JUDGES

Nicky Unsworth - Chair of Judges

Nicky’s career started with an undergraduate marketing sponsorship from Pilkington, followed by senior client and agency roles.

She joined the BJL team as a director (having previously worked with the 3 founders at JWT). She worked with the senior team to complete a MBO before ultimately becoming CEO of the independent creative agency. During her years at the helm she led the evolution, growth and development of the Manchester office, opened a London office and saw the agency through a period of significant growth.

A hands-on owner/CEO she worked to acquire and retain an impressive portfolio of clients and developed the agency to the point at which it sold to Dentsu in 2019. She initiated and ran the sale process, stepping down in 2021 once she had completed the successful integration of BJL into the wider Dentsu organisation.

A great believer in supporting the broader industry, she spent 11 years as a Council member for the IPA where she was also Honorary Secretary; she chaired NABS – the industry charity – in the north for many years; was a member of the Internationalisation and Marketing board for the Manchester Growth Company, and a founding member (and subsequently Chair) of Tribe Global (the international independent agency network).

She has experience lecturing at graduate and post graduate level and was awarded Fellowship of the IPA in 2019.

She now works with agencies to support growth and leadership development.

Holly Dewsbury

Agency Group Head

Holly currently leads Amazon’s WPP and Dentsu business as their UK Head of Agency. With over 17 years industry experience across a range of Agencies and large tech companies such as Twitter and Meta, Holly is an industry advocate who is passionate about investment, M&A and building future talent. In parallel to her Agency work Holly is also a Key leader across the LGBTQ+ and BAME communities which sees her bring together and unite the industry through diversity and entrepreneurship in tech of which she claimed the 2020 PWC leadership of the year award for.

advertising.amazon.com

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Jonny Ashworth

Founder & Creative Director Mighty Giant

Jonny is the Founder & Creative Director of Mighty Giant, a Motion Design and Animation Studio in Manchester.

With 20 years experience as a motion designer and creative director, before setting up Mighty Giant in 2010, Jonny worked for several years within the BBC before moving into the Agency world in London, moving back to his native Manchester in 2012.

Jonny also runs the industry event Motion North, where animators and designers meet to learn and inspire one another.

mightygiant.co.uk

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Richard Aldiss

Managing Director, McCann Manchester

Appointed Managing Director at McCann Manchester in 2017, Richard has been with McCann for 30 years. He joined the agency in 1997 as a media group head after an eight year stint at the network’s Birmingham office. He has held a number of leadership roles at the agency including head of channel planning. During his journey with McCann he has worked with clients in just about every conceivable sector. As MD he is board level lead across clients including Magnet Kitchens, Smyths Toys, Royal London and Thornton and Ross. Richard is the IPA city head for Manchester and the North West.

mccannmanchester.com

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Rebecca Worthington

Pringles UKI Brand Lead, Kellogg’s

Rebecca is an experienced marketeer with 15 years’ experience in the FMCG industry. She is passionate about brands and has worked on some of the most loved brands in the UK. As a judge, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience across the full marketing mix , including brand positioning, strategy, innovation development and the implementation and evaluation of full funnel marketing plans.

pringles.com

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James Witter

Head of Digital, PZ Cussons

James is a Digital Marketing and E-commerce leader with significant experience in global and UK roles. Most recently, James heads up the digital marketing team at PZ Cussons, responsible for crafting the digital presence of some of the UK’s most loved personal care brands, including Carex and Imperial Leather. James is passionate about building brands and always has the consumer firmly in his mind. He develops and coaches high performing teams to create full funnel digital experiences and activity that are meaningful and impactful, while also driving financial performance. He also has a thing for analysing trends and tuning these into powerful content strategy, he is always on the hunt for nuggets of insight that spark creativity and difference in the way that brands show up in the digital space!

pzcussons.com

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Pavan Riyat-Ward

Managing Director, We are the Allies

Pavan started her career in advertising agencies and then moved client side, working in Head of Marketing roles at Morrisons, Poundland and Coop.

Pavan has now returned to her agency roots as MD and founder of We are The Allies, a network of over 250 creative freelancers, covering every creative discipline - helping Agencies and Production companies find the best freelance talent for their creative brief.

wearetheallies.com

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Marcus Hadfield

Chief Strategy Officer, Apadmi

With over 20 years experience in digital and brand marketing, Marcus has delivered award-winning campaigns across every discipline and most sectors. Most of his career has been spent in advertising agencies, most recently as a Managing Partner at McCann Manchester. In 2017, he jumped into the mobile world to help clients get more out the increasingly close relationships people have with their devices. His question stays the same – why will customers care? Clients have included Expedia, Argos, Costa, American Airlines, CrossCountry Trains, Which?, Homebase, Sony, Aldi, World Vision, Plan International and more.

apadmi.com

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Fergus McCallum

Chief Executive, TBWA\MCR

Fergus started his career in Marketing in the drinks industry at what is now Diageo. Chief Exec at TBWA\MCR since 2009, he has now racked up over 25 years of leading award-winning agencies to success at Cannes, Hollis, the Marketing Society and of course the MPA.

tbwamcr.com

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Dan Sodergren

Digital marketing and technology media expert

Ex marketing agency owner, serial tech startup co-founder, Dan Sodergren is a digital marketing / technology specialist who also works on TV and radio as a media expert. He is a futurist who trains companies in how the future of marketing, work and technology will change the world.

Dansodergren

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Jenny Powell

Brand Marketing, Vimto

Jenny has over 20 years experience within Food and Drinks businesses having spent time managing portfolios, brands and innovation at UK and International level. During her career she has worked at a number of esteemed North West companies including Kellogg’s, Warburtons and more recently Vimto.

She has a passion for FMCG and and believes in the power of brands.

vimto.co.uk

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Mark Kelly

Agency Growth Coach

Mark is an agency veteran and started his consultancy in 2012 to initially help creative and marketing agencies with their digital marketing offer (from strategy to project governance). This expanded a year later to cover developing their proposition, market profile, teams, services, business pipeline and profitable processes.

markkellyconsultancy.com

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Steven Lorenzini

Regional Sales Director

Before joining Captify - the leading Search Intelligence platform for the open web - Steven launched Digital Cinema Media in Manchester in 2018 and prior to this he was with Sky Media in Manchester and London for 7 years. Steven has now joined Captify - the leading Search Intelligence platform for the open web - as Regional Sales Director. In 2021, he cycled 3,500 miles across America.

captifytechnologies.com

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Phil Cookson

Director, Creative Resource

For 19 years, Phil has been helping agencies and brands to find and retain talent as well as mentoring creative and marketing talent throughout their career journeys. Phil is also Co-Founder of School of Thought, the creative course and competition that has been running in Manchester and Leeds since 2016.

creativeresource.co.uk

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Vic Elizabeth Turnbull

Founder MIC Media & Pods Up North

Vic is obsessed with audio. She's the founder of podcast production and training company MIC Media. The social enterprise won Silver at the Audio Production Awards in 2022 and has received nominations at the British Podcast Awards and Manchester Culture Awards. She is also the founder of MIC’s Podcast Club an international podcaster community that has over 1,100 members and is the co-founder and Director of Pods Up North, a conference for podcasters. Vic is a judge for the British Podcast Awards and International Women's Podcast Awards too. She was recently named as one of the Top 100 women in social enterprise in the Natwest and The Pioneers Post WISE 100 List 2023 and made the list in 2022 too.

MicMedia.co.uk

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Dunstan Carter

Business Development Manager, The Sharp Project

Dunstan’s role is to offer support and advice to dozens of creative businesses and promote the innovative hub across the North. He's a published poet and illustrator, but don't let that put you off him.

thesharpproject.co.uk

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Ani Kaprekar

Executive Coach & Storyteller, Co-founder - Tech India Advocates

Ani is a charismatic polymath leader and an executive coach recognised for creativity, with 30+ years of global career and rich experience in diverse sectors. Ani leads exciting public initiatives in Tech, Entrepreneurship and Performing Arts as a founder & brand ambassador. Formally trained in theatre & film-craft, Ani blends his creative skills and business acumen to create impactful success stories. Ani is also a social media storyteller followed by more than a million+ people across the world on Facebook.

techindiaadvocates.org

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Kate Cocker

Co-Founder of Purposeful Podcasts

Kate Cocker wants you to be heard. With over 20 years experience in the audio industry Kate is passionate about helping people tell their stories. She is Co-Founder of Purposeful Podcasts, helps people get comfortable speaking in public as “The Presenter Coach”, and is host of the award winning podcast “Everyday Positivity”.

purposefulpodcasts.com

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Danny Turnbull

Managing Consultant – Agency MD/Consultant/Non Exec Director

Danny has spent a lifetime in the agency world (well 30 years) and half of this, running large agencies in the UK and Europe.

After early stints in B2B, B2C and medcomms, he joined Cicero and led the agency through its acquisition and integration into gyro, the world's largest and most awarded B2B network, sitting on the global leadership team and leading the Manchester business (£6m TO, 55 people) for 12 years taking it through its acquisition into Dentsu Aegis Network.

Following spells at Stein IAS leading their EMEA business in Manchester, London and Paris, then most recently was MD/Director of Agency Services at APS Group, Danny now works as a Non Exec Director (NXD), Consultant and Mentor for a number of agencies of different shapes and sizes across the UK.

cact.us

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Jo Whiteley

Creative Director at if Agency

Jo’s enjoyed (& endured!) many years in the creative industry, starting out as an art director & working her way to CD. Fiercely competitive, Jo hops out of bed come rain or shine, with the same ambition & passion for concepts and innovation as she did on day one. With her infectious enthusiasm, she thrives on nurturing ideas & creative talent, so is honoured to be part of the panel & looks forward to celebrating in the Norths creative success.

ifagency.co.uk

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Jeff McCarthy

Senior Lecturer - Digital Marketing, Manchester Metropolitan University

5xs award-winning blogger with runeatrepeat.co.uk as well as a prize-winning author, Jeff is a board member of the MPA and sits on the DMA North Council Talent Hub. His key focus is driving student employability, nurturing and retaining talent, particularly in the digital and creative sector. His work as a digital marketing specialist since 1996 has seen him work with major retailers, online brands, charities and over 35 football clubs.

mmu.ac.uk

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Asma Younus

Marketing Manager, Co-Founder, Radio Presenter

After launching a travel blog in 2010, Asma was able to shift from a career in business operations to specialise in Marketing and now holds a Senior position at Indiespring, a Manchester based agency providing mobile-first custom software solutions. She also co-founded islamicartprints.com, a curated, artist-driven global platform for affordable Islamic Art. Her spare time is spent as a radio presenter on Travel.radio and hosting Sunday Breakfast on BBC Radio Manchester. Passionate about diversity and inclusion, Asma is also a trustee for a new Manchester based charity, Pave the Way.

islamicartprints.com

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Niki West

Director of Agency & Client Services, Newsworks.

Niki joined Newsworks in May 2017 to oversee client services and strategy planning. Her core remit is to forge ever stronger relationships between Newsworks, advertisers and the agency community. Before Newsworks, Niki was a managing partner at Havas Media.

newsworks.org.uk

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Steve Miller

Membership and Commercial Director, PRCA

Alongside managing the membership and business services team at the PRCA, Steve oversees membership recruitment and retention. He also manages the PRCA Partnership Programme.

prca.org.uk

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Joyce Kelso

Associate Director, Marketing – IPA

Joyce has worked at a senior level in several communication agencies and in the not-for-profit sector. Joyce’s work at the IPA brings together the collective intelligence of its members to deliver future facing strategies that will ensure that its member agencies are more sustainable and profitable. With a passion for great creative work she has expanded her remit into several non-exec Director roles.

ipa.co.uk

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Chris Mawdsley

Head of Media Strategy, BBC

Chris began his media planning career in the lovely surroundings of McCanns in Prestbury in 1997 before moving to Feather Brooksbank just before the millennium bug ruined all our lives. A move to MediaVest Manchester 8 years later was followed by a move to MediaCity and the BBC in 2011. Now Head of Media Strategy, Chris is responsible for the planning and execution of a huge variety of campaigns for the Corporation, from dramas such Happy Valley and The Gold, sporting events like the Women’s Euros and national events such as Glastonbury.

bbc.co.uk

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Rob Sethna

Digital Creative & Tech Sectors Lead, GC Business Growth Hub

Rob has been at the heart of sector industries all his professional career having lived and breathed creative direction in advertising and design for over 30 years. Also a multiple SME owner over that period, he now spends his time as a Digital, Creative and Tech Growth Leader at GC Business Growth Hub, helping businesses in the sector thrive using his extensive agency and commercial experience.

businessgrowthhub.com

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