digital for Pendragon PC, and he is currently the Founder for Rise at Seven. Stephen has made a massive impact on the Marketing industry and therefore his agency won the Global Content + Search Agency of The Year award by DADI Awards in 2021.

Amanda Ruddy has been working within the Marketing and Business industry since 2010, and she has an outstanding knowledge of how to find sales opportunities. Amanda has worked at a variety of roles, and she was previously the Business Development Manager for Datamonitor, but she is now the General Manager at ALF Insight. Amanda has made a huge impact on the industry due to her sales knowledge and ability to find brands in need of new marketing teams.

Wayne silver has been working within the Marketing industry since 1990, and he has an amazing knowledge of how to optimise marketing activity using creative strategies. Wayne has worked in a variety of roles, he was previously the Managing Director for One Brand Magic, and he is now the Marketing Director of Integrated Marketing for Tigerbond. He has made a huge impact on the Marketing industry due to his ability to implement strategic and tactical marketing programmes.

Damjan Haylor has been working within the Marketing industry for over 30 years, and he has an outstanding knowledge of customer conversion and how to personalise content. Damjan has worked in a variety of roles, and he was previously the Creative Director for Professional Presentations, but he is now the Managing Director for POPcomms. Damjan has made a huge impact on the Marketing industry due to his skill set that has allowed him to help other sales teams win more customers and increase their revenue.

Sarah is the founder of Purple Banana – an agency for agencies – where she is responsible for not only growing the agency across the UK, but also delivering great work to its clients too!

Prior to setting up Purple Banana in 2019 Sarah held various in-house, head of marketing roles, in several creative and communications agencies across a range of markets from the ever-changing world of FMCG private-label retailers and consumer brands, to the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry.

She is highly experienced when it comes to building in-house marketing capabilities within an agency and knows first-hand the challenges this can bring – and most importantly how to overcome them.

Having been client-side for over 15 years Sarah loves nothing more than to share her “been there, done that” experience with her agency clients now –helping them get to grips with their own marketing with a strategy and in-house delivery system that will drive the reliable growth they’re looking for.

Kathryn Jacob has been working within the Marketing industry since 1992 and she has an amazing knowledge of how to run a diverse and inclusive workplace environment. Kathryn was previously the Commercial Director for Virgin Radio, and she is now the CEO of Pearl & Dean. Kathryn has made a huge impact on the Marketing industry, which is shown through the release of her 2 books that she co-authored alongside Sue Unerman and Mark Edwards.

Mia Powell has worked within the Marketing industry since 2011 and she has an outstanding knowledge of how to develop and nurture teams. Mia has worked with a variety of big-name brands including Amazon, H&M and Channel 4. Mia has made a huge impact on the Marketing world as she has and is still using her voice to be an advocate for change for marginalised and underrepresented voices within the industry.

Gordon Fisher has been working within the Marketing and Business industry since 2004, and he has an amazing knowledge of how to grow a business effectively and efficiently. Gordon has worked at a variety of roles within the industry, and he has worked his way up from Business Director to Head of Business Development at Tribal Worldwide London. Gordon Fisher has made a huge impact on the Creative industry, due to his business development knowledge and his mentoring capabilities.

Michelle Goodall has been working within the Marketing industry for over 20 years, and she has an amazing knowledge of communications strategy and digital PR. Michelle has worked at a variety of roles within the Marketing world, and she was previously the Chief Marketing Officer for Access Intelligence Plc, but she is now the Chief Marketing Officer for Guild. Michelle has made a huge impact on the Marketing industry leading her to work with big name brands such as Coca Cola, eBay and Dominos.

Ben Holt has been working within the Media industry since 2004, and he has an amazing knowledge of how to bring innovative ideas to life, specifically in the charity sector. Ben has worked at a variety of companies including Cancer Research UK as their Technology Innovation lead, and most recently the Technology & Futures Innovation Lead for the British Red Cross. Ben has made a huge impact on the Marketing industry as he has played a huge part in redesigning the innovation systems in a variety of big name charities.

Andy Headington has been working within the Marketing industry since 2003 and he has an outstanding knowledge of how to make brands stand out. Andy has risen through the ranks from Marketing Director to CEO of his current job at Adido. Andy has made a huge impact on the Marketing industry and therefore he is also the Chairman of Digital South and the Non Executive Director for Silicon South.

Jonathan Sands has been working within the Marketing industry for over 40 years and he has an outstanding knowledge of how to run a business successfully. Jonathan was previously the Production Assistant for IAS Advertising, but he is currently the Owner and Vexillifer for Elmwood. Jonathan has made a huge impact on the Marketing industry and his knowledge has played a huge part in his company winning more DBA Design Effectiveness Awards than any other agency.

Matt King has been working within the Marketing industry since 2015 and he has an outstanding knowledge of business growth and how to grow your social media. Matt has worked across a variety of roles such as the Sales Manager for Goodwater Ltd, and currently the Founder for Saleschange. Matt has made a huge impact on the Marketing industry as he was able to showcase huge growth on his social media, growing from 100 to 10,000 followers in a year on Instagram.

Andy Lambert has been working within the Marketing and Business industry since 2008 and he has an amazing knowledge of value creation and leading marketing teams. Andy has worked at a variety of roles such as the UK Head of Sales and Marketing for Textura Europe, but he is currently the Director of Growth for ContentCal. Andy has made a huge impact on the industry as he has helped thousands of businesses across the globe unlock the power of content.

Mary Keane-Dawson has been working within the Marketing and Media industry since 1990, and has an amazing knowledge of business strategy, client growth and cultural development. Mary has worked at a variety of roles, such as the Global Ambassador for BIMA, and she is currently the CEO of Takumi. Mary has made a huge impact on the industry due to her expertise that has led her to be a current advisory board member for both Internet Commission and MAD//FEST.

Rachael Smith has been working within the Marketing industry since 2008, and has an outstanding knowledge of customer-led growth and innovation. Rachael has worked at a variety of roles such as the Director for Fuse, and she is currently the Head of Proposition for easyJet. Rachael has made a big impact on the Marketing industry due to her diverse thinking that has led to her company making better business decisions for all people involved.

Peter Hopwood has been working within the Sales industry since 2008, and has an outstanding knowledge of storytelling and how to use speech to create impact. He is currently a TEDx Speaker Coach for TED Conferences and a Global Speaking Coach for Hopwood Speaker Coaching. Peter has made a huge impact on the Sales and Marketing industry due to his influence at corporate speaking events across the globe.

Lucius de Paula has been working within the Marketing industry since 1985 and has an outstanding knowledge of both client and agency side marketing. He has worked at a variety of companies such as the Southampton Football Club as their Director Of Brand Marketing, and most recently the Head of UK Marketing and Communications for EFG Bank. Lucius has had a huge impact on the Marketing industry due to his relationship building and management skills.

James Elwood-Walls has been working within the media industry since 2013 and has an amazing knowledge of Ecommerce strategies and brand reshaping. James has worked for a variety of companies such as Redweb as their Account Manager and Bright Blue Day Ltd as their Senior Account Manager/ Digital Producer. James has made a huge impact on the marketing industry due to his experience with many types of content creation.

Holly Hall has been working within the marketing industry since 2002 and has an amazing knowledge of managing teams and channelling creative ideas into strategies. Holly has worked for a variety of companies such as the Awards Director for D&AD, and the Publishing Manager for Les Routiers. Holly has made a huge impact on the marketing industry due to her enthusiastic and confident approach to working and monitoring teams.

Charlotte Wright has been working within the marketing industry since 2003 and has an amazing knowledge of effective marketing and business strategies. She has taken on a variety of roles such as the Head of London Residential Marketing at Savills, but she is currently the Head of UK Residential Marketing for Knight Frank. Charlotte has had a huge impact on the marketing world due to her excellent leadership and team management skills.

Michael Maslona has been working within the sales industry for 16 years and has an amazing knowledge of search marketing and winning new business. He has taken on a variety of roles such as the Sales Director for Epiphany Search, but he is currently the Sales Director for Summit. Michael has had a huge impact on the marketing industry and his sales skills have led him to win over clients such as Virgin Holidays, Disney and Tesco.

Diane Sullivan-Kaplan has been working within the marketing industry since 2010 and has outstanding experience of working both B2B and B2C across a variety of sectors. She has taken on a variety of roles such as the Marketing and PR Manager for Juicy Couture, and the Head of PR and Marketing for Pringle of Scotland. Overall, Diane has had a big impact on the marketing industry due to her management skills and ability to lead businesses through global expansion.

Martina Lacey has been working within the marketing industry since 2008 and has outstanding knowledge of new business and pitching strategies. She was previously the New Business Director for Mindshare, but now she takes on the role of Head of New Business & Marketing for iCrossing UK. Martina has had a big impact on the marketing world, due to her ability to balance managing teams as well as developing content herself.

Mona Nikzad has been working within the marketing and business industry for over 10 years and has amazing experience with developing digital and e-commerce infrastructure. She previously worked at RedWeb as their New Business Director, but she now works at Organix Brands Ltd as their Digital & E-Commerce Marketing Strategist. She has made a big impact on the marketing industry, with her highly motivated mindset that has helped her and others produce inspiring digital work.

Kathryn Strachan has been working within the marketing world since 2015, and has an amazing knowledge of how to produce engaging content and attracting clients. She has previously worked for big brand names such as Lloyds Banking Group as their Content Consultant & Strategist, and now she is the Managing Director & Owner of Copy House. She has achieved a lot during her career and was recently one of the judges at the 2020 Content Marketing Awards.

Annabel Hartle has been working within the media industry since 2009 and has an amazing knowledge of sales strategies and campaigning. She has worked for a variety of companies such as Ellis & Partners and Marketing Matters, and has since landed a place at one of the leading community networking services, LinkedIn, as their Senior Client Solutions Manager.

Having worked in the marketing industry since 1999, Sarah Shilling has extensive experience in brand marketing and communication. She has worked for a variety of brands including Sainsbury’s, but she is currently the EMEA EVP for Porter Novelli. Her experience across a wide variety of industries such as retail, luxury and finance has made her a significant figure within the industry.

Graham Goodkind has been working within the industry for over 20 years and is renowned for challenging the norm and spotting opportunity. He has worked at a variety of brands such as Noise Media, but he is currently the Chairman & Founder for Frank PR. His company, Frank PR, is one of the most respected public relation consultancies in the UK and has won multiple awards due to the impact it has made In the industry.

As a marketing professional since 2008, Louise Boothroyd has gained an in-depth understanding of digital strategies and product design in order to achieve growth, and has worked for a variety of companies such as Acknowledgement Ltd. Louise currently works at Foolproof as their Director of Client Engagement and Growth. As a result of her experience, she has worked for a lot of top companies like Shell, EDF Energy, and RSA.

Jamie Willey has worked in marketing since 2014 and has an amazing understanding of growth and finding new business opportunities. He has worked for a variety of companies such as Independent and Marketing Growth Ltd. Jaime is currently a Business Development Director for Tribal Worldwide London. His specialities include finding business solutions, account management and relationship management.

Will Sargeant has been working within the marketing industry for over 10 years and he has an excellent knowledge on product development that helps with agency growth. He has worked for a variety of companies, such as The North Highland Company UK and GlaxoSmithKline. Will currently works as the Chief for Business Development at AND. At AND, he helps agencies develop products that help achieve their digital aspirations.

Jonathan has been working in the media industry for over 30 years and has an amazing knowledge on how to double your profits and retain your clients. He has worked for a variety of companies such as Leafe and Marr, as well as Strawberry, and is currently the Managing Director for Leafe Consultancy. He now aims to help as many digital, creative and marketing agencies as possible reach their full potential.

Lucy Mann has over 20 years of marketing experience and has an extensive knowledge on increasing sales and making sure marketing is efficient and effective. She has worked at a variety of companies, including Reform and Branded – Lucy is currently the Founder for Gunpowder Consulting Ltd. She is also the creator and host of the Small Spark Theory podcast, which covers the new business industry.

Daniel de la Cruz has over 10 years of business and marketing experience, as well as his extensive knowledge on how to run an agency successfully, he has also worked at a variety of companies, including The Agency Collective and Gloves Not Gunz. He is currently the Founder & Chief Learner at Polymensa, who aim to help agency founders figure out the process of how to run their agency the right way. 

Katy Howell has been working within the marketing industry for over 20 years and has a great deal of knowledge regarding social media growth. She has worked for a variety of big-name brands such as Selfridges, Google and Diageo, and currently works for Immediate Future as their CEO. Due to her impact on the marketing industry, she has been named one of the top 25 women to have shaped the digital industry by the Drum.

Nathan Anibaba has been working within the marketing industry since 2012 and therefore has amazing knowledge on growing and delivering exceptional results to clients. Nathan currently hosts a successful podcast called Agency Dealmasters, where he has weekly guests featuring only the best agency owners and marketers, who give their tips on how to succeed. Prior to running his podcast, Nathan worked as the Business Director for
Big Rock.

Leon Milns has been working within the media industry since the 2000’s and has a strong passion for new business and growing as a company. He has worked for a variety of brands such as Micheal Page and Adam Recruitment. Leon currently works as the Founding Chair of Manchester Forum, for The Supper Club, where he helps CEO’s realise their growth ambitions for their companies and what they can do to overcome them.

Claudia Pharoah has been working within the media industry since 2012 and therefore has amazing knowledge on leading campaigns and bringing in new business. She has worked for a variety of incredible brands such as Adido and CuCo Creative. She currently works as a Campaign Success Manager at Street Agency, and her expertise has lead her to link her clients with tons of top name brands such as Disney, Specsavers and SEGA Europe.

Daniel Smith has been working within the media industry since 1996, and from a young age has been passionate about marketing. He has worked long-term for a variety of brands such as my Accident Solicitor and Clockworx Design, where he played a big role in helping their partners reach their growth aspirations and creating beneficial marketing strategies for clients. He is currently the CEO and founder of Fireworx, which is one of the UK’s top ten independent marketing communication agencies.

Kevin Allen has been working within the media industry since 1989 and has outstanding knowledge on how to win pitches and bring in new business. He has worked with a variety of brands including Mastercard and Johnson & Johnson. Kevin is currently the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of El Games and is a best-selling author of his books focusing on ways to win business.

Christopher Kenna has been working within the media industry since 2010 and has a strong passion for diversity within the workplace and the marketing industry. He has worked across a variety of big companies such as ITV and WFA. He is currently the CEO & Founder of Brand Advance, where he connects brands with diverse audiences and helps empower clients to embrace these crucial and needed changes in their company.

Lucy Werner has been within the media industry since 2004 and has amazing knowledge on the best new business strategies. Lucy has worked at a variety of brands such as Hype Yourself and YouMakeIt. She is currently the Owner of The Wern, which is a DIY PR and branding hub. Lucy is also the author of business bestseller Hype Yourself, which covers insider information from the experts and journalists within the industry

Jim Hawker has been working within the media industry since 2004 and has excellent knowledge and understanding of marketing and growth. He is currently Co-Founder & Sales and Marketing Director of Threepipe Reply, one of the UK’s most credible award-winning agencies. Jim has been featured in PR Week’s Powerbook of influential people on multiple occasions and his company has won a variety of outstanding awards such as Best Digital Agency at UK Holmes Global Report Awards.

Tina Fegent has been working within the media industry for over 26 years and has exceptional knowledge of how to make your marketing strategy successful. Tina has worked for a variety of brands such as GSK and MullenLowe, but is currently working as Director for Tina Fegent Limited. Tina has won a variety of credible awards such as the Best Female Marketer in the women in marketing awards in 2013/2014, due to her success within the industry

Peter Markey has worked in the marketing industry for years after having an interest in various media genres such as journalism, video production and public relations. He has since worked his way up the career ladder across a variety of familiar big brand names such as TalkTalk, British Gas and most recently at Boots during the lockdown as their Chief Marketing Officer.

Sam Conniff has been working within the media industry for years and has founded multiple creative industry companies with strong purposes and meaning, such as Livity and Don’t Panic. He has also made a huge impact on mankind with his best-selling book ‘Be More Pirate’. The book showcases how you can take over the world and apply adapted old fashioned strategies used by Golden Age Pirates, to the outdated norms of modern-day society.

Rory Spence has worked within the media industry since 2013 and has worked his way up from an apprenticeship position to an account manager at The Wow Company. He finds passion in helping business owners to grow their companies to the brand’s full potential. He strives to bring business owners more profit and provide strategies that make sure they are spending more time working on their business, instead of in it.

John McManus has been working within the media industry since 2010 and is currently the UK Marketing Director for KIND. John shines at the work he does and his social media strategies have helped him grow brands by over 100% in a year and form an engaging community of followers. His commendable passion and knowledge for marketing has led brands to the top and helped them reach their full potential.

With a proven track record of buying, growing, and selling businesses, Mike is a seasoned entrepreneur and an expert negotiator. He helps marketing agencies become more profitable by increasing deal sizes, conversion rates, and sales. He has grown several businesses to over £20m in revenue and writes a column for the Drum on negotiation.

Lynn has previously worked with big newspapers like The Sun and Sunday Times. Before the Internet and digital, she wrote copy for journalists. As a result of her astounding networking skills and ability to communicate with others, Lynn has always done well in her career. She has worked at the drum for 18 years, moving from the commercial sector to events.

Katie developed her love for marketing during her first role as a marketer at the Street Agency. A key part of her responsibilities is managing campaign success, which consists of, managing client engagement, prospecting, booking meetings, and engaging people with brands.

Catherine’s passion is helping companies improve their communication and presentation skills. Having worked in the creative industry for 23 years, she now runs a training consultancy as well as being a professional actress. Over the course of her career, Catherine has helped brands tell their stories and led business development teams at creative agencies for global brands.

Peter has been helping agencies grow for over 15 years. In 2004, Peter co-founded The Wow Company, an accounting firm that specialises in helping agencies grow profitably and sustainably and then In 2013, he set up The Agency Collective, the UK’s largest community of agency owners. Peter also runs BenchPress, now the biggest benchmarking study for UK agencies. As an active director in two companies, Peter splits his time between research, speaking engagements and working with the leadership teams within each business.

Laura is the founder of Pitch121, she is an expert on LinkedIn, and she is an expert at teaching businesses how to make the most out of the platform as well as tips on how to differentiate between articles and videos to increase engagement. Her tips for marketing include when to post and how to maximise visibility on the platform to help businesses win new customers.

Tish is an entrepreneur and a trainer for agencies and brands, where she delivers presentations and training on negotiation. In her 20 years working in the advertising field, she’s had the pleasure of handling big clients such as L’Oreal and Coca-Cola.

Nicola Cheese has been working within the Marketing industry since 2013 and has an outstanding knowledge of business development and creative strategies. Nicola was previously the Group Marketing & Brand Manager for Etch, and now is currently the Marketing & Campaigns Director for Street Agency. Nicola has made a big impact on the Marketing Industry due to her ability to help clients create a strong value proposition and lead generation.

Michaela Dudfield has been working within the Marketing industry since 2007 and has an amazing knowledge of both B2C and B2B marketing roles. Michaela has worked at a variety of roles within the industry, she was previously the Marketing Manager for Redweb and now is currently the Head of Agency Marketing for Street Agency. Due to Michaela’s expertise, she has been able to work with big name brands such as GAME, Barclays and Organix.

Diane is the co-founder of The Drum and has learned the keys to success in her career. She is capable of solving complex problems, as well as understanding the importance of staying up-to-date by reading and planning for the future.

Hayley Jane Doyle has been working within the media industry since 2011 and she has an outstanding knowledge of marketing such as how to manage a team successfully. She has worked at a variety of roles such as the Marketing Director for Seedlip, and she is currently the Senior Brand Manager for Diageo. Hayley has made a huge impact on the Marketing industry and therefore has got to work alongside a variety of big name brands such as Twinings and the BBC.

Andrew Nicholson has been working within the media industry for over 15 years and he has an outstanding knowledge of how to add value to your clients. He has previously worked at a variety of companies including Sodexo Prestige, but he is now the Co-Founder and CEO of Kulea MA. Andrew has received a B2B Marketer of the Year Award due to his impact on the industry.